Gilbert Bani, popularly known by his stage name A-Q, is a Nigerian rapper and songwriter. His single "Agu Ji Ndi Men" was nominated for Best Rap Single at The Headies 2016.
Panshak Henry Zamani better known as Ice Prince Zamani or just Ice Prince, is a Nigerian rapper, singer and songwriter. He rose to fame after releasing "Oleku", one of Nigeria's most remixed songs of all time. He won the 2009 Hennessy Artistry Club Tour. His debut studio album Everybody Loves Ice Prince was released in 2011. It was supported by three singles: "Oleku", "Superstar" and "Juju". In 2013, Ice Prince released Fire of Zamani as his second studio album. The album contained the singles "Aboki", "More", "Gimme Dat" and "I Swear". On 1 July 2015, Ice Prince was announced as the vice president of Chocolate City. He held the position until he left the label in 2016. He has collaborated with top African rappers like Navio of Uganda, Khaligraph Jones of Kenya, AKA of South Africa, Sarkodie of Ghana among others.
Olamide Gbenga Adedeji is a Nigerian rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. One of the most influential artists in Africa, he has been pivotal to the creative and commercial success of several Afrobeats music stars, and is consistently praised for his role in elevating Street Pop to mainstream recognition as a distinct music genre. He records in Yoruba and English. In 2011, he released his debut studio album Rapsodi while signed to Coded Tunes. YBNL, his follow-up album, was released under his label imprint "Yahoo Boy No Laptop," aka YBNL Nation. The album was supported by the singles "First of All," "Voice of the Street," "Stupid Love," and "Ilefo Illuminati." On 7 November 2013, he released his third studio album Baddest Guy Ever Liveth. The album's singles include "Durosoke" and "Yemi My Lover." On 17 July 2013, Olamide became the first Nigerian to sign an endorsement deal with Cîroc.
Remilekun Khalid Safaru, known by his stage names Reminisce and Alaga Ibile, is a Nigerian singer, rapper, songwriter, and actor originating from Ogun State. He performs in English and in his native language, Yoruba.
The Headies is a music awards show established in 2006 by the Hip Hop World Magazine of Nigeria to recognize outstanding achievements in the Nigerian music industry. The annual ceremony features performances by established and promising artists. It is broadcast live on HipTV to viewers across Nigeria. The first and second editions of The Headies were held at the Muson Center in Onikan, Lagos State. Between 2010 and 2012, the awards were held at the Eko Hotel and Suites in Victoria Island, Lagos. Several media personalities in Nigeria have hosted the annual ceremony, including Darey Art Alade, D'banj, Dakore Egbuson, Banky W., Rita Dominic, M.I, Tiwa Savage and Dr SID.
Baddest Guy Ever Liveth is the third studio album by Nigerian musician Olamide. It was released on November 7, 2013, by YBNL Nation. Recorded between 2012 and 2013, the album features collaborations with Pheelz, Ice Prince, Pepenazi, Phyno and Bez, among others. Baddest Guy Ever Liveth was produced entirely by Pheelz, except for the thirteenth track "Sitting on the Throne".
YBNL is the second studio album by Nigerian musician Olamide. It was released by YBNL Nation on November 12, 2012. A follow-up to his debut studio album, Rapsodi (2011), YBNL features collaborations with Kayswitch, Tiwa Savage, Dammy Krane, Davido, Kida Kudz, and Reminisce, among others. Its production was handled by Pheelz, Samklef, I.D Cabasa, 2Kriss and Tyrone. YBNL was supported by the singles "Ilefo Illuminati", "First of All", "Stupid Love" and "Voice of the Street".
The Headies 2013 was the 8th edition of The Headies. It was held on 26 December 2013, at the Oriental Hotel in Lagos. The show was hosted by Tiwa Savage and Dr SID. Olamide was the biggest awardee of the night, winning three awards from seven nominations. Phyno won the Best Rap Single category for his song "Man of the Year". D'Tunes, Praiz, and Blackmagic all won for the first time. Sean Tizzle won the Next Rated category and was later awarded a Hyundai Tucson. Davido took home two awards, including Best R&B/Pop Album for Omo Baba Olowo. Iyanya only received one award from five nominations. Veteran Fuji artist Wasiu Ayinde Marshall was inducted into the Headies Hall of Fame. 2 Face Idibia, Banky W., Waje, Nikki Laoye, Mode 9, Dr SID and Kcee all went home with a plaque. Harrysong's tribute song to Nelson Mandela, titled "Mandela", won the Most Downloaded Callertune award.
Chibuzo Nelson Azubuike, who is known professionally as Phyno, is a Nigerian rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer. Phyno was born and raised in Enugu State but is a native of Anambra State. He started his music career as a producer in 2003, and is renowned for rapping in the Igbo language. His debut studio album No Guts No Glory, which was released in March 2014, yielded the singles "Ghost Mode", "Man of the Year", "Parcel" and "O Set".
No Guts No Glory is the debut studio album by Nigerian rapper Phyno. It was released by Sputnet Records and Penthauze Music on March 20, 2014. The album features guest appearances from P-Square, Omawumi, Olamide, Stormrex, Efa, Flavour N'abania, Runtown, Ice Prince, M.I, Mr Raw, Timaya and Illbliss. Phyno enlisted Major Bangz, WizzyPro, Chopstix and JStunt to assist with production. No Guts No Glory was supported by the singles "Ghost Mode", "Man of the Year", "Parcel" and "O Set", and was primarily recorded in Igbo and Nigerian Pidgin. The album received generally positive reviews from music critics, who commended its indigenous sound and lyrical depth.
Harrison Tare Okiri, better known by his stage name Harrysong, is a Nigerian singer, songwriter and instrumentalist who rose to fame after his tribute song to Nelson Mandela won the "Most Downloaded Callertune Award" at The Headies 2013. Harrysong was born in Warri, Delta State, Nigeria to Ijaw parents but moved to Lagos in 2007 after spending some of his early life in Port Harcourt. Prior to signing to QuestionMark Entertainment, Harrysong used to perform at night clubs until he met Kcee who introduced him to top music personalities. In 2014, Harrysong was nominated in the "Best Pop/R&B Artist of the Year" category at the 2014 Nigeria Entertainment Awards after the release of his chart-topping song "Beta Pikin".
Adekunle Almoruf Kosoko, known professionally as Adekunle Gold and AG Baby, is a Nigerian Afrobeats singer and songwriter currently signed to Def Jam Recordings. He gained widespread attention after releasing the 2015 hit single "Sade", a highlife cover of One Direction's "Story of My Life". He signed a record deal with YBNL Nation and released his 2015 debut studio album Gold, which debuted at number 7 on the Billboard World Albums chart. Gold was preceded by the release of three singles: "Sade", "Orente" and "Pick Up". Adekunle Gold revealed to Nigerian Entertainment Today that prior to signing with YBNL, he designed the label's official logo and completed other designs for Lil Kesh, Viktoh and Olamide. In 2023, he released "Tequila Ever After", his fifth studio album and first under Def Jam.
Oludemilade Martin Alejo, known professionally as Ycee, is a Nigerian rapper, singer and songwriter. He gained popularity after his single "Condo", which features vocals by Patoranking, earned him two nominations at the 2015 Nigeria Entertainment Awards. He was also nominated for Best Artist in African Pop at the 2015 All Africa Music Awards and for Next Rated at The Headies 2016. Ycee signed a record deal with Sony Music in October 2016, but terminated his contract with the label in February 2018.
Phillip Kayode Moses, better known as Pheelz, is a Nigerian record producer, singer and songwriter who has worked with several artists and musicians, such as Davido, Usher, Olamide, Wizkid, Fireboy DML, Teni and Tiwa Savage. Pheelz is credited to have produced all but one song on Olamide's Baddest Guy Ever Liveth album. In 2022, he had a hit with his song "Finesse", a collaboration with Bnxn.
Folarin Falana, better known by his stage name Falz, is a Nigerian rapper, songwriter and actor who began his career while in secondary school after forming a group called The School Boys with his friend before his professional career as a music artist began in 2009. Falz became more well-known after releasing the song "Marry Me" featuring vocals from Poe and Yemi Alade.
John Saviours Udomboso, known professionally as Young Jonn, is a Nigerian singer, songwriter and record producer, currently signed to Chocolate City Music. He is also known for his hit singles Dada and the remix with Davido. He had music production credits on industry hits during the 2010s and was affiliated with the YBNL mafia family going on to be ranked #3 in The NET's list of "Nigeria's Top 7 Biggest Music Producers" and went on to be nominated in the "Producer of The Year" at the 2015 Nigeria Entertainment Awards and The Headies 2015.
The Headies 2016 was the 11th edition of The Headies. It was held on December 22, 2016, at the Eko Convention Centre in Victoria Island, Lagos. Themed "Think, Create, Recreate", the event was hosted by Adesua Etomi and Falz. The nominees were announced by the award's organizers in November 2016. Tekno was nominated for the Next Rated award, but ended up being disqualified due to his refusal to honour the category and support the campaign. Jazzman Olofin and Adewale Ayuba jointly performed the song "Raise the Roof". Aramide performed her song "Funmi Lowo" with assistance from Ras Kimono. The ceremony also featured additional performances from Falz, 2Baba, Seyi Shay and Flavour. Olamide received eight nominations and won a total of four, including Best Rap Single for his single "Eyan Mayweather". Mr Eazi won the Next Rated category and was awarded a SUV at a later date. Mayorkun toppled Dice Ailes and Koker for the Rookie of the Year award. Laolu Akins was honored with the Hall of Fame award, while Flavour received the Special Recognition award.
Abiola Ahmed Akinbiyi, known professionally as Bella Shmurda, is a Nigerian singer and songwriter. He rose to prominence in 2019 with the release of the song "Vision 2020", and a follow-up remix which featured Olamide. He is also the leader of Dangbana Republik; a collective of creatives in Lagos providing community and humanitarian contributions.
Ahmed Ololade, known professionally as Asake, is a Nigerian singer and songwriter. He is signed to YBNL Nation and Empire Distribution. His stage name "Asake" is his mother's name.
