Musician and producer Cobhams Asuquo has berated the Grammy Awards over its 68th edition of the ceremony in Los Angeles on Sunday
Speaking via a video shared on Instagram on Tuesday, Cobham questioned why no Nigerian artist received an award at the ceremony.
He accused the global music body of using Nigerian artistes to boost the Gross Domestic Product of Los Angeles while giving “fleeting recognition” in return.
“I think Grammy is using Nigerians to boost the GDP of Los Angeles. It’s like a carrot dangling in front of us, and it goes away,” he said.
The musician pointed to the repeated nominations for Nigerian acts without a win as part of what he sees as a flawed validation system. He said the industry too often chases foreign awards instead of building strong institutions at home.
“I think we need to build something that is ours,” Asuquo said, adding, “It’s only America that will do Super Bowl and be playing it themselves.”
At the 2026 ceremony in Los Angeles, South African singer Tyla won the Best African Music Performance award for her song ‘Push 2 Start’, edging out several Nigerian nominations.
Nigerian entries in that category included Davido and Omah Lay with ‘With You’, Burna Boy with ‘Love’, Ayra Starr and Wizkid with ‘Gimme Dat’, and others.
