A fresh scandal has engulfed Dapper Music after three of its most prominent former signees, T.I Blaze, Seyi Vibez, and Shallipopi, took to social media within days of each other to accuse label boss Damilola “Dapper” Akinwunmi of financial misconduct, unpaid royalties, and contract manipulation.

The controversy broke open on Friday, August 14, when T.I Blaze fired the opening salvo on X, accusing the label of licensing his intellectual property without his consent and questioning how roughly ₦1.2 billion in revenue had gone unexplained. He claimed his contract had since expired, that he was still owed money, and that he had waited seven months for an amicable resolution that never came.

He also pressed Dapper Music on how Virgin Music had come to be involved in the business, questioning the cut the international distributor was allegedly taking from arrangements he was never properly briefed on.

Seyi Vibez followed with his own grievances, alleging that earnings owed to him had instead been used to sign and finance other artistes under Dapper’s stable. He accused the executive of manipulation and a lack of transparency in how the label’s books were run, framing his experience as part of a pattern that other signees could still be walking into unknowingly.

Shallipopi’s intervention proved the most explosive. The singer alleged that Dapper Music owed him more than a million dollars in royalties tied to 46 songs, and that his catalogue had been sold or transferred, reportedly as part of a deal with Virgin Music Group, without his knowledge or a proper accounting of his share. He went further, accusing Akinwunmi of forging his signature to insert clauses into his contract that he never negotiated or agreed to. Shallipopi also referenced an existing EFCC case tied to the dispute and publicly called on the anti-graft agency, the government, and the media to take the matter seriously.

The allegations did not emerge in isolation. Shallipopi had formally severed ties with Dapper Music and its Dvpper Digital arm back in December 2024, describing the split as one of the hardest decisions of his career and citing broken trust, mishandled finances, and disregard for his rights as an artiste. He has since launched his own imprint, Plutomania Records, home to acts including Zerry DL and Tega Boi.

Seyi Vibez’s relationship with the label had also cooled quietly before this week’s public reckoning, despite Akinwunmi having been recognised as TurnTable’s Executive of the Year in 2023 during a period when the label’s roster, including Seyi Vibez’s breakout run following his 2022 hit “Chance”, was riding high.

Dapper has since broken his silence, insisting he has nothing to hide and that relevant records have already been submitted to the appropriate authorities, urging that the process be allowed to establish the truth. He went further, directly challenging the artistes, particularly Shallipopi, to commission a forensic audit through any reputable accounting or legal firm of their choosing to examine the label’s finances and contracts. Addressing the forgery allegation specifically, Akinwunmi disputed Shallipopi’s account, pointing to inconsistencies between his current claims and a 2024 statement in which the singer said he had been pressured into the original deal, and accused him of avoiding a previously scheduled meeting between the two camps.

As it stands, the dispute remains unresolved, with no independent audit yet confirmed and no regulatory action publicly announced. But the public nature of the allegations, and the seniority of the artistes involved, has reignited broader scrutiny of how Nigerian record labels structure royalty payments and contractual terms with the stars who build them.