Published 26th Sep, 2022

By Daniel Ojukwu

Diamond Ikhide, a Nigerian rapper popularly known as Holyfield, has narrated how Hennessy Nigeria and Aristokrat Records, a record label, failed to fulfil promises made to him in 2016.

Holyfield participated in, and emerged winner of the Hennessy VS Class in 2016 after defeating several other rappers, including Full Effex, Kursor and Stonaman.

After emerging victorious, he signed a one-year record deal with Aristokrat Records, a label that used to house Burna Boy, an award-winning singer, but he never published a song under the label.

Prior to the VS competition, Hennessy Nigeria and the Aristokrat label announced prizes for the winner on Beat 99.9FM.

In a video published on the Hennessy Nigeria YouTube channel, and obtained by FIJ, Piriye Isokrari, Aristokrat Records CEO, said the label would sign the winner to a one-year record deal, help with their PR and branding, and look to extend if it all went fine.

Holyfield told FIJ that after he won, he was offered a deal that gave 95 percent of earnings from his work to the label, leaving him with five percent.

He also said the label made him record two songs during the duration of his contract but failed to fulfil a promise that an album would be produced. He said the two songs he recorded were never released, leaving him with zero earnings from the competition and the record deal.

To FIJ, he said, “I won Hennessy VS Class 2016. No money was announced to be given to the winner, but a record deal with Aristokrats was given.

“I delivered on my part in recording the music, after which I signed a contract of 95-5, but it was all to no avail. I didn’t get money, and I didn’t get the record deal. Basically, the reward for my good work done was more work.

“I never got a dime! It’s appalling for a brand like Hennessy. Money was supposed to be involved because the record deal I was promised was all a facade.”

Holyfield said he was threatened by some concerned parties, who said they would deny him help if he spoke up.

He said, “Thing is I don’t think I have anything to lose again, since they don’t care about past winners or the past winner they never gifted a thing. And that event discouraged my parents from this dream. They saw it as a joke since nothing came out of it.

“I just want to be compensated. I need it and I deserve it.”

FIJ made attempts to contact the record label and Hennessy Nigeria via their websites, but contact pages on both websites were unreachable as of press time.

FIJ also sent Instagram messages to both platforms, but as of press time, they had not been responded to.

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