Headies just released its 2016 Nominees listing Ycee amongst the Next Rated.

Next Rated is a voting Category for the most promising upcoming act…sounds like a nice plaque(not forgetting the car also) to encourage the new guys in the scene however recent trends have shown the award being extended to established acts due to the rookie of the preceding year automatically named the next rated.

Patoraking(although an household name now) was literally a rookie in the industry as at early 2013 until he dropped his hit song Alubarika later in September ,guess this deemed him the perfect Next Rated for 2014. The same 2014 which crowned Reekado Banks the rookie;Hence Headies awarded Reekado again with Next Rated on the premise of bagging Rookie the year before(much to the chagrin of fans and YBNL soldiers and several outbursts)

Tinny Entertainment’s Ycee was the new rave of the new year thereby clinching the Rookie of 2015.



In a bid to follow its own precedent,I think Headies has erred in nominating Ycee as Next Rated this year( not because he doesn’t merit it tho). Ycee has transcended the clique for the upcoming as he has carved a niche for himself in the music industry.

I think bearing in mind his recent accomplishments,the Headies can just bypass the “Next Rated category” and honor him with better awards as done already with his nomination as 2016 Lyricist and Street Hop Artiste.

It feels rather demeaning for someone who has been recognized by MTV and nominated for MAMAs‘ Best HipHop alongside Olamide to still be considered as a promising or upcoming act,bearing in mind that he was also nominated Revelation of 2015 MAMAs.


Maybe I’m just overhyping Tinny’s golden boy…probably Headies style of naming preceding rookies of the year as the next rated is the standard…still doesn’t make Ycee any more of an Upcoming act. He got nominated by Headies for the Best Rap Single of 2016 with Jagaban,I think that reaffirms the fact that he has evolved way more than just adding his name to a list of promising acts.
Source: https://soundsng.com/music/when-next-rated-becomes-underrating/