Music executive, Damilola “Dapper Damm” Akinwunmi, has responded to the financial allegations surrounding his dealings with some former artistes, including Seyi Vibez and Shallipopi, insisting that the records needed to establish the truth are already with the relevant authorities.
Dapper Damm addressed the controversy in a series of posts on X on Sunday, August 16, 2026, as the dispute involving him and former artistes continued to generate reactions across Nigeria’s entertainment industry.
The music executive did not provide a detailed breakdown of the financial issues in his initial response but maintained that he has nothing to conceal. According to him, documentation relating to the allegations exists and has already been made available to the appropriate authorities.
“I have nothing to hide. The records exist. The authorities have them. Let the process establish the truth,” Dapper Damm stated.
His response comes amid growing public attention over allegations concerning money and financial dealings between the music executive and some artistes previously associated with his music business.
Seyi Vibez, one of the artistes linked to Dapper Music during an important stage of his career, had recently intensified his criticism of the music executive. Reports have also connected the controversy to allegations involving a substantial amount of money, with claims of about ₦1 billion featuring prominently in the ongoing dispute.
Shallipopi, another artiste who previously worked with Dapper’s music company, has also been mentioned in the wider fallout involving former members of the music executive’s camp.
However, Dapper Damm’s latest comments suggest that he intends to allow documentary evidence and any formal process to determine what actually happened, rather than engage in an extended public argument.
The music executive also pushed back against suggestions that former artistes were forced out of his label or that their departures were caused by actions on his part.
In a strongly worded post, Dapper said the artistes made their own decisions to leave and insisted that nobody compelled them to do so.
“You chose to leave! No one forced you, and we are still fine without you! Move on! Stop acting obsessed!!!!!” he wrote.
The statement marks a sharper tone in Dapper’s response, particularly as the disagreement has increasingly moved from private industry matters into the public space.
Rather than addressing every allegation individually, he appeared to challenge those involved to allow the facts and available records to speak for themselves.
Dapper also suggested that there was considerably more he could say about the dispute but indicated that he was reluctant to turn the disagreement into a personal exchange of insults.
“So much to say, but so few ways to say it,” he wrote in another post.
He further explained that his decision not to descend into insults was influenced by his continued passion for music.
The latest development adds another chapter to a dispute that has attracted considerable attention because of the high-profile careers of the artistes involved and Dapper Damm’s position within Nigeria’s music industry.
Dapper Damm, whose real name is Damilola Akinwunmi, is a prominent Nigerian music executive who has been involved in artist development, music distribution and entertainment management for years. His career has included working with several artistes who later became significant names in the Nigerian music scene.
Music industry platform Music In Africa identifies Akinwunmi as the figure behind Dapper Group and notes his involvement with artistes including Seyi Vibez, Shallipopi and T.I Blaze. The platform also reports that Dapper’s company partnered with Virgin Music Nigeria in 2023 to launch Vibez Inc. with Seyi Vibez and Plutomania Records with Shallipopi.
His association with Seyi Vibez dates back to a period when the singer was developing into one of Nigeria’s prominent street-pop acts. Dapper Music was also associated with the distribution of Seyi Vibez’s music, while the executive played a role in the broader commercial side of the artiste’s career.
Shallipopi also had an important connection with Dapper Damm before eventually establishing his own independent path. In 2023, Shallipopi spoke about how rapper, Zlatan, helped facilitate his connection with Dapper Damm after the success of “Elon Musk.” At the time, the relationship was presented as an important step in the young artiste’s rapid rise.
The two artistes have since moved on from their respective relationships with Dapper’s music business, but the financial dispute has brought their previous professional arrangements back into public discussion.
The exact terms of the agreements between Dapper’s companies and the artistes have not been fully made public. A previous review of the Seyi Vibez-Dapper Music relationship noted that the specific contractual terms had not been publicly disclosed.
This makes Dapper’s reference to existing records particularly significant. By stating that authorities already have the relevant documentation, the music executive appears to be positioning the dispute as one that can ultimately be settled through evidence rather than social-media exchanges.
For now, however, the public allegations and Dapper Damm’s response remain part of an unfolding dispute, and there has been no publicly established finding in the material reviewed that conclusively proves the financial accusations against either party.
The controversy also highlights a broader issue within Nigeria’s rapidly expanding music industry: the importance of clear contractual agreements, transparent accounting and properly documented financial arrangements between artistes, labels, distributors and management companies.
As Afrobeats continues to generate significant revenue from streaming, concerts, endorsements and international partnerships, disagreements over ownership, earnings, royalties and contractual obligations have increasingly become matters of public interest.
Dapper Damm’s latest position is that the necessary records exist and that the appropriate authorities have access to them. Until any formal process establishes otherwise, the competing claims remain allegations and responses from the parties involved.
The music executive’s decision to address the matter publicly, while simultaneously insisting that the records should determine the truth, is likely to keep the dispute in the spotlight as fans and industry observers await further developments.