The Recording Academy, organizers of the prestigious Grammy Awards, are facing a significant backlash for referring to acclaimed Nigerian Afrobeat singers Wizkid and Rema as "up-and-coming artists." Nigerians took to Instagram to criticize the Academy after labeling these internationally recognized musicians in such a manner. In an Instastory post that posed the question, "Who is an up-and-coming Black artist everyone should have on their radar?" the Recording Academy mentioned Wizkid and Rema. However, this choice was met with strong disapproval from many Nigerians, particularly Wizkid's fans, who found it disrespectful considering his status as one of Africa's most accomplished music artists. A social media user expressed their reaction, stating, "Forget stanship; this is actually disrespectful considering Wizkid is a top three afrobeats artist." Another user questioned, "Wizkid up and coming? Is Grammy mad?" One individual, @oxfybi, wrote, "Wizkid isn't up-and-coming, tf?" The sentiment among Nigerians clearly highlights the disappointment and frustration caused by the Grammy organizers' description of these highly successful artists.
A social media user wrote in reaction, “Forget stanship this is actually disrespectful considering Wizkid is a top three afrobeats artiste.”
Another user added, “Wiz kid up and coming ke? Is Grammy mad?”
“Wizkid isn’t up-and-coming, tf?” one @oxfybi wrote.