Nigerian rapper Ice Prince has debunked claims that fellow artist Davido was the first African to receive a BET Award on stage. The Oleku hitmaker asserts that he holds the honor, achieving the milestone in 2013 when he won the Best International Act, Africa Award.
For years, African artists were relegated to receiving their BET honors backstage, away from the glamour of the main event. However, Ice Prince claims he broke this tradition long before Davido’s celebrated acceptance speech in 2018.
“I am the first African artist to go on a BET stage and receive an award solo… When you guys talk about it, you guys give that credit to Davido,” Ice Prince said during a recent episode of Listening.
Davido’s 2018 speech, in which he called for stronger collaborations between African and U.S. artists, remains iconic. Yet Ice Prince is keen to correct the record, ensuring his own groundbreaking moment isn’t overshadowed.
In the same interview, Ice Prince opened up about a dark chapter in his life: a six-day stint in Lagos’ Ikoyi Correctional Centre in 2022. The rapper was jailed following allegations of assaulting a police officer during a stop-and-search operation.
Ice Prince described the arrest as a misunderstanding, explaining that he had been joking with the officer before driving off. “It was a mistake,” he said. “It’s a different world [in prison]. I don’t pray for my worst enemy to experience it. There are so many innocent people in there.”
The rapper’s candid remarks shed light on the harsh realities of incarceration in Nigeria and serve as a cautionary tale. “You have to be careful out there because mistakes can take you there,” he warned.
Ice Prince’s comments not only spotlight his prison experience but also aim to secure his rightful place in Nigerian music history. While both he and Davido have left an indelible mark on the global stage, Ice Prince is determined that his contributions—and his pioneering BET Award moment—are not forgotten.
