'I Nor Be Rapper' – Shallipopi reacts to Headies Awards 2025 after winning Best Rap Single
Nigerian singer Shallipopi has taken to X to share his thoughts on the recently concluded 2025 Headies Awards, where he won the coveted Best Rap Single award for his hit song Cast, featuring Odumodublvck.
Nigerian singer Crown Uzama, popularly known as Shallipopi, has openly called out the organisers of the 2025 Headies Awards following his experience at the just-concluded ceremony in Lagos.
The event, which held on Sunday, April 27, 2025, and was themed Back to Base, saw top industry names like Davido, Regina Daniels, and Annie Macauley in attendance.
Shallipopi, who won the Best Rap Single award for his hit track Cast featuring Odumodublvck, was left unimpressed by how the moment played out. After being announced as the winner, the music star was invited on stage, but instead of receiving the iconic Headies plaque, he was handed a handshake. Despite the awkwardness, Shallipopi managed to accept it gracefully and addressed his fans in a brief speech.
Headies ran out of plaques for the Best Rap Single award won by Shallipopi.
— WAVES (@wavesntwrk) April 28, 2025
🙂 pic.twitter.com/cVsnoTZiGq
However, moments after a video of the incident surfaced online, Shallipopi took to X to vent his frustration in a series of posts. In his candid tweets, he wrote, "Mtchewwww," followed by, "The next one if una see me make I bend." He went on to add, "I nor go even lie for una sef, I nor want that award, give the real rappers wey dey the category, me Shallipopi I nor be rapper."
His comments not only reflected his disappointment over missing out on other categories like Next Rated, which he was nominated for but also highlighted his self-awareness, openly stating that he doesn’t consider himself a rapper and believed others in the category deserved the recognition more.
Despite the controversy, Shallipopi’s Best Rap Single win remains a significant milestone in his career, especially as the track Cast has been a standout hit in the Nigerian music scene.
The 2025 Headies may have wrapped up, but Shallipopi’s bold response has ensured the conversations around the night’s highs and lows are far from over.
Mtchewwww
— Shallipopi (@plutomaniapopi) April 28, 2025
The next one if una see me make I bend
— Shallipopi (@plutomaniapopi) April 28, 2025
I nor go even lie for una sef, I nor want that award give the real rappers wey dey the category, me Shallipopi I nor be rapper
— Shallipopi (@plutomaniapopi) April 28, 2025
