Damilola “Dapper” Akinwunmi, the music executive and founder of Dapper Group, has categorically denied allegations leveled against him by former signees T.I Blaze, Seyi Vibez, and Shallipopi. The three artists had accused the label of financial mismanagement, lack of transparency, and exploitative contractual arrangements in posts on their social media pages. Dapper, in a statement shared with PREMIUM TIMES on Wednesday, dismissed the claims, asserting that he had never sold any artiste’s catalogue to a distributor or third party.
Allegations and Departures from Dapper Group
T.I Blaze parted ways with the label in June 2024, while Seyi Vibez, who joined in 2021, left in September 2024. Shallipopi exited the label on 11 December 2024. The artists’ social media posts alleged financial impropriety and a lack of transparency, but Dapper challenged the reliance on social media as a basis for such serious accusations.
“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. He emphasized that if there is a disagreement about money, contracts, or accounting, the documents should be examined. “We have said this several times, and each time we are brought back to the same circle of tarnishing my name and my business.”
Specific Denial of Catalogue Sale and Forgery Claims
Dapper directly addressed the recurring claim that he sold artists’ catalogues. “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,” he stated. He also refuted suggestions that documents were forged, calling it a serious accusation. “It is false. No signature on any Dapper agreement was falsified, and no document was fabricated,” Dapper added.
Call for Independent Forensic Audit
Dapper maintained that whatever transpired between him and his former signees is a matter of record that can be verified. He issued an open invitation for an independent audit to settle the dispute. “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,” he said.
He challenged the former artists to prove, using audited findings rather than figures circulating online, where he cheated them and the amount involved. “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,” Dapper concluded.
