By Segun Adebayo
Afrogospel artiste, Gaise Baba, has tackled the organisers of The Headies over what he described as the perceived sidelining of faith-based music and creatives at the prestigious Nigerian music awards.
Gaise Baba made his position known in an open letter addressed to The Headies Organising Committee, particularly its founder, Ayo Animashaun, where he called for a more inclusive approach to the recognition and categorisation of music.
Reflecting on his long association with the awards, the singer said the first time he attended The Headies was on October 20, 2012, when he had been in the music industry for just over two years and had recently released his biggest song at the time, Follow Follow.
He noted that despite the criticism The Headies has received from creatives and fans over the years, the ceremony remains Nigeria’s biggest, most active and most recognised music awards platform, making it important for artists, organisers and fans that it functions effectively.
“This letter is not a complaint from the outside. It is a push from someone within, who wants to see the institution function better,” he wrote, urging the organisers to receive his concerns in good faith.
Gaise Baba said his position on the treatment of faith-based music was informed by his belief that gospel artistes should not be restricted to religious gatherings or isolated categories, stressing that they should be able to participate fully across the music industry.
He argued that music should be judged primarily on its artistic qualities rather than the subject matter explored by the artiste.
“A rap record is a rap record,” he stated, explaining that whether a song deals with money, fame, sex, debauchery or faith, its craft, pen game, cadence, delivery and flow should determine its classification and recognition.
According to him, a rap song with gospel content should not automatically be removed from the conversation about rap simply because of its message and placed exclusively under “gospel” or “inspirational” categories.
He recalled that The Headies introduced the Inspirational category in 2022, describing the move as a positive development that formally created space for the nomination and recognition of faith-based records.
However, he said his experience as a nominee at the last edition prompted him to raise further concerns.
Gaise Baba was nominated in the Inspirational Music category for his 2024 song, Particularly, featuring Tope Alabi.
He said there were five nominees in the category — Anendlessocean, Mercy Chinwo, Dunsin Oyekan, Limoblaze and himself — and that his team participated fully in the activities surrounding the awards, including the media rounds and pre-award reception.
Gaise Baba said he also attended the award ceremony alongside veteran producer ID Cabasa, while Anendlessocean was present as well. Limoblaze, he noted, could not attend because he is now based outside Nigeria.
Despite the presence of nominees, however, he said the Inspirational Music category was not called on stage and the award was not presented during the ceremony, either before the audience or the people who had attended the event.
“To me, that is disregard to the creatives involved,” he said, while acknowledging that the Inspirational category was not the only one affected, as several other categories were also left uncalled.
He argued that with adequate planning, all categories could be accommodated during an awards ceremony that lasted more than five hours, stressing that every nominee deserves to have their category recognised publicly.
Gaise Baba further referenced the criticism that followed the Grammy Awards when an African category was not called on stage, saying the concerns raised by African artistes at the time were valid and should equally apply to The Headies.
He also questioned why songs centred on subjects such as sexual desire and the objectification of women could be celebrated for their artistic value and allowed to compete freely across the music industry, while songs centred on faith are confined to a narrower category.
“Why should the one on faith be restricted to an aquarium?” he asked, arguing that faith-based music should be assessed on its artistic merit rather than being separated because of its message.
The singer ended the letter by challenging the organisers and the wider public to consider the cultural impact of contemporary faith-based records.
He specifically mentioned FAVOR and NO TURNING BACK II, asking how many songs released during the current year under review have had a greater cultural impact across Nigeria and beyond.
“Shall we count?” he asked.
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