At the seventh All Africa Music Awards, Nigerian artists including Burna Boy, Davido, and Wizkid dominated the winners’ list (Afrima).
At the elaborate event held in the capital of Senegal, Dakar, Didi B of Ivory Coast won the award for song of the year with Tala.
This year, notable talents including Nigerian duo P-Squared and Ghanaian rapper Black Sherif performed.
Asake, a singer from Nigeria, won Breakout Artist of the Year.
Asake, whose real name is Ahmed Ololade, stated in his victory speech that winning was a dream realized: “It started as a dream, but today, it’s a reality. Thank you to God, my record company, and all of my listeners.
In 2022, Asake’s music dominated the Afrobeats music genre with hits like Omo Ope, Peace Be Unto You, and Sungba.
His music is renowned for its memorable Yoruba and Pidgin English lyrics, instantly recognizable beat, and his catchphrase, Ololade mi Asake, which appears at the beginning of many of his songs.
However, the performer experienced tragedy in December 2022 when a crush at the venue resulted in the deaths of two individuals at his show in London.
Burna Boy, who won Artist of the Year and Album of the Year, Wizkid, who won Best West African Act, and Davido, who won Best Male Artist in Inspirational African Music, didn’t appear to be present at the presentation to claim their honors.
In the lead-up to the awards, there had been some controversy after individuals signed a petition asking that Nigerian artist Brymo not be given the Songwriter of the Year award because of his offensive remarks towards the Igbo ethnic community in Nigeria.
The musician, whose real name is Olawale Ashimi, had more than 40,000 people sign the petition against him. Iba One from Mali ultimately prevailed, and Brymo afterwards apologized, stating he didn’t mean to offend.
Senegal made history this year by hosting the awards, which have a collaboration with the African Union, for the first time in a French-speaking African nation.
