Gospel music deserves mainstream recognition — Gaise Baba faults Headies over Inspirational Award

Afrogospel artiste, Akinade Ibuoye, popularly known as Gaise Baba, has called on the organizers of The Headies to give gospel music greater recognition in mainstream award categories, arguing that faith-based songs should be judged on their artistic merit rather than being restricted to inspirational or gospel categories.

Gaise Baba made the call in an open letter to The Headies Organising Committee on Friday, in which he also faulted the awards organisers for failing to present the Inspirational Music award at the edition of the ceremony.

The artiste, who described himself as one of the leading voices in Afrogospel, said his intervention was informed by his long involvement in the Nigerian music industry and his desire to see The Headies, which he described as Nigeria’s biggest and most recognised music awards platform, function better.

According to him, his first appearance at The Headies was in 2012, when he was signed to Sanctified Records and had been in the industry for just over two years.

He said his letter was therefore “not a complaint from the outside”, but a contribution from someone within the music industry who wanted to see the institution improve.

Gaise Baba said his approach to music had never been restricted to religious gatherings, explaining that he had deliberately engaged with the wider music industry and interacted with creatives across different genres.

He said this informed his longstanding position that faith-based music should be part of mainstream music conversations and awards, not merely confined to an isolated category.

“I have for long been a proponent for faith-based music to be in the conversation at mainstream platforms and awards, not just in an isolated category like some form of tokenisation, but considered on its merit — art for art,” he said.

The artiste argued that the subject matter of a song should not automatically determine the category in which it competes.

Using rap music as an example, he said a rap record should remain eligible for rap categories irrespective of whether its lyrics focus on money, fame, sex, social issues or faith.

“A rap song with gospel content, considered only within ‘gospel’ or ‘inspirational’ categories and never as ‘rap’, is being quietly removed from a conversation it has every right to be part of,” he said.

He added that the same principle should apply across other genres, stressing that if music was being recognised for its artistic value, the art should first be assessed before its subject matter was used as a basis for classification.

Gaise Baba, however, acknowledged the introduction of the Inspirational Music category by The Headies in 2022, describing it as a positive step towards formally recognising faith-based records.

He said his personal experience as a nominee at the last edition of the awards had, however, prompted him to raise further concerns.

ALSO READ: Fela not originator of Afrobeats – Tekno

The artiste was nominated for Particularly, featuring Tope Alabi, in the Inspirational Music category alongside Anendlessocean, Mercy Chinwo, Dunsin Oyekan and Limoblaze.

He said he and his team participated fully in activities surrounding the awards, including media rounds at the Hip Hop World office in Ikeja, a pre-award reception at the United States Consul General’s residence and the awards ceremony itself.

According to him, veteran producer, ID Cabasa, accompanied him to the ceremony, while Anendlessocean also attended in person. Limoblaze, he noted, could not attend because he is now based outside Nigeria.

Gaise Baba said despite the presence and participation of nominees, the Inspirational Music category was not called on stage and the award was not presented during the ceremony.

“However, the said category was not called on stage. The award wasn’t presented on the night: not in front of the audience, and not in front of the people who had shown up,” he said.

He stressed that his criticism was not limited to the Inspirational Music category, noting that other categories were also not presented during the ceremony.

He argued that adequate time should be allocated during the planning of the awards to ensure that every announced category was presented on stage.

“Every nominee in every category deserves that same moment,” he said.

The artiste further questioned why faith-based songs should be restricted to a separate category when songs dealing with other themes were allowed to compete for mainstream recognition based on their artistic value.

He asked why a song exploring sexual desire and the objectification of women could be celebrated for its artistic value and allowed to compete broadly, while a song about faith could be confined to a separate category.

Gaise Baba also challenged music fans and the wider public to assess the cultural impact of faith-based records, particularly FAVOR and NO TURNING BACK II, asking whether many songs released within the period under review had achieved greater cultural impact across Nigeria and beyond.

He urged the Headies Organising Committee, particularly its chairman, Ayo Animashaun, to consider the issues raised in his letter in good faith.

The artiste said The Headies had created an institution that the Nigerian music industry continued to rely on and that its continued relevance made it important for the organisers to address concerns around representation and recognition.

He signed the letter as “Gaise Baba, Afrogospel, Culture Architect.”