Music executive and founder of Dapper Group, Damilola “Dapper” Akinwunmi, has denied allegations made against him by his former signees, T.I Blaze, Seyi Vibez and Shallipopi.
The three artistes accused the label of financial mismanagement, lack of transparency and exploitative contractual arrangements, among other allegations, in posts on their social media pages.
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T.I Blaze parted ways with the label in June, while Seyi Vibez, who joined the label in 2021, left in September 2024. Shallipopi exited the label on 11 December 2024.
In a statement shared with PREMIUM TIMES on Wednesday, Dapper denied the allegations, saying he had never sold any artiste’s catalogue to a distributor or third party.
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Social media is not a court of law
He also dismissed the reliance on social media to establish the allegations, saying, “Social media is not a court of law, a tweet is not evidence, a viral video is not a judgment, and repeated insults are not arguments.”
Dapper said: “If there is a disagreement about money, contracts or accounting, let us put the documents on the table. We have said this several times, and each time we are brought back to the same circle of tarnishing my name and my business. Let me be direct about one specific claim, because it keeps being repeated.
“I have not sold anyone’s catalogue. Not to a distributor, not to a third party, not to anyone.
Ownership sits exactly where the agreements say it sits, and those agreements are among the documents I am asking to be examined. I will also address the suggestion that the documents were forged, as it is a serious accusation, and I will not let it go unanswered. It is false. No signature on any Dapper agreement was falsified, and no document was fabricated.”
Audit
Dapper further maintained that whatever transpired between him and his former signees was a matter of record that could be verified.
He said he was willing to submit to an independent audit and challenged his former signees to prove where he cheated them and the amount involved, using audited findings rather than figures circulating online.
“An Invitation to Independent Audit. I welcome scrutiny. If anyone believes Dapper has cheated them, I invite them to call for an independent forensic audit, conducted by a firm with the standing to be held to its findings, or by any other trusted auditing, accounting or legal institution with the expertise to examine the books, the contracts, the payments and the accounts.
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“Let the numbers speak. Let the documents speak. If there is evidence that we owe anyone anything, let it be established properly and let the appropriate action follow. We will give any such firm the company’s complete accounting records and every distribution statement we have received, not summaries prepared for the occasion, and both sides should see the same documents at the same time. I will accept the findings of any such firm, and I will say so publicly whichever way they fall,” said Dapper
Read Dapper’s statement below.
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