Fans of Nigerian music icons, Wizkid, Davido and Burna Boy have expressed shock and outrage after a video emerged online, of American Rapper Bia, saying she does not know what the trio look like.
Rapper Bia, was seen in a livestream video with rap goddess, Nicki Minaj, confessing, if rather brashly, that she cannot point out the big Nigerian trio in a crowd.
Nigerian fans lost no time in reminding Bia that the only award to her name is
Boston Music Awards, as opposed to the Nigerian trio, who between them have bagged BET awards, several nominations and even a Grammy Award.
More sympathetic fans have however, pointed out that she might like their music but perhaps not recognize them.
This is after the angry Nigerian horde online, dragged up a photo of Bia with the caption, “You don’t need no other body”, a widely popular line from Wizkid’s hit song, Essence.
Whatever may be the case for Bia, she has certainly earned herself a moment of infamy, as Nigerian fans are not quick to forgive slights against their own.
Although she apologized hours later saying “I said I don’t know what they all look like doesn’t mean I don’t know their music 🧡🇳🇬 I didn’t mean to offend anyone #LOVE.”
She might have to tread more carefully in the future.
Speaking of famous, well-known artistes, Wizkid is the most decorated Nigerian artist ever (the most decorated African artist internationally), and one of the most revolutionary Afro-pop artists of the modern era.
The singer’s contributions to the international music industry have earned him several achievements, including a Grammy Award thanks to his featured work in Beyoncé’s The Lion King: The Gift soundtrack with “Brown Skin Girl”.
He is the most awarded African artist at the BET Awards (3), Soul Train Awards (2), Billboard Awards (3), iHeartRadio Music Awards (2) and MOBO Awards (4).
He is also a recipient of an ASCAP plaque for Drake’s “One Dance”. Wizkid’s contributions to the Nigerian music industry has made him the most awarded artiste in The Headies award history.
Davido is also quite a big fish, with many notable tracks to his name. His song “Fall”, was certified platinum by the Recording Industry of South Africa, and was one of the top-100-most-Shazam-searched singles in America in January 2019.
It was also a top-10 record on Shazam in New York. In February 2019, it became the longest-charting Nigerian pop song in Billboard history. “Fall” was ranked at number 163 on Pitchfork’s list of the 200 Best Songs of the 2010s.
Burna Boy is also a giant in his own right. In 2019, he won Best International Act at the 2019 BET Awards, and was announced as an Apple Music Up Next artist.
His fourth studio album African Giant was released in July 2019; it won Album of the Year at the 2019 All Africa Music Awards and was nominated for Best World Music Album at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards.
He was awarded the African Artist of the year at the 2020 VGMA’s. In 2020, his album Twice as Tall was nominated for the same category at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards, making him the first Nigerian with back-to-back nominations at the Grammys.
In 2021, he won the award for Best World Music Album at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards.
