| The Headies | |
|---|---|
| Current:The Headies 2024 | |
 | |
| Awarded for | Outstanding achievements in the Nigerian music industry |
| Country | Nigeria |
| Presented by | Hip Hop World Magazine |
| First award | 10 March 2006; 19 years ago (2006-03-10) |
| Website | theheadies |
| Television/radio coverage | |
| Network | HipTV |
The Headies (originally called theHip Hop World Awards) are honors established in 2006 byHip Hop World Magazine to recognize outstanding achievements in the Nigerian music industry.[1] The annual ceremony features performances by established and promising artists.[1] It is broadcast live onHipTV to viewers across Nigeria.[2] The awards' first two editions were held at theMuson Center in Onikan,Lagos State. Between 2010 and 2012, the awards were held at theEko Hotel and Suites inVictoria Island, Lagos. Various media personalities in Nigeria have hosted the ceremony, includingDarey Art Alade,D'banj,Dakore Egbuson,Banky W.,Rita Dominic,M.I,Tiwa Savage andDr SID.
The image of The Headies was created byAyo Animashaun, the founder of the awards, and drawn by Matthias Aragbada. The first Headie plaque was done by Jide Adewoye. It represents the "image and the shout of a young, vibrant individual whose talent can challenge that of renowned local and international artistes combined, but who has almost lost confidence in his abilities in the face of discouraging circumstances presented by the peculiar Nigerian environment." In 2008, the plaque was redone in the United Kingdom. It was plated with 21 carat gold. The new plaque is a mixture ofresin, copper, steel,marble and gold.[3][1]
As of 2018, The Headies is composed of 25 categories. Open voting decides majority of the awards' categories. However, theBest Recording of the Year,Best Rap Album,Best Vocal Performance (Male),Best Vocal Performance (Female),Lyricist on the Roll, andBest Performer categories are not open to public voting.[4]
2006: The 1st edition of the Hip Hop World Awards was held on 10 March 2006, at the Shell Hall of the MUSON Centre in Onikan,Lagos. It was hosted byDarey Art Alade and tagged with the caption: "The Revolution is Here".[5]DJ Jimmy Jatt, Keke Ogungbe and Dayo 'D1' Adeneye were joint winners of the Hall of Fame award.[6]P-Square and Jude Okoye eclipsed their colleagues that year, taking home five awards.[6]
2007: The 2nd edition of the Hip Hop World Awards was hosted byD'banj and Tana. It was held on 17 March 2007, at the Muson Center for the second consecutive year.Paul Play was nominated for six awards and ended up going home with four.[7]
2008: The 3rd edition of the Hip Hop World Awards was hosted by comedianBasketmouth andNollywood actressDakore Egbuson. It was held on 15 March 2008, at Planet One in Maryland, Lagos.[8] The founders and promoters chose the theme "Change has to Change". The nominees' party was held at Babylon, a private beach resort.[5] In 2008, the plaque of The Headies was plated with 21 carat gold.[5] Nigerian-French singerAṣa won three awards, includingAlbum of the Year for her eponymous debut studio album.2face Idibia received the most nominations with six.Naeto C, Rooftop MCs,Cobhams Asuquo, Kween, Jo'zi, andP-Square all performed at the ceremony.[9][10]
2009: The 4th edition of the Hip Hop World Awards was hosted byBanky W. andKemi Adetiba. It took place on 16 May 2009, at the International Conference Centre inAbuja. The awards were held outside of Lagos for the first time.[11] The nominees' party for the fourth edition was hosted at Ajibogun, a village inOgun State.[5]9ice won a total of three awards from six nominations. Phillip Trimnell took home the Hall of Fame award.[12][13]
2010: The 5th edition of the Hip Hop World Awards took place on 16 May 2009, at theEko Hotel and Suites inVictoria Island, Lagos. The ceremony was conducted without a host.Wande Coal was the biggest winner of the night with five plaques, includingArtiste of the Year.[14]Don Jazzy won the Producer of the Year award. Hip hop duoSkuki won theNext Rated category.Da Grin'sC.E.O won for Best Rap Album, posthumously. He was also honored by General Pype during the singer's performance.[15]
2011: The 6th edition of the Hip Hop World Awards was held on 22 October 2011, at the Eko Hotel and Suites in Victoria Island, Lagos.[16] Hosted byRita Dominic andeLDee, the award's name was officially changed to "The Headies".[17]2face Idibia won three awards, includingArtiste of the Year.[18]Darey's "The Way You Are" won for Best R&B Single and Recording of the Year.M.I andIce Prince won two awards apiece.[19]Don Jazzy andDr SID both took home an award. Capital Femi walked away with theBest Vocal Performance (Male) award.Wizkid won theNext Rated plaque and received aHyundai Sonata at a later date.Waje was the only female awardee. The Hall of Fame award went toJùjú musicianShina Peters. A total of twenty-one cart gold plaques were handed out.[20][21]
2012: The 7th edition of The Headies was hosted byM.I andOmawumi. The ceremony took place on 20 October 2012, at the Eko Hotel and Suites in Victoria Island, Lagos.[22][23] The aforementioned hosts thrilled fans with their song titled "The Headies".Chidinma opened the show by performing her song "Kedike".[24] The Okoye brothers (Peter, Paul, and Jude) won a total of three awards. TheArtiste of the Year award went toWizkid.Tiwa Savage andWande Coal won the Best Male and Female Vocal Performance categories, respectively.Vector won the Best Rap Single and Lyricist on the Roll plaques for "Angeli".Davido won theNext Rated category and was later awarded aHyundai Sonata. The Headies celebrated the reunion of prominent Nigerian musicians from the 80s and 90s, includingOnyeka Onwenu,Oris Wiliki, Mike Okori,Baba Fryo,Shina Peters,Fatai Rolling Dollar andDaddy Showkey.Femi Kuti was honored with the Hall of Fame award.[25]
2013: The 8th edition of The Headies was held on 26 December 2013, at the Oriental Hotel in Lagos.[26] The show was hosted byTiwa Savage andDr 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 theNext Rated category and was later awarded aHyundai Tucson.[27]Davido took home two awards, including Best R&B/Pop Album forOmo Baba Olowo.Iyanya only received one award from five nominations. Veteran Fuji artistWasiu Ayinde Marshall was inducted into the Headies Hall of Fame.[28]2 Face Idibia,Banky W.,Waje,Nikki Laoye,Mode 9,Dr SID andKcee all went home with a plaque.Harrysong's tribute song toNelson Mandela, titled "Mandela", won the Most Downloaded Callertune award.[29]
2014: The 9th edition of The Headies took place on 14 December 2014, at the Eko Hotel and Suites in Victoria Island, Lagos. Themed "Feel the Passion", the show was hosted byToke Makinwa andBasketmouth.[30] It was initially scheduled to hold on 25 October 2014.[31]Bovi was initially announced as one of the hosts, but ended up not hosting due to him being booked for another show.[32] On 30 September 2014, nominations were announced during a press briefing at theHipTV office in Allen, Lagos.Kcee,Olamide andPhyno led the nominations with five each.[33]Tiwa Savage,Oritse Femi andThe Mavins followed closely with four apiece.[34]Yemi Alade was nominated for Song of the Year, Best Pop Single andNext Rated.[35]Olamide,Patoranking andDavido each took home two awards apiece.Don Jazzy won the Producer of the Year plaque, whileSir Victor Uwaifo got the Hall of Fame recognition.[36]
2015: The 10th edition of The Headies was held on 1 January 2016, at the Landmark Events Centre in Victoria Island, Lagos.[37] Themed "Flip the Script", the event was hosted byBovi andKaffy. It was previously scheduled to hold on 30 December 2015 but the organizers of the event postponed it to 1 January 2016 without citing any reason.[38]Olamide won a total of four awards, whileTimi Dakolo won three.Wizkid was nominated seven times across the twenty-one award categories.[39]2face Idibia was honored with the Hall of Fame award, whileDon Jazzy received the Special Recognition award.Reekado Banks won theNext Rated award.[40] His win was criticized by music critics, who challenged the "fairness of the award process".[41][42]
2016: The 11th edition of The Headies was held on 22 December 2016, at the Eko Convention Centre in Victoria Island, Lagos.[43] Themed "Think, Create, Recreate", the event was hosted byAdesua Etomi andFalz. The nominees were announced by the award's organizers in November 2016.[44]Tekno was nominated for theNext Rated award, but ended up being disqualified due to his refusal to honour the category and support the campaign.[45] Jazzman Olofin andAdewale Ayuba jointly performed the song "Raise the Roof".Aramide performed her song "Funmi Lowo" with assistance fromRas Kimono.[46] The ceremony also featured additional performances fromFalz,2Baba,Seyi Shay andFlavour.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 toppledDice Ailes andKoker for the Rookie of the Year award.[47]Laolu Akins was honored with the Hall of Fame award, whileFlavour received the Special Recognition award.[48]
2018: The 12th edition of The Headies was held on 5 May 2018, at the Eko Convention Centre in Victoria Island, Lagos.[49] Nigerian comedianBovi and singerSeyi Shay hosted the ceremony.[50] After shortlisting thousands of entries submitted during the eligibility period, the organizers of the ceremony announced the nominees in April 2018. They also announced the addition of three categories: Viewer's Choice, Best Performer, and Industry Brand Supporter.[4]Simi led the nominations with seven, followed byWizkid andDavido with six each. The ceremony featured performances from a number of artists, includingFalz,Mr Real, Simi, and the Danfo Drivers. Pulse Nigeria praised the award's sound production and stage design.[51] Davido, Wizkid and Simi won the most awards, with three each.Mayorkun won theNext Rated award, beatingDice Ailes,Maleek Berry andJohnny Drille.[52]
2019: The 13th edition of The Headies was held on 19 October 2019, at the Eko Convention Centre in Victoria Island, Lagos. Themed "Power of a Dream", the ceremony was hosted by Nigerian rapperReminisce and actress/media personalityNancy Isime.[53][54] After shortlisting thousands of entries submitted between January 2018 and June 2019, the organizers of the ceremony announced the nominees on 1 October 2019.[55]Burna Boy set a record for the most nominations in one night with 10 nominations.[56]Teni followed with six andWizkid with five. The ceremony featured performances from a number of artists, includingStyl-Plus, Sunny Neji,Duncan Mighty,Teni andVictor AD.[57] Teni won the most awards, with four.Rema won theNext Rated award, beatingFireboy DML,Joeboy,Lyta,Victor AD andZlatan Ibile.[58]
2020: The 14th edition of The Headies[59] was held on 21 February 2021, at the La Campagne Tropicana Beach Resort inIbeju-Lekki. Event organizers announced that TV personality and actressNancy Isime and comedianBovi were the hosts.[60] This is the fourth timeBovi has hosted the event, whileNancy has become the first female to host the event for the second time.
2023: The 16th Headies Awards took place on Sunday, September 3, 2023, at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center inAtlanta, Georgia. The awards ceremony was hosted byOsas Ighodaro andTerrence J. Burna Boy led the nominations with 11 nominations, followed by Rema with nine nominations. The biggest winners of the night were Rema and Burna Boy, who each took home three awards. Other notable winners includedWizkid, Davido, Ayra Starr, Asake and Omah Lay. The event was also marked by the induction of Angelique Kidjo into the Headies Hall of Fame.[61]
| The Headies dates and locations | ||||||
| Edition | Year | Date | City | Venue | Host(s) | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First | 2006 | 10 March | Onikan,Lagos | MUSON Centre | Dare Art Alade | [62] |
| Second | 2007 | 17 March | Tana Adelana andD'banj | [63] | ||
| Third | 2008 | 15 March | Maryland, Lagos | Planet One | Basketmouth andDakore Egbuson | [64] |
| Fourth | 2009 | 16 May | Abuja, Nigeria | Abuja International Conference Centre | Banky W. andKemi Adetiba | [65] |
| Fifth | 2010 | 29 May | Victoria Island, Lagos | Eko Hotel and Suites | — | [66] |
| Sixth | 2011 | 22 October | Rita Dominic andeLDee | [67] | ||
| Seventh | 2012 | 20 October | M.I andOmawumi | [68] | ||
| Eighth | 2013 | 26 December | Oriental Hotel | Tiwa Savage andDr SID | [69] | |
| Ninth | 2014 | 14 December | Eko Hotel and Suites | Toke Makinwa andBasketmouth | [35] | |
| Tenth | 2015 | 1 January 2016 | Landmark Events Centre | Bovi andKaffy | [70] | |
| Eleventh | 2016 | 22 December | Eko Convention Center | Falz andAdesua Etomi | [71] | |
| 2017 | No ceremony held | |||||
| Twelfth | 2018 | 6 May | Victoria Island, Lagos | Eko Convention Center | Bovi andSeyi Shay | [72] |
| Thirteenth | 2019 | 19 October | Nancy Isime andReminisce | [60] | ||
| Fourteenth | 2020 | 21 February 2021 | Ibeju Lekki, Lagos | La Campagne Tropicana Beach Resort | Bovi andNancy Isime | [73][74] |
| 2021 | No ceremony held | |||||
| Fifteenth | 2022 | 4 September 2022 | Atlanta, United States | Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre | Anthony Anderson andOsas ighodaro | [75] |
| Sixteenth | 2023 | 3 September 2023 | Atlanta, United States | Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre | Terrence J andOsas Ighodaro | [76] |
| Seventeenth | 2025 | 5 April 2025 | Lagos | — | — | [77] |
Best Reggae/Dancehall Album (2006–2009) | ||||
| Year | Recipient | Result | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Take Control by Marvellous Benji | Won | [78] | |
| 2007 | Versatile byBaba Dee | Won | ||
| Little Patience byMajek Fashek | Nominated | |||
| Let It Go by Spy Da Man | Nominated | |||
| Conscious News by Righteousman | Nominated | |||
| Reflex by Azadus | Nominated | |||
| Ghetto Philosophy by Streetmonks | Nominated | |||
| 2008 | True Story byTimaya | Won | [10] | |
| Uchie by African Rockstar | Nominated | |||
| Fever by African China | Nominated | |||
| 2009 | Gift and Grace byTimaya | Won | [79] | |
| Me Musiq and I byBlackface | Nominated | |||
| Ichiban by Chakka Da' Souljah | Nominated | |||
| My Shine by Black Solo | Nominated | |||
Best Rap by a Duo or Group (2006) | ||||
| 2006 | "Street Hop" by Thoroughbreds | Won | ||
Best Pop Album (2007) | ||||
| 2007 | After the Storm byWeird MC | Won | ||
| Run Down byD'banj | Nominated | |||
| Naija is Blessed by Soul E | Nominated | |||
| Free SoldierbyTony Tetuila | Nominated | |||
| Mr Funky by Jazzman Olofin | Nominated | |||
| Right and Wrong byMr Raw | Nominated | |||
Best R&B Album (2007) | ||||
| 2007 | Hitsville by Paul Play | Won | ||
| From Me to You byDarey | Nominated | |||
| No Drama byOJB Jezreel | Nominated | |||
| Overture byObiwon | Nominated | |||
| Expressions byStyl Plus | Nominated | |||
Best Conscious Song of the Year (2011) | ||||
| 2011 | "One Day" –eLDee | Won | [80] | |
| "If You Ask Me" byOmawumi | Nominated | |||
| "Wild Wild West" byM.I | Nominated | |||
| "Only Me" by2Face Idibia | Nominated | |||
| "There is a Cry" byTimi Dakolo | Nominated | |||
Best Label Head (2012) | ||||
| 2012 | Banky W. | Won | [81] | |
Most Downloaded Callertune Single (2013) | ||||
| 2013 | "Mandela" byHarrysong | Won | [82] | |
