Some of the notable omissions in the 17th Headies Awards Nominations list

The Headies has unveiled the nominations for its 17th edition and it wasn't without some surprise omissions.

The eligibility window for this award ceremony was fixed between April 1, 2023, and July 31, 2024. During this time, Nigerian artists released notable projects and records, many of which were nominated.

However, like every award ceremony, some omissions sparked conversations, especially given the profile of the artists involved and the quality of the snubbed material.

In this article, we considered some of the major snubs from the 17th Headies Awards nominations list.

Note: This write-up is based on the assumption that the omitted works were submitted.

BEST RECORDING OF THE YEAR

TEMS – BURNING

SEYI VIBEZ - DIFFERENT PATTERN

BURNA BOY - HIGHER

AYRA STARR & GIVEON - LAST HEARTBREAK SONG

SARZ FEATURING LOJAY - BILLIONS

NOTABLE SNUBS: ASAKE - 'Lonely At The Top', ODUMODUBLVCK - 'Blood On The Dance Floor'

Ahead of the awards predictions for this category favoured Asake's hit record 'Lonely At The Top' whose composition carries an imposing quality that made it the standout track from his sophomore album 'Work Of Art'.

Also, OdumoduBlvck's 'Blood On The Dance Floor' is one of the most musically accomplished singles in the year in review and its omissions come as a surprise.

PRODUCER OF THE YEAR

SARZ – HAPPINESS

LONDON – OZEBA

MAGICSTICKS – BASQUIAT

REMA/PRODUCER X/CUBEATZ/DEATZ/KLIMPERBOY – HEHEHE

DIBS - DIFFERENT PATTERN

NOTABLE SNUBS: P.PRIIME, JAY SYNTHS, BLAISE BEATZ, KZITO

In the year in review, P.Priime had an emphatic run that included producing a bulk of Rema's successful sophomore album 'HEIS'. It comes as a shock that he couldn't secure a spot among the nominees.

Jay Synths was the man behind Flavour's 'Big Baller' which earned two nominations including one for Song of the Year. He also produced one of the defining hits of 2023 in KCee's 'Ojapiano'. Many observers will find his omission puzzling.

Blaise Beatz produced one of the biggest hits of 2024 Kizz Daniel's 'Twe Twe' whose beat richly explores Nigerian indigenous folk drums. However, this wasn't enough for him to earn a nomination.

If musical accomplishment is a basis for nomination in this category, it's also puzzling to see why KZITO wasn't nominated for his contributions to Victony's Album of the Year nominated project 'Stubborn' notable for the track 'Pier 46'.

BEST COLLABORATION

EMOTIONS - TIWA SAVAGE FEAT. ASA

BLOOD ON THE DANCE FLOOR - ODUMODUBLVCK, BLOODY CIVILIAN, AND WALE

CAST - SHALLIPOPI FT ODUMODUBLVCK

EGWU - CHIKE & MOHBAD

OLE - QING MADI & BNXN

TWE TWE REMIX – KIZZ DANIEL & DAVIDO

IDK – WIZKID FT. ZLATAN

NOTABLE SNUBS: BNXN & RUGER

BNXN & Ruger marked their newfound friendship with the release of the R&B project that housed the hit song 'Poe' whose omission from the Best Collaboration shortlist comes as a surprise.

AFROBEATS SINGLE OF THE YEAR

BIG BIG THINGS - YOUNG JONN FT. KIZZ DANIEL AND SEYI VIBEZ

TWE TWE REMIX - KIZZ DANIEL

EGWU FEAT. MOHBAD – CHIKE

REMEMBER – ASAKE

OGECHI REMIX - HYCE, BOYPEE, AND BROWN JOEL FT. DAVIDO

BIG BALLER – FLAVOUR

NOTABLE SNUBS: KCEE - OJAPIANO

KCee's 'Ojapiano' is among the biggest Afrobeats records in the year in review. Its omission comes as a big surprise, especially as an argument can be made that it had more impact than the song of the nominated songs.

LYRICIST ON THE ROLL

MOGADISHU - A-Q

CHOCOLATE CITY CYPHER - M.I ABAGA

CHOCOLATE CITY CYPHER – BLAQBONEZ

HALLELUJAH – LADIPO

EFELEME - ALPHA OJINI

NOTABLE SNUBS

ODUMODUBLVCK is by far Nigeria's hottest rapper and his Rap Album of the Year nominated 'Eziokwu' has a couple of songs that should have earned him a nod.

Tracks like 'MC Oluomo' and 'Saint Obi' hold up his ability as a lyricist and their snub comes as a surprise.

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

LLONA

KAESTYLE

TAVES

ZERRYDL

NOTABLE SNUBS: TML Vibez,  Muyeez

Both TML Vibez and Muyeez impacted the Nigerian mainstream with their respective debut EP and contributions to the VIBE INZ compilation album.

Many expected that at least one of them would have been shortlisted for the Rookie of the Year Prize.

BEST STREET-HOP ARTISTE

SEYI VIBEZ – “DIFFERENT PATTERNS”

AYO MAFF – DEALER (FT. FIREBOY DML)

SHALLIPOPI – CAST (FT. ODUMODUBLVCK)

ZHUS JDO – JOHNBULL

MOHBAD – ASK ABOUT ME

NOTABLE SNUBS: Kashcoming

Kashcoming's 'How Low' is one of the big street hits in the year in review which set the pace for his eventual collaboration with DJ YK on his smash hit record 'Oblee' which will be vying for a spot in this category in the 18th edition.

SONG OF THE YEAR

• SHOWA - KIZZ DANIEL

• COMMAS - AYRA STARR

• EGWU - CHIKE AND MOHBAD

• LONELY AT THE TOP – ASAKE

• OZEBA – REMA

• BIG BALLER - FLAVOUR

NOTABLE SNUBS: KCee - OJAPIANO

It's rather shocking that KCee's hit record 'Ojapiano' wasn't nominated especially given the huge impact it had.

The song was yet another comeback record for the veteran hitmaker and a defining sound that popularised in Igbo flute (Oja) fusion into the Amapiano framework.

ARTISTE OF THE YEAR

• DAVIDO

• AYRA STARR

• ASAKE

• REMA

• TEMS

• BURNA BOY

NOTABLE SNUBS: SEYI VIBEZ, KIZZ DANIEL

Within the context of the year in review, especially as far as success in Nigeria goes, Asake is the only artist with more streams than Seyi Vibez and Kizz Daniel whose EPs 'NAHAMciaga' and 'TZA' delivered Song and Record of the Year nominated hits.

Should success in Nigeria be the major consideration for an award that rewards Nigerian excellence, Kizz Daniel & Seyi Vibez deserve a spot in the Artist of the Year list.

BOTTOM LINE

As is the nature of award shows, there can be no satisfactory nominations list.

However, the Headies 17th edition suffers major omissions notably because of the recurring delay in the ceremony.

When an award ceremony fails to hold timely, the context of the year in review will be largely lost. This is the case of this year's award that recorded cases of avoidable omissions and nominations outside the eligibility period.

At any rate, it's positive news to have the Headies back after another gap year.

While it's right to call for better planning and execution of the award ceremony, observers must appreciate the economic and technical challenges the Headies organisers continue to face. All stakeholders must collaborate to get the award ceremony to its desired and deserved height.