Nigerian singer Bella Shmurda has hit out at African musicians who ignore local award shows like The Headies while spending millions to travel for Western events like the Grammys.

Speaking on a recent podcast, the "Cash App" hitmaker criticised stars who turn down domestic performance invites, only to fly across the globe in chartered private jets to attend foreign award ceremonies.

"Artists don't want to attend African award shows," Bella Shmurda said during the interview. "They'll invite them to perform at the Headies and they won't come, but they can charter a private jet to attend the Grammys. Then they go on stage and say it's for Africa. No, it's for yourself."

The clash between domestic industry growth and global fame is an ongoing debate in the Nigerian music scene. Organisers of The Headies even moved the award show to the United States in recent years to attract top-tier talent, after several major Afrobeats stars repeatedly skipped the event in Lagos. 

Bella Shmurda, who rose to fame with his 2019 hit "Vision 2020," maintains that local stars owe their original fanbase and domestic platforms the same respect they give foreign institutions.