Three of Nigeria’s most talked-about Afrobeats acts have gone public with some serious allegations against a label that helped put them on the map.
Shallipopi, Seyi Vibez, and T.I Blaze have all called out their former record label, Dapper Music, accusing the outfit of unpaid royalties, contract violations, and something even more alarming, forging their signatures.
Signature forgery is not a small claim to throw around. If proven, it would mean the label was signing off on documents using the artists’ names without their knowledge or consent, which opens up a whole different legal conversation beyond just unpaid money.
The fact that all three artists are speaking out together makes this harder to dismiss as a personal dispute or a one-off falling out. When multiple acts from the same roster are telling the same story, it starts to look less like a misunderstanding and more like a pattern.
Shallipopi has been one of the fastest-rising names out of Benin City, with his street-flavored sound pulling serious streaming numbers over the past couple of years.
Seyi Vibez has built a loyal fanbase through consistent releases and a rawness that resonates deeply with Nigerian youth. T.I Blaze broke through with records that caught fire across Lagos and beyond.
All three were at different stages of their careers when they were signed to Dapper Music, and all three are now saying the label did not hold up its end of the deal.
Royalties are the bread and butter of any artist’s income, especially in a market like Nigeria where live shows and brand deals are not always guaranteed.
Withholding them is not just a financial grievance, it cuts directly into an artist’s ability to sustain their craft and their livelihood.
Dapper Music has not yet made a detailed public response to the allegations, at least not one that has circulated widely.
That silence, in the court of public opinion, rarely plays well, especially when three credible artists are speaking in unison.
The Nigerian music industry has seen label disputes flare up before, and they rarely get resolved cleanly. Artists often find themselves tangled in contracts that were signed early in their careers, before they had the leverage or the legal support to negotiate fair terms.
This situation with Dapper Music is looking like another chapter in that ongoing conversation about how artists are treated once they start generating real money and attention.
Fans of all three artists have been vocal on social media, largely siding with the acts and calling for transparency from the label.
There is a growing expectation in the Nigerian music space that labels be held accountable, not just celebrated when their artists blow up.
Whether this ends in court, in a settlement, or in a prolonged public back-and-forth is still unclear.
Shallipopi, Seyi Vibez, and T.I Blaze are not staying quiet, and the pressure on Dapper Music to respond properly is building by the hour.
