In a bold and unapologetic move, rapper Oladipupo Olabode Oladimeji, better known by the stage name Oladips, has unleashed a scathing critique of the Headies Awards, sparking a heated debate within the music industry.
Expressing his outrage and disappointment over the omission of indigenous rappers in the rap category list of the 17th edition of the award, the cipher took a swipe at the organisers in a recently released diss track, calling them out for the omission.
In the track released on Monday, February 17, the songwriter and performer paid homage to pioneer indigenous Yoruba rappers who he said inspired him to rap in his native language. He tackled the Ayo Animashaun-led Headies organisers for their failure to nominate indigenous rappers such as himself in the rap category.
Oladips called the omissions another manifestation of the constant disrespect faced by indigenous Yoruba rappers in the Nigerian music industry. In the diss record, the rapper also stated that it might be time to apologise to Grammy winner, Ayodeji Balogun well known as Wizkid after tackling him for saying hip-hop is dead.
With the diss, Oladips becomes the latest artiste to tackle the Headies organisers over the nomination of the 17th edition, which was perforated with omissions and errors. Prior to this development, he had in 2023 released the album, titled, Superhero Adugbo, which was snubbed for the rap categories.
Oladips is not the artiste who had taken a swipe at the Headies organisers. Not too long ago, singer-songwriter, Michael Adebayo Olayinka, professionally known as Ruger had mockingly called ‘the Headies the best award show’ in the world.
Meanwhile, Dotti The Deity had also questioned the award ceremony for failing to include the alternative categories, while Next Rated Award nominee Ayo Maff, taking to X (formerly Twitter) listed the artistes that should have also been nominated in the category. The 17th Headies is billed for April 5 and it will be the first of two editions in 2025 with the second scheduled for December.
