Wizkid cancels Morayo tour
Plus: MET Gala fashion, AMVCA eve, BET Nominations, New music from BNXN and Ayra Star, Naira mutilation and EFCC and more...
Welcome to The Feed, where Dennis is pumped for the AMVCA tomorrow. After what happened at the Headies, it's a great palate cleanser to have the biggest film awards on the continent bring me back to normalcy.
I don’t mean to say that the AMVCA is already all that it can be. There are still basic issues with the performances, the camera angles, the wide space between the stage and the audience, and the monologue, or lack thereof. But at least it is watchable and planned enough that it doesn’t run for hours. Also, I know for sure that it will not be postponed.
During the week, an old form of misogyny occurred when haters started spreading lies that somehow Ayra Starr smells. But we have seen these kinds of stories before. Remember Tachi Akide of Big Brother Naija fame? Remember Wanni and Handi? I couldn't help but write my take on the subject. Find an excerpt below.
The EFCC is not slowing down on stopping Nigerians from spraying money. As someone who deeply detests our public relationship with cash and the strange ways we perform class, I think we can certainly have some consequences for this. Fines maybe? Inviting people to the station seems like an overreach. Anyway, the latest person to have been invited is Iyabo Ojo, and now she is condemning naira mutilation on social media.
Then we have all the must-see MET Gala looks.
For my column, #MadeinNigeria, I chatted with Akwaeke Emezi. They opened up about how they wrote 10 books in 10 years, believing in God (“It’s just more efficient to surrender”), and why they’d let Freshwater be adapted into a Nollywood film. Please read it here.
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Celebrity
→ Smelling misogyny: I wrote a piece on the awful allegations that the musician Ayra Starr smells. This is a pattern we have seen before with other high-profile women. It is the last straw. “Claims like “she smells” are rarely about truth. They’re about casting women as unclean, undesirable, or unfeminine — traits society weaponises to strip them of influence or credibility. Unlike critiques of skill, accusations about smell are visceral; they bypass logic and go straight for humiliation,” I write. Please read it here.
→ Happy birthday, Genevieve: It was Genevieve Nnaji’s birthday this week, and she celebrated with these new photos.
→ Aaron, who? Watch David Oyelowo walk down the Spirit Tunnel on The Jennifer Hudson Show.
→ No Naira Mutilation: Iya Ojo condemns naira mutilation after being invited by the EFCC. “Given this experience, I strongly advise against spraying any currency in Nigeria to avoid issues with the EFCC,” she posted on Instagram.
→ Consciously coupling: See the official photos from Priscilla Ojo and Juma Jux's wedding.
Online Entry
→ Funniest people on TikTok: The verdict is in. Check out the 15 funniest Nigerians on TikTok right now here.
→ Between Sabi Boy and Kinzhal: In a series of posts on TikTok this week, Kinzhal, a rising influencer and Liberian nepobaby, blasted Sabi Boy for extorting him for months. He claimed that Sabi Boy stole his clothes and pestered him constantly for money. This thread has all the details.
→ Next level Jay: Jay On Air posted a short skit, Finished Man, on his YouTube channel with Kate Henshaw and Omowunmi Dada.
Bops
→ Morayo tour cancellation: Wizkid cancelled some of his Morayo North American tour. See the affected venues below:
June 5 – State Farm Arena, Atlanta
June 7 – Madison Square Garden, New York
June 11 – Scotiabank Arena, Ontario, Canada
June 15 – CFG Bank Arena, Baltimore
→ The Odumodu-loving feminist: Is it possible for a feminist to be a fan of OdumoduBlvck’s music? My colleague Marv Tomide helped interrogate this as an AsToldTo on a feminist who doesn’t just vibe to his music but considers it her jam. Please read here.
→ BET Awards 2025 Nominations:
>> Ayra Starr lands three nominations: Best Female R&B/Pop Artist, Best New Artist, and Best International Act.
>> Tems earns two nominations: BET Her for “Burning” and “Hold On.”
>> Shallipopi for Best New International Act
>> Odeal for Best New International Act
>> Rema for Best International Act
>> Burna Boy for Best Male Hip Hop Artist
>> Shaboozey for Best New Artist
→ The Best New Music This Week:
>> BNXN has dropped the video for his new song, “Cutesy.”
>> Ayra Starr has dropped the video for “Gimme Dat” with Wizkid.
Cine Club
→ Nigeria’s Emmy nomination: Joel Kachi Benson has been nominated for two Emmy Awards for Madu, the documentary he co-directed with Matt Ogens about Anthony Madu, the Nigerian boy who went viral for dancing ballet in the rain. At the News and Documentary Emmy Awards, the documentary was nominated for Outstanding Arts and Culture Documentary and Outstanding Direction. Madu is streaming on Disney+.
→ New from Osas: Osas Ighodaro is playing the lead in Safari, a new film she’s also producing. The cast includes Emmanuel Mugo, Ali Nuhu, Jidekene Achufusi, and Ken Ambani.
→ Mo Abudu on Bloomberg: Mo Abudu spoke to Bloomberg on investing in Nollywood.
→ Nigerian box office:
→ Recommendation: The 10 Best Bimbo Ademoye Performances in Nollywood Movies, Ranked
Pod Gems
→ How Simi fell in love: Simi dropped by the Off The Top with VJ Adams Podcast.
→ On making Smart Money Woman: Arese Ugwu dropped the Afropolitan Podcast.
Baffs
→ First Monday in May: Who were the best-dressed Nigerians at the MET Gala? See how your fave stacked up here. See some of their looks below:
>> See more looks from the MET Gala below:
Ayo Edebiri
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Burna Boy
Burna also hosted an after-party
Ayra Starr
Tems
Bookshelf
→ 2025 O. Henry Prize: Nigerian authors Jane Kalu and Chika Unigwe are among the 20 winners of the 2025 O. Henry Prize for short fiction for “Sickled” published in American Short Fiction and “Miracle in Lagos Traffic” in the Michigan Quarterly Review, respectively.
→ Aké 2025: The theme for this year’s Aké Arts & Book Festival is “Reclaiming Truth.” It will hold in Lagos from November 20–22, 2025.
One good article
This week, My One Good Article is the story that Marv Tomide wrote about a feminist who listens to OdumoduBlvck’s music. I am a bit biased because I edited the piece. But it is also the kind of transgressive argument you will only read on Zikoko.