5th February, 2024
By Oluwapelumi Oluwayemi
Nigerian-British media personality Adesope Olajide, also known as Shopsydoo, has leveled accusations against the Grammy organizers, alleging that they exploit Nigerian artists for promotional purposes.
Burna Boy, Davido, Ayra Starr, Asake, and Olamide, all of whom were nominated in various categories at the 66th Grammys, failed to secure wins on Sunday night.
Expressing his reaction through an Instagram live session, Shopsydoo stated that the Recording Academy lacks regard for African music.
He highlighted the instance of the Grammy band playing Fela Anikulapo-Kuti’s ‘Water’ after the announcement of South African singer Tyla’s ‘Water’ as the winner of the inaugural Best African Music Performance category, as evidence of the Grammy’s disconnect from African music.
Shopsydoo urged African musicians, particularly Nigerian artistes, to boycott the Grammy awards, citing dissatisfaction with the Academy’s understanding and appreciation of African culture.
He said, “Tyla’s ‘Water’ [was announced as winner], the band is playing Fela Anikulapo-Kuti’s ‘Water’ while somebody that has a different ‘Water’ was working on the stage. If you want to know about an organisation that has no clue, the Grammy has no clue.
“They have no clue, they know nothing about our culture. And we shouldn’t be wasting our energy there. These bums gave Tyla’s ‘Water’ an award and they are playing Fela Anikulapo-Kuti’s ‘Water’ in the background. Is that an organisation that understands us? They don’t care about us, man”.
He further criticized the Grammy’s approach, accusing them of exploiting African talent for their own promotional gain.
He highlighted the heavy promotion of Davido by the Grammy platform and the subsequent disappointment faced by Burna Boy and Davido despite multiple nominations.
He stated, “They just want to use us for promotion. One billion people in Africa, they want us to continue to sell the Grammy. We ain’t f*cking with that. For me, I don’t want nobody to come tell me about no Grammy, mehn.
“I’m telling you for a fact, they used Davido heavily to promote their platform. They rely hugely on the incredible numbers and eyes that Nigeria and Africa bring and they used our artists. They announced one of the greatest artists of our time, Burna Boy as a performer which got us all excited. They nominated Burna Boy four times, they nominated Davido three times, but they knew that they were going to f*ck them up.”