Entertainment Gists
Tems & Wizkid Win ‘Afrobeats Artist of the Year’ at 2023 iHeartRadio Music Awards

Nigerian singer-songwriter Tems and Afrobeats superstar Wizkid bagged wins at the 2023 iHeartRadio Music Awards, held at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on March 27th, 2023.
iHeart Media and Fox Entertainment announced the winners for the 2023 iHeart Music Awards, with Tems receiving the Hip-Hop Song of the Year award for her collaborative work on Future‘s “Wait For U.” Tems and Wizkid were both awarded the “Afrobeats Artist of the Year” title, surpassing notable contenders like Burna Boy, CKay, and Fireboy DML.
The ceremony was hosted by popular singer and actor Lenny Kravitz, and the show was broadcast live from the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles on Monday, March 27 on FOX.
See the full list below:
Song of the Year
“About Damn Time”- Lizzo
“Anti-Hero”- Taylor Swift (WINNER)
“As It Was”- Harry Styles
“Big Energy”- Latto
“Enemy (from the series Arcane League of Legends)”- Imagine Dragons
“First Class”- Jack Harlow
“Ghost”- Justin Bieber
“Heat Waves” – Glass Animals
“INDUSTRY BABY” – Lil Nas X & Jack Harlow
“Woman” – Doja Cat
Artist of the Year
Beyoncé
Doja Cat
Drake
Dua Lipa
Harry Styles (WINNER)
Jack Harlow
Justin Bieber
Lizzo
Taylor Swift
The Weeknd
Best Duo/Group of the Year
AJR
Black Eyed Peas
BLACKPINK
Bruno Mars, Anderson .Paak, Silk Sonic
Glass Animals
Imagine Dragons (WINNER)
Måneskin
OneRepublic
Parmalee
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Best Collaboration
“Drunk (And I Don’t Wanna Go Home)”- Elle King & Miranda Lambert
“Cold Heart”- Elton John & Dua Lipa
“half of my hometown”- Kelsea Ballerini ft. Kenny Chesney
“I Like You (A Happier Song)” – Post Malone ft. Doja Cat
“INDUSTRY BABY” – Lil Nas X & Jack Harlow
“One Right Now”- Post Malone & The Weeknd
“Sweetest Pie” – Megan Thee Stallion & Dua Lipa
“Unholy” – Sam Smith & Kim Petras (WINNER)
“WAIT FOR U” – Future ft. Drake & Tems
“You Right” – Doja Cat ft. The Weeknd
Best New Pop Artist
Dove Cameron
GAYLE
Jax (WINNER)
Nicky Youre
Steve Lacy
Country Song of the Year
“Buy Dirt” – Jordan Davis ft. Luke Bryan
“half of my hometown” – Kelsea Ballerini ft. Kenny Chesney
“She Had Me At Heads Carolina” – Cole Swindell (WINNER)
“The Kind of Love We Make” – Luke Combs
“Wasted On You” – Morgan Wallen
Country Artist of the Year
Carrie Underwood
Jason Aldean
Kane Brown
Luke Combs
Morgan Wallen (WINNER)
Best New Country Artist
Bailey Zimmerman
Cody Johnson (WINNER)
Elle King
Elvie Shane
Priscilla Block
Afrobeats Artist of the Year
Burna Boy
CKay
Fireboy DML
Tems (WINNER)
Wizkid (WINNER)
Hip-Hop Song of the Year
“F.N.F. (Let’s Go)”- Hitkidd & GloRilla
“First Class” – Jack Harlow
“Girls Want Girls” – Drake ft. Lil Baby
“Super Gremlin”- Kodak Black
“WAIT FOR U” – Future ft. Drake & Tems (WINNER)
Hip-Hop Artist of the Year
Drake (WINNER)
Future
Kodak Black
Lil Baby
Moneybagg Yo
Best New Hip-Hop Artist
B-Lovee
GloRilla (WINNER)
Latto (WINNER)
Nardo Wick
SleazyWorld Go
R&B Song of the Year
“BREAK MY SOUL” – Beyoncé
“Free Mind” – Tems
“Hrs And Hrs” – Muni Long
“I Hate U”- SZA (WINNER)
“Smokin Out The Window” – Bruno Mars, Anderson .Paak, Silk Sonic
R&B Artist of the Year
Blast
Bruno Mars, Anderson .Paak, Silk Sonic
Muni Long
SZA (WINNER)
Yung Bleu
Best New R&B Artist
Blast
Brent Faiyaz
Muni Long (WINNER)
Steve Lacy
Alternative Song of the Year
“Black Summer”- Red Hot Chili Peppers
“EDGING”- Blink-182
“Enemy (from the series Arcane League of Legends)”- Imagine Dragons (WINNER)
“Heat Waves”- Glass Animals
“Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)”- Kate Bush
Alternative Artist of the Year
Imagine Dragons
Måneskin
Red Hot Chili Peppers (WINNER)
twenty one pilots
Weezer
Best New Artist (Alternative & Rock)
Beach Weather
BoyWithUke
Giovannie and the Hired Guns (WINNER)
Turnstile
Wet Leg
Rock Song of the Year
“Black Summer”- Red Hot Chili Peppers (WINNER)
“Patient Number 9”- Ozzy Osbourne ft. Jeff Beck
“Planet Zero”- Shinedown
“So Called Life”- Three Days Grace
“Taking Me Back”- Jack White
Rock Artist of the Year
Ghost
Papa Roach (WINNER)
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Shinedown
Three Days Grace
Dance Song of the Year
“Cold Heart”- Elton John & Dua Lipa
“Escape”- KX5, Kaskade, Deadmau5 ft. Hayla
“Heaven Takes You Home”- Swedish House Mafia & Connie Constance
“Hot In It”- Tiësto & Charli XCX
“I’m Good (Blue)”- David Guetta & Bebe Rexha (WINNER)
Dance Artist of the Year
Anabel Englund (WINNER)
Joel Corry
SOFI TUKKER
Swedish House Mafia
Tiësto
Latin Pop/Reggaeton Song Of The Year
“El Incomprendido” – Farruko/ Víctor Cárdenas/ DJ Adoni
“MAMIII”- Becky G & Karol G (WINNER)
“Me Porto Bonito”- Bad Bunny ft. Chencho Corleone
“Moscow Mule” – Bad Bunny
“PROVENZA”- Karol G
Latin Pop/Reggaeton Artist of the Year
Bad Bunny (WINNER)
Daddy Yankee
Farruko
Karol G
Rauw Alejandro
Regional Mexican Song of the Year
“Cada Quien”- Grupo Firme ft. Maluma
“Cómo Te Olvido” – La Arrolladora Banda El Limón de René Camacho (WINNER)
“Si Te Pudiera Mentir”- Calibre 50
“Ya Solo Eres Mi Ex” – La Adictiva
“Ya Supérame”- Grupo Firme
Regional Mexican Artist of the Year
Calibre 50
Christian Nodal
El Fantasma
Grupo Firme (WINNER)
La Adictiva
Best New Latin Artist
Blessd
Kali Uchis (WINNER)
Quevedo
Ryan Castro
Venesti
Best Lyrics (Socially Voted Category)
“About Damn Time” – Lizzo
“abcdefu” – GAYLE
“Anti-Hero” – Taylor Swift (WINNER)
“Buy Dirt”- Jordan Davis ft. Luke Bryan
“Glimpse Of Us”- Joji
“Lift Me Up”- Rihanna
“N95” – Kendrick Lamar
“pushin P” – Gunna ft. Future, Young Thug
“Super Freaky Girl” – Nicki Minaj
“Wasted On You” – Morgan Wallen
“We Don’t Talk About Bruno”- Lin-Manuel Miranda performed by the Cast of Encanto
Best Music Video (Socially Voted Category)
“Anti-Hero”- Taylor Swift
“As It Was” – Harry Styles
“Calm Down”- Rema & Selena Gomez
“Don’t Be Shy”- Tiësto & Karol G
“DON’T YOU WORRY”- Black Eyed Peas, Shakira, David Guetta
“Envovler” – Anitta
“Left and Right”- Charlie Puth ft. Jung Kook of BTS
“Pink Venom”- BLACKPINK
“Tití Me Preguntó” – Bad Bunny
“Yet To Come” – BTS (WINNER)
Best Fan Army (Socially Voted Category)
“Barbz”- Nicki Minaj
“Beliebers”- Justin Bieber
“BeyHive” – Beyoncé
“Blinks”- BLACKPINK
“BTSArmy”- BTS (WINNER)
“Harries” – Harry Styles
“Hotties”- Megan Thee Stallion
“Louies”- Louis Tomlinson
“RihannaNavy”- Rihanna
“Rushers”- Big Time Rush
“Selenators” – Selena Gomez
“Swifties”- Taylor Swift
Social Star Award (Socially Voted Category)
Bailey Zimmerman
Charli D’Amelio
Em Beihold
GAYLE
GloRilla
JVKE (WINNER)
Lauren Spencer-Smith
Yung Gravy
Favorite Tour Photographer (Socially Voted Category)
Bad Bunny – SIEMPRERIC
Demi Lovato – Angelo Kritikos
Dua Lipa – Elizabeth Miranda
Halsey – Yasi
Harry Styles – Lloyd Wakefield (WINNER)
Louis Tomlinson – Joshua Halling
Luke Combs – David Bergman
Machine Gun Kelly – Sam Cahill
Olivia Rodrigo – DONSLENS
Post Malone – Adam DeGross
twenty one pilots – Ashley Osborn
YUNGBLUD – Tom Pallant
TikTok Bop of the Year (Socially Voted Category)
“About Damn Time”- Lizzo
“As It Was” – Harry Styles
“Bad Habit” – Steve Lacy
“Bejeweled”- Taylor Swift (WINNER)
“Big Energy”- Latto
“CUFF IT”- Beyoncé
“Envolver”- Anitta
“Just Wanna Rock” – Lil Uzi Vert
“Made You Look”- Meghan Trainor
“Super Freaky Girl” – Nicki Minaj
“Unholy”- Sam Smith & Kim Petras
“World’s Smallest Violin”- AJR
Favorite Documentary (Socially Voted Category)
“Halftime” – Jennifer Lopez
“Life in Pink” – Machine Gun Kelly
“Love, Lizzo”- Lizzo
“Niall Horan’s Homecoming: The Road to Mullingar with Lewis Capaldi” – Niall Horan + Lewis Capaldi
“Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me” – Selena Gomez (WINNER)
“Shania Twain: Not Just a Girl” – Shania Twain
“Sheryl” – Sheryl Crow
“Untrapped: The Story of Lil Baby” – Lil Baby
Favorite Tour Style (Socially Voted Category)
Bad Bunny
Carrie Underwood
Dua Lipa
Elton John
Harry Styles (WINNER)
Lady Gaga
Lil Nas X
Lizzo
Machine Gun Kelly
Olivia Rodrigo
Rosalía
The Weeknd
Favorite Residency (Socially Voted Category)
“An Evening with Silk Sonic” – Bruno Mars, Anderson .Paak, Silk Sonic
“Enigma + Jazz & Piano” – Lady Gaga
“Let’s Go!” – Shania Twain
“Love In Las Vegas”- John Legend
“Love On Tour” – Harry Styles (WINNER)
“Play”- Katy Perry
“REFLECTION: The Las Vegas Residency” – Carrie Underwood
“Usher: My Way – The Las Vegas Residency” – Usher
“Weekends with Adele” – Adele
Favorite Use of a Sample (Socially Voted Category)
Beyoncé’s “SUMMER RENAISSANCE” – sampled Donna Summer’s “I Feel Love”
BLACKPINK’s “Pink Venom” – sampled 50 Cent’s “P.I.M.P,” Rihanna’s “Pon de Replay,” and Biggie’s “Kick In The Door”
Chlöe’s “Treat Me” – sampled Bubba Sparxxx & Ying Yang Twins’ “Ms. New Booty”
David Guetta & Bebe Rexha’s “I’m Good (Blue)” – sampled Eiffel 65’s “Blue (Da Ba Dee)”
DJ Khaled & Drake’s “Staying Alive” – sampled The Bee Gees’ “Stayin’ Alive”
Doja Cat’s “Vegas” – sampled Shonka Dukureh’s “Hound Dog”
Jack Harlow’s “First Class” – sampled Fergie’s “Glamorous”
Latto’s “Big Energy” – sampled Mariah Carey’s “Fantasy”
Lizzo’s “Break Up Twice” – sampled Lauryn Hill’s “Doo Wop (That Thing)”
Nicki Minaj’s “Super Freaky Girl” – sampled Rick James’ “Super Freak”
Taylor Swift’s “Question…?” – sampled Taylor Swift’s “Out Of The Woods” (WINNER)
Yung Gravy’s “Betty (Get Money)” – sampled Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up”
Entertainment Gists
RUAN-Badkid.96: The Unfiltered Voice Recommitting African Sound to Truth

RUAN-Badkid.96 is a Nigerian recording artist whose music refuses to live inside a single genre. Blending Afrobeat, Afrofusion, trap, hip-hop, melodic rap, R&B, and global influences, he creates records that move effortlessly between raw street energy, soulful storytelling, and infectious melodies. Whether delivering hard-hitting bars, emotional love songs, or rhythm-driven African records, his sound is defined by authenticity rather than limitation.
Inspired by both African culture and international music, RUAN-Badkid.96 embraces the confidence and ambition of global hip-hop while staying deeply connected to his roots. His lyrics explore love, heartbreak, betrayal, friendship, social injustice, hope, and the everyday realities of life. He doesn’t create music to follow trends, he creates music to reflect truth, emotion, and human experience.
Behind his fearless image is an artist who believes in kindness, equality, justice, and genuine human connection. His appearance may be intimidating, but his message is rooted in compassion and authenticity. Every record carries a piece of his journey, proving that strength and vulnerability can exist in the same voice.
For RUAN-Badkid.96, music is more than entertainment, it’s a language, a testimony, and a lifelong mission to connect with people through honesty, versatility, and unforgettable sound.
Entertainment Gists
Meet the Man Who Turned Hype Into a Science: Emmy Blaq, Nigeria’s G.O.A.T. of Hype
If you have ever been at a Nigerian event and found yourself on your feet before the main act even stepped on stage, there is a good chance a hype man was responsible. But not just any hype man. Emmy Blaq, born Ikechukwu Emmanuel Chima and raised in Auchi, Edo State, has spent the last few years quietly becoming the most talked-about name in that profession, and the Nigerian press has taken notice. Punch, Vanguard, The Guardian Nigeria, The Nation, and Independent Newspaper have all sat down with him, and every conversation leads back to the same thing: this man does not just make noise; he makes moments.
What makes Emmy Blaq different is the journey behind the energy. Before the stages, the collaborations with Waje on her “Waje 2.0” album, DJ Consequence, and DJ Kaywise on the massively streamed “Joor Party Mix” series, he was repairing generators, cutting hair, and sewing clothes in Auchi. His first professional hype gig happened at a local fast food spot called Valchi, and the crowd response that night changed everything. He told The Nation directly: “My passion for entertainment and desire to make people happy led me into the craft.” Punch also captured his bigger mission when he said that hype men deserve more than what they currently earn, a statement that sparked a real conversation across Nigerian entertainment circles.
With over 1.7 million TikTok followers, 23.6 million TikTok likes, a viral “Wife Material” challenge that landed on Pulse Nigeria’s top ten social media moments of 2021, and an international performance at the Cameroon International Music Festival that Cameroonian media described as electrifying, Emmy Blaq is not building toward something. He is already there. The G.O.A.T. of Hype is not a title he gave himself and hoped would stick. It is one the rooms keep confirming every single time he grabs the mic.
Entertainment Gists
Uncle Wisdom The Mind Behind The Motion – Talent Manager/A&R
MANAGER PROFILE
Uncle Wisdom is a Lagos-based music executive and visionary leader known for blending structure, strategy, and creativity in artist management. With a background in Mathematics and Statistics from UNICROSS formerly, Cross River University Of Technology. He brings analytical precision into talent development, positioning artists for both creative excellence and commercial success.
CAREER JOURNEY
Began his career in 2017 as an event coordinator for Eksu Olofofo, where he gained foundational experience in live events and audience engagement. By 2018, he transitioned into full-time artist management, driven by a clear goal to build a more structured and results-oriented system within the music industry.
In 2019, Started working as a road manager for Barry Jhay, gaining hands-on experience in touring, logistics, and artist operations, a refined career and mental awareness coach . He was also instrumental behind Barry Jhay’s 2025 sold-out homecoming concert, a key moment that fueled momentum for a successful UK tour, including sold-out shows in London and Birmingham.
PHLOX MGMT
Founded from the ground up, Phlox Mgmt is a forward-thinking management company focused on Career coaching, A&R, artist development, and strategic positioning. The company is built on a clear philosophy:
Develop the sound. Define the brand. Position the artist to win.
Phlox Mgmt has connections with @Roadgod_of Roadgod Agency and connects artists with top-tier producers, engineers, and creatives, ensuring a refined sound and strong market presence. The company continues to grow as a trusted platform for emerging and established talent.
INDUSTRY NETWORK & COLLABORATIONS
Uncle Wisdom has built valuable relationships across the industry, working with and alongside talents such as:
Barry Jhay • Asake • Ceeza Milli • Berri Tiga • Laime • Spellz • and many others
LEADERSHIP APPROACH
John Wisdom operates with a long-term vision, focusing on structure, consistency, and execution. His approach goes beyond traditional management he builds systems around artists that support sustainable growth, strong branding, and global competitiveness.
CONTACT & SOCIALS
Instagram & X: @Johnwisdm @phlox_mgmt
TikTok: @unclewisdom7
Email: phloxentertainment@gmail.com
Phone: 08038448478 | 09015668027
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