A year-on-year ranking of the Headies Next Rated category since its inception

<p>The 2023 Headies nomination list is out and eyes will be on the Next Rated category where Asake, Seyi Vibez, Spyro, Victony and Young Jonn will be vying for the coveted award.</p>, <span>Wizkid, Olamide, Tiwa Savage, Ice Prince</span>, <h2>At the first Headies, the prize for the Next Rated category was NGN100,000 and it was won by Asa. By the third edition, a car was presented to the winner of the category, which was Wande Coal.</h2>, <p>Since then, the award has held significant value because it serves as a recognition for a set of upcoming artists who are recognized for two reasons;</p>, <p>Of course, history has show that such projections are speculative at best, but that hasn't stopped emotions from running at fever high levels, whenever the category is announced. Controversies, outbursts, enmity and social media rants; you can name it, we've seen it all.</p>, <p>But a lot of that is due to the emotions that artists attach to their work, the esteem with which fans perceive the impact of newly minted stars, and the sheer competition that the category is usually associated with.</p>, <p>Thus, we take a look at the rich - and controversial - history of the category, and rank each year based on;</p>, <p>But because we have the benefit of hindsight, '2' is of lesser importance to '1,' as a criterion. In ranking the set of Next Rated classes since the creation of the award in 2006, factors that will be considered include success, impact, and longevity.</p>, <p>This is a year-on-year ranking of the Headies Next Rated category in descending order.</p>, <h2>? Class of 2023</h2>, <p>Nominees: Asake, Seyi Vibez, Victony, Young Jonn, Spyro</p>, <p>Asake was already being tipped as the next rated artist elect mid-way into his unprecedented 2022 run of hits which he capped with the release of a record-breaking debut album 'Mr. Money With The Vibe'.</p>, <p>Towards the latter part of 2022 amidst Asake's era-defining run, Seyi Vibez would emerge with a similar style that arrested the attention of listeners and created a s