When Nigerian singer Burna Boy was nominated for a Grammys in 2020, the Nigerian music industry went into a frenzy. It was his first nomination and the first for any talent in his category. He lost the award to Benin Republic’s Angelique Kidjo who is a Grammy veteran.
When Burna Boy and Wizkid eventually won a Grammys gong in March 2021, it caused quite a flurry. Many Nigerians described the award as a confirmation that Nigerian music is now globally recognised and appreciated.
The Nigerian government while congratulating the duo said “the awards also represented a global endorsement for the Afrobeat genre of music that has propelled Nigeria’s increasing dominance of the music world.”
But one of the most decorated disk jockeys in Nigeria, DJ Jimmy JATT, believes Nigerian artistes should not judge their work according to the dictates of the West.
“It’s a milestone no doubt, I’m excited at where we are now, our music has become accepted globally but I think we don’t have to wait until the West says it is valid, we don’t need that,” he told Thenetng in an exclusive interview at his studio in Lagos on Thursday, April 15, 2021.
JATT, who is a globally-respected DJ and music influencer told Netng correspondents “Grammy is not a validation, let’s not submit to that. It’s good to get it, it would do a lot for us but that shouldn’t be the validation.”
The validation Nigerian music artistes need, according to him, is that “we have accepted, embraced and we celebrate ourselves.”