Controversial Nigerian singer, Gabriel Oche Amanyi, better known as Terry G, has taken a swipe at American music magazine, Billboard, for excluding his hit records from its newly released Top 50 Best Afrobeats Songs of All-Time list.
Billboard recently unveiled the prestigious ranking, curated by its staff, to celebrate the most influential Afrobeats tracks that have shaped the genre over the years. The list crowned 2Face Idibia’s timeless classic ‘African Queen’ as number one, while other iconic tracks such as Timaya’s ‘Dem Mama’, Weird MC’s ‘Ijoya’, and Olu Maintain’s viral anthem ‘Yahooze’ also made the cut.
However, to the shock of many fans, Terry G’s catalogue which includes street-shaking hits like ‘Akpako Master’, ‘Free Madness’, ‘Run Mad’, among others was entirely absent from the line-up.
Reacting to the snub, Terry G took to social media under a post by music monitoring platform Chart Data, which announced ‘African Queen’ as the number one Afrobeats song of all time. In a short but fiery response, he wrote: “TERRY G robbed.”
His reaction has since sparked heated conversations across social media. While some fans echoed his sentiments, insisting that his energetic style, street credibility, and contribution to Afrobeats deserved recognition, others dismissed his claim, arguing that none of his songs could rival the cultural and global impact of 2Face’s ‘African Queen’.
Known as the self-proclaimed “Akpako Master” and one of the pioneers of eccentric street-hop in Nigeria, Terry G rose to fame in the late 2000s with a string of wildly popular and controversial hits that defined an era in Nigerian music. His unique sound blending chaotic beats, quirky lyrics, and unmatched stage energy made him a household name and a cult favorite among street music lovers.
Still, despite his undeniable influence, Billboard’s omission has reignited debates on what criteria were used in curating the list and whether the contributions of certain artistes, particularly those who thrived in the street-hop era, were fairly represented.
For now, the jury remains divided: Was Terry G truly “robbed,” or did Billboard simply make a fair call?
