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By Seyi Babalola
Cobhams Asuquo, a renowned Nigerian musician and producer, has slammed the Grammy Awards following the 68th Grammy Awards, which were hosted in Los Angeles on Sunday night and saw no Nigerian artists win any categories.
Asuquo accused the global music body of exploiting Nigerian artists to benefit the economy of the United States, particularly Los Angeles, while providing little in return other than brief notoriety.
Speaking in reaction to the awards, the producer said the Grammys often dangle validation before Nigerian artistes “like a carrot,” only for it to slip away.
“I think Grammy is using Nigerians to boost the GDP of Los Angeles. It’s like a carrot dangling in front of us and it goes away,” Asuquo said.
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His comments followed the outcome of the Best African Music Performance category, where South African singer Tyla emerged winner again, defeating Nigerian nominees in the category.
Asuquo argued that despite the global dominance of Nigerian music and Afrobeats, the industry still lacks strong, respected institutions capable of rewarding excellence on its own terms.
He urged stakeholders in the Nigerian music space to focus on building credible homegrown award platforms rather than chasing foreign validation.
“I think we need to build something that is ours,” he said, drawing a comparison with American sports culture. “It’s only America that will do Super Bowl and be playing it themselves.”
