Here’s where it gets interesting: The Recording Academy recently updated its rules, and for the 67th Grammys, contributors with less than 50% playtime on a winning album in genre-specific categories like reggae and R&B will receive Grammy Certificates instead of trophies.
This applies to featured artists, producers, and engineers alike. It’s a shift designed to maintain the integrity of the award while acknowledging the ever-extending collaborative nature of modern music.
So, where do Wizkid and Davido land? Right in the certificate zone. Their contributions, though dazzling, don’t cross that 50% threshold required for a Gramophone.
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But here’s the thing: measuring their impact purely by minutes feels reductive.
Music isn’t just math. It’s a mood, a movement, it’s magic, and both artists brought plenty of that to their respective projects.
Wizkid’s smooth vocals wrapped the Marley tribute in an authenticity that felt both reverent and fresh.
Davido’s unmistakable energy turned Chris Brown’s track into a global anthem, stretching the song’s reach far beyond its original borders.
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But the Grammys are, after all, an institution built on rules. Certificates may seem like consolation prizes, but they’re official recognition from the most prestigious music academy in the world.
And for artists whose roots are firmly planted in Nigerian soil but whose branches stretch globally, that’s no small feat. These were lofty heights previously unimaginable for Afrobeats acts outside the boastful yet optimistic crooning of 9ice in his early musical renditions.
Do Wizkid and Davido deserve more? Their fans would say yes, not just for what they contributed, but for what they represent, a genre reshaping global pop culture. But maybe the real award isn’t gold-plated.
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Maybe it’s in the fact that, regardless of plaques or certificates, the world can’t stop dancing to their sound. And that’s a legacy no trophy can outshine.