Nigerian act Mr Eazi Friday morning won the Next Rated award at the 2016 Headies in Nigeria.
Eazi went on stage at 12:12 am to receive the award which had YCEE, Humble Smith, and Aramide also competing.
Fiercely contested, Mr Eazi won for himself – aside the bragging rights – a new car, sticking to the Headies’ tradition of recent years. Eazi’s label mate at Starboy, Wizkid, also won the Artiste of the Year.
Popular for many reasons, the Next Rated award, first introduced during the 3rd edition of the Headies, has in the past been won by Davido, Patoranking, and Omawumi among a tall list who have gone on to become successful mainstream acts.
This year, Pana hitmaker Tekno was disqualified from the category after failing to show up for promotional sessions over differences with the organizers. Earlier, he had criticized the organizers over his nomination, taking to Instagram to question why he was included.
“Next rated after how many years! Let’s be honest pls,” he wrote. He later pulled down the post.
Started in 2006 and originally called the Hip Hop World Awards, the Headies has grown to become one of Nigeria’s most important events.
EmoticonEmoticon