Afrogospel artist, Akinade Ibuoyepopularly known as Gaise Baba, has called on The Headies organizers to give gospel music greater recognition in major awards categories, arguing that faith-based songs should be judged on their artistic merit rather than limited to inspirational or gospel categories.
Gaise Baba made the call in an open letter to The Headies Organizing Committee on Friday, in which he also blamed the awards organizers for not presenting the Inspirational Music award at the edition of the ceremony.
The artiste, who described himself as one of the leading voices of Afrogospel, said his intervention was based on his long involvement in the Nigerian music industry and his desire to see The Headies, which he described as Nigeria’s largest and most recognized music awards platform, perform better.
According to him, his first appearance in The Headies was in 2012, when he signed with Sanctified Records and had been in the industry for just over two years.
Therefore, he said his letter was “not a complaint from the outside,” but rather a contribution from someone within the music industry who wanted the institution to improve.
Gaise Baba said his approach to music had never been restricted to religious gatherings, explaining that he had deliberately engaged with the music industry at large and interacted with creatives of different genres.
He said this informed his long-held position that faith-based music should be part of mainstream music conversations and awards, not simply confined to an isolated category.
“I have long been an advocate for faith-based music being in the conversation on major platforms and awards, not just in an isolated category like some form of tokenization, but considered on its merit: art for art,” he said.
The artist argued that the theme of a song should not automatically determine the category in which it competes.
Using rap music as an example, he said a rap record should still be eligible for rap categories regardless of whether its lyrics focus on money, fame, sex, social issues or faith.
“A rap song with gospel content, considered only within the categories of ‘gospel’ or ‘inspiration’ and never as ‘rap,’ is being quietly removed from a conversation that it has every right to be a part of,” he said.
He added that the same principle should apply to other genres, and emphasized that if music were to be recognized for its artistic value, the art should be evaluated first before using its subject matter as a basis for classification.
Gaise Baba, however, acknowledged The Headies’ introduction of the Inspirational Music category in 2022, describing it as a positive step towards formal recognition of religious records.
However, he said his personal experience as a nominee at the last edition of the awards had led him to raise further concerns.
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The artiste was nominated for Particularly, with Tope Alabi, in the Inspirational Music category alongside Anendlessocean, Mercy Chinwo, Dunsin Oyekan and Limoblaze.
He said he and his team fully participated in activities related to the awards, including press rounds at the Hip Hop World office in Ikeja, a pre-award reception at the residence of the United States Consul General and the award ceremony itself.
According to him, veteran producer ID Cabasa accompanied him to the ceremony, while Anendlessocean also attended personally. Limoblaze, he noted, was unable to attend because he now resides outside Nigeria.
Gaise Baba said that despite the presence and participation of the nominees, the Inspirational Music category was not called to the stage and the award was not presented during the ceremony.
“However, this category was not announced on stage. The award was not presented that night: neither in front of the public nor in front of the people who had presented themselves,” he said.
He stressed that his criticism was not limited to the Inspirational Music category, noting that other categories were not presented during the ceremony either.
He argued that adequate time should be allocated during awards planning to ensure that all announced categories are presented on stage.
“All nominees in all categories deserve the same moment,” he said.
The artist further questioned why faith-based songs should be restricted to a separate category when songs dealing with other topics were allowed to compete for mainstream recognition based on their artistic value.
He asked why a song exploring sexual desire and the objectification of women could be celebrated for its artistic value and allowed to compete widely, while a song about faith could be limited to a separate category.
Gaise Baba also challenged music fans and the general public to evaluate the cultural impact of religious records, particularly FAVOR and NO TURNING BACK II, and asked whether many songs released during the period analyzed had achieved greater cultural impact in Nigeria and beyond.
He urged the Headies Organizing Committee, particularly its Chairman, Ayo Animashaun, to consider in good faith the issues raised in his letter.
The artiste said The Headies had created an institution that the Nigerian music industry continued to rely on and that their continued relevance made it important for organizers to address concerns around representation and recognition.
He signed the letter as “Gaise Baba, Afrogospel, Cultural Architect.”
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