Nigerian singer Balogun Olamilekan Oluwaseyi, known professionally as Seyi Vibez, has ignited a firestorm of controversy with explosive allegations against music executive Dapper Music, claiming he was instrumental in building the executive’s career and business empire. In a series of incendiary posts on social media platform X, the artist accused the music executive of financial impropriety and alleged that royalties owed to signed artists were being misused for personal expenses.
At the heart of the controversy lies Seyi Vibez’s assertion that his own funds were used to sign artists to the Dapper Music label, effectively positioning himself as a silent financier of the operation. “I am bigger than the whole Dapper and his entire generation. And my money was the money being used to sign all the artiste he signed since Chance Naham,” the singer declared in his online posts. He went further, making the unequivocal statement that he “made Dapper,” suggesting that without his financial backing and influence, the music executive’s current standing in the industry would not exist.
Adding a deeply personal dimension to his allegations, Seyi Vibez made specific claims involving celebrity chef Hilda Baci, alleging that funds from artists’ music catalogues were being diverted to pay for cosmetic procedures. “Na Hilda Baci BBL all una catalogue money dey go,” he wrote, using local parlance to suggest that money meant for artists was instead funding a Brazilian Butt Lift procedure. He also recounted an incident where he claimed to have fallen seriously ill after consuming food prepared by the chef and provided to him by Dapper Music, stating that “the food almost me.”
These latest accusations arrive amid growing scrutiny of management practices within Nigeria’s burgeoning music industry, where concerns about transparency in royalty payments and artist contracts have become increasingly prevalent. Similar disputes between artists and record labels have emerged across the African entertainment landscape in recent years, with musicians becoming more vocal about what they perceive as exploitative business arrangements. Industry observers note that as streaming revenues grow and Nigerian music gains global traction, financial disputes between creators and executives are likely to intensify.
Seyi Vibez also expressed concern for artists currently signed to Dapper Music, warning that the executive was taking advantage of talent under his management. “Dapper won take all of them life,” he wrote in Nigerian Pidgin, adding a prayer that those still under contract would find an opportunity to leave. Such public warnings from elished artists carry weight in an industry where younger, less experienced musicians often sign contracts without full understanding of their long term implications or access to independent legal counsel.
As this dispute unfolds in the public eye, it raises broader questions about power dynamics in Nigeria’s music business and the mechanisms available for artists to seek redress when relationships with management sour. Whether these allegations will lead to formal legal action, regulatory scrutiny, or merely remain a war of words on social media remains to be seen. What is clear is that Seyi Vibez has drawn a line in the sand, and his willingness to speak publicly may embolden other artists to share their own experiences with industry practices they consider unfair or exploitative.
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