NGMCharts Desk

Sep 1, 2026  •  5 min read

Nigerian gospel artist Gaise Baba has sparked an important conversation about how faith based music is recognised within the wider Nigerian music industry following an open letter addressed to The Headies.

In the letter dated 28 August 2026, Gaise Baba reflects on his long relationship with the awards platform, having first attended The Headies in 2012. Rather than dismissing the institution, he acknowledges its importance to Nigerian music while questioning whether gospel and faith based artists are receiving the same consideration as their mainstream counterparts.

At the centre of his argument is a simple question: should the subject of a song determine the genre in which it is recognised?

Gospel Music Is Still Music

One of the strongest arguments in the letter is Gaise Baba’s position that a record should first be judged by what it is musically.

A rap song about faith does not stop being rap because of its message. In the same way, an Afrobeats, R&B or alternative record does not suddenly become a different musical genre simply because the lyrics are centred on Christianity.

Gaise Baba argues that placing faith based records exclusively within Inspirational or gospel categories can unintentionally remove them from conversations where they may otherwise belong.

This becomes particularly relevant as Nigerian gospel continues to expand beyond traditional worship and praise music.

Artists today are experimenting with Afrobeats, hip hop, soul, amapiano and several other sounds while maintaining a Christian message. The distinction between musical genre and lyrical subject is becoming increasingly important.

The Inspirational Category Question

Gaise Baba also addresses The Headies’ Inspirational Music category, which was introduced in 2022.

He describes its introduction as a positive step towards recognising faith based music but raises concerns about how such categories are treated during the awards ceremony itself.

Referring to his nomination for Particularly, featuring Tope Alabi, he states that the Inspirational Music category was not announced on stage during the ceremony despite nominees and their teams attending the event.

His criticism goes beyond gospel music.

For Gaise Baba, if an awards body creates a category and invites artists to participate, every nominated category should receive meaningful recognition.

The issue therefore becomes less about simply having a gospel category and more about whether that category is being treated with the same level of importance as others.

Should Gospel Records Compete In Mainstream Categories?

Perhaps the bigger conversation raised by the letter is whether gospel artists should be considered in mainstream genre categories.

If a gospel rapper produces one of the strongest rap records of the year, should that artist be eligible for Best Rap Single?

If an Afro-Gospel record becomes one of the most culturally significant Afrobeats songs of the year, should its Christian message prevent it from competing alongside other Afrobeats records?

Gaise Baba’s argument suggests that it should not.

Recognition could therefore become less about whether an artist is labelled gospel or secular and more about the actual sound, execution and impact of the music.

That does not mean gospel categories have no place. Dedicated gospel recognition remains important, especially within a growing industry that contains several distinct sounds of its own.

The question is whether those categories should become the only space where faith based artists are allowed to compete.

The Impact Question

Gaise Baba closes his letter by pointing towards the cultural impact of records such as Favour and No Turning Back II.

Rather than simply asking for recognition because these are gospel songs, his argument raises another question for awards organisations: if impact forms part of the criteria for recognition, should the message behind a record determine whether that impact counts?

That conversation is likely to become even more important as gospel music increasingly crosses into mainstream Nigerian popular culture.

The success of a gospel record is no longer necessarily limited to churches, Christian gatherings or dedicated gospel audiences. Some records now travel through social media, popular culture, live events and audiences that extend far beyond traditional gospel spaces.

NGMC’s latest published chart week, dated 28 August 2026, gives that conversation a live audience frame. No Turning Back II sits at No. 6 on the NGMC Top 50, while Gaise Baba’s Oruko is at No. 11. Lawrence Oyor‘s Favour appears at No. 38 on the Top 50 and No. 19 on the Worship chart. Those positions do not settle the awards question, but they do show that these records are still meeting active listeners in the present.

A Bigger Conversation For Nigerian Gospel

Gaise Baba’s open letter ultimately raises questions that extend beyond The Headies.

It asks how Nigerian music defines genre, how awards organisations classify faith based artists and whether gospel music should be treated as a separate ecosystem or as part of the wider Nigerian music industry.

There is also another side to the conversation.

As gospel artists seek greater recognition from mainstream institutions, the gospel industry itself must continue developing credible platforms, charts, media organisations and awards capable of documenting and celebrating its own culture.

Mainstream recognition can matter without becoming the measure of gospel music’s value.

Perhaps the conversation should therefore not only be about whether The Headies gives gospel music a seat at the table.

It should also ask whether the gospel community is building a table strong enough to carry its own growing influence.

Whatever response follows from The Headies, the letter has done something useful: it has put a necessary question in public. Faith based records can belong to a distinct ecosystem and still deserve to be assessed with the same seriousness applied to musical craft, cultural impact and audience reach everywhere else.

NGMC will continue tracking the songs and artists shaping that conversation through the Top 50, the Afro-Gospel chart and NGMC News.