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Joey Akan Calls Out Headies Organisers As Portable Gets Disqualified
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Joey Akan questions the decision of Headies to disqualify Portable
Popular journalist Joey Akan has asked crucial questions after Portable eventually got disqualified from the Headies Awards.
Joey Akan took the time to send out a series of tweets addressing the show’s organisers and the speed with which the moral hammer fell on the Zazu crooner.
Akan claims that although the decision by the Headies to revoke Portable’s nomination seems to be a popular one, it establishes a precedent.
He went on to say that the Headies Awards criteria have never specified that having good character away from the microphone is a criterion.
Akan emphasised that the hammer must strike fairly if people are no longer able to distinguish between the artist and the work of art.
This led him to ask if other people on the nomination list are of good character worthy of remaining on it.
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“Interesting line drawn by the Headies, withdrawing nominations for the enfant terrible, Portable. Kudos. It’s a statement move, designed to speak to everyone that we’re cleaning house. On the surface, it appears to be the popular move. But it sets up a precedent.”
Your Headies Award criteria has never stated anywhere near the requirements, that good character off the mic, is also a prerequisite for the honours.
And if we’re taking a moral stand now, and not separating the art from the artist, then let us all swing the hammer fairly.
Look across your nominations list. Are those people up there all saints and angels? Sugar, spice and everything nice? A real salt of the earth collective?
Swing it across board. Enforce and encode this as a rule, and not some arbitrary decision to score points with partners.
Above all. Precedent. The public will hold you to this. It’s great to deplatform Portable. The optics are perfect. But when it’s a higher artist, someone more leveraged. A top 3 perhaps?
Will this hammer make an appearance? Is the right hand of justice going to stand firm?
Congratulations to everyone. Let’s sanitise the game. Afrobeats to the world. Welcome to a new dispensation.”
See the tweets below:
Your Headies Award criteria has never stated anywhere near the requirements, that good character off the mic, is also a prerequisite for the honours.
And if we're taking a moral stand now, and not separating the art from the artist, then let us all swing the hammer fairly.
— Joey Akan (@JoeyAkan) July 26, 2022
Above all. Precedent. The public will hold you to this. It's great to deplatform Portable. The optics are perfect. But when it's a higher artist, someone more leveraged. A top 3 perhaps?
Will this hammer make an appearance? Is the right hand of justice going to stand firm?
— Joey Akan (@JoeyAkan) July 26, 2022
Congratulations to everyone. Let's sanitise the game. Afrobeats to the world. Welcome to a new dispensation.
— Joey Akan (@JoeyAkan) July 26, 2022