{"id":41613,"date":"2019-07-02T18:04:24","date_gmt":"2019-07-02T17:04:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/how-nigerian-hip-hop-can-get-back-into-the-conversation-2\/"},"modified":"2020-05-10T21:34:01","modified_gmt":"2020-05-10T20:34:01","slug":"how-nigerian-hip-hop-can-get-back-into-the-conversation-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/en\/how-nigerian-hip-hop-can-get-back-into-the-conversation-2\/","title":{"rendered":"How Nigerian hip-hop can get back into the conversation"},"content":{"rendered":"<h4 class=\"pam-featured-content\" ><span class=\"pam-featured-content\"  style=\"color: #2d9cdb;\"><strong class=\"pam-featured-content\" ><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-23283 size-full pam-featured-content\"  src=\"https:\/\/pan-african-music-production.fra1.digitaloceanspaces.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/MI-Abaga-Blaq-AQ.jpg\" width=\"1294\" height=\"925\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pan-african-music-production.fra1.digitaloceanspaces.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/MI-Abaga-Blaq-AQ.jpg 1294w, https:\/\/pan-african-music-production.fra1.digitaloceanspaces.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/MI-Abaga-Blaq-AQ-759x543.jpg 759w, https:\/\/pan-african-music-production.fra1.digitaloceanspaces.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/MI-Abaga-Blaq-AQ-1010x722.jpg 1010w, https:\/\/pan-african-music-production.fra1.digitaloceanspaces.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/MI-Abaga-Blaq-AQ-661x473.jpg 661w, https:\/\/pan-african-music-production.fra1.digitaloceanspaces.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/MI-Abaga-Blaq-AQ-465x332.jpg 465w, https:\/\/pan-african-music-production.fra1.digitaloceanspaces.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/MI-Abaga-Blaq-AQ-375x268.jpg 375w\" sizes=\"(min-width:1010px) 759px,100vw\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n<h4><span style=\"color: #2d9cdb;\">When MI Abaga rapped \u2018SA rappers out here killing y\u2019all&#8217;, it was a means of expressing frustration at the decline of rap in the Nigerian music industry.<br \/>\n<\/span><\/h4>\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\"><span style=\"color: #999999;\"><em>Article wrote in 2019 April.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Off MI Abaga\u2019s\u00a0<\/span><i>Rendezvous<\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0playlist, there is a song titled &#8220;<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Lekki&#8221;<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. A follower of the Nigerian rapper knows this is customary: surely in every of his projects, there\u2019s the song of a relatively simplistic narrative which tilts towards a trendy social pattern. More than the upbeat vibe inherent in the production and lyrics of &#8220;<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Lekki&#8221;<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, a take on \u201cgirls that like to party,\u201d is the talent on display.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If one could find a common creative denominator between the four featured artists, (including MI) it is their unique position outside and within their chosen soundscapes. For MI, he was embraced into the mighty folds of national love with his successful marriage of what was previously a sparsely unattainable culture of American Hip Hop and Nigerian tendencies; Ajebutter 22 is the pop darling, his music, while accessible, retains its fair bit of exclusivity to individuals for whom excess \u2013 I\u2019m thinking of \u201cOmo Pastor\u201d and \u201cGhana Bounce\u201d \u2013 is a culture; <span style=\"color: #333333;\"><a style=\"color: #333333;\" href=\"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/en\/tag\/odunsi\/\">Odunsi<\/a><\/span> is a healthy child of many sounds, ranging from Funk to Soul to Nigerian Fuji \u2013 Afro Fusion; <span style=\"color: #333333;\"><a style=\"color: #333333;\" href=\"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/tag\/falz\/\">Falz<\/a><\/span> is the unique burst of talent, talent which spreads across many facets of the entertainment industry.<br style=\"clear: both;\" \/><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<iframe src=\"https:\/\/w.soundcloud.com\/player\/?url=https%3A\/\/api.soundcloud.com\/playlists\/443977590&amp;color=%23ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false&amp;show_teaser=true\" width=\"100%\" height=\"450\" frameborder=\"no\" scrolling=\"no\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/iframe><br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br style=\"clear: both;\" \/>Apart from the exciting fact that these four are frontier acts in their genres, another word connects them: politics. For one can rightly say that :<br \/>\na.) MI challenged the politics of cultural exclusivity and has successfully tweaked the Nigerian music market and the politics which surrounds its award system to his advantage.<br \/>\nb.) Odunsi, with his Alt\u00e9 family have risen above the politics of corporate interference and have placed first art.<br \/>\nc.) Ajebutter 22 constantly challenges the preconceived notions of how a social story (irrespective of how ill-formed its characters are) should sound and what structure it should assume .<br \/>\nd.) Falz has gone combative in many songs and an album against the Nigerian government and the unpleasant shapes its politics has bent Nigerians into.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Across the discographies of these four are\u00a0<\/span>they<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0strong Hip Hop influences? In the case where one of them (Odunsi) is not a rapper, it is worthy to note that he started off as one. The genre has, over time, stood as a sentry to the social and political life of the society. And in a not so distant past, these four artists would be top acts, able to command impressive booking fees and revenue from their activism but ultimately, art.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When MI rapped \u2018SA rappers out here killing y\u2019all&#8217; on \u201cYou Rappers Should Fix Up Your Lives\u201d, he certainly wasn\u2019t decrying a lack of quality in the content. It was a badly worded means of expressing frustration at the decline of rap in the important conversations in the Nigerian music industry.<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><iframe src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/BUsECH9RY1E\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br style=\"clear: both;\" \/>2019 has, so far, been all about changing the narrative for the genre: on the first day of the year, <span style=\"color: #333333;\"><a style=\"color: #333333;\" href=\"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/tag\/show-dem-camp\/\">Show Dem Camp<\/a><\/span> released the fourth installment in their\u00a0<\/span><i>Clone Wars<\/i>\u00a0<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">series. This means that in the past three years, they\u2019ve put out three projects, all of which have done very well commercially. But it is the<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0fourth<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">,\u00a0<\/span><i>Clone Wars 4<\/i><b><i>,\u00a0<\/i><\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">that will prove to be a masterclass on timing.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With the turn of the year, Nigeria entered into a period that comes but once every four years. It is like what the World Cup holds for players who\u2019ve participated in at least, two previous editions. You\u2019re probably in your peak and you know that you might not have another four years. The duo of Show Dem Camp are rightly being called veterans. While footballers and rappers are not the best parallel comparisons, there arises a chance that the times might have changed massively, and whatever chance they stood to make a magnum opus be reduced to a bare. It is with precision and understanding and musical growth that \u00a0Show Dem Camp executed their impeccable artistic vision for\u00a0<\/span><i>CW4<\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. In fourteen songs, they paint a vivid picture of what it means to be a Nigerian, more so a creative. The feature list is stacked with talent, but only necessarily. They don\u2019t hope to accumulate fan bases; the message is given priority and at the end of the day, they come out of the release as front runners, early settlers at the table Hip Hop will eat from this year.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As earlier reiterated, Hip Hop, asides being one of the most intelligent forms of music, is simply, sonic activism. Falz \u2013 being an artiste Nigerian journalist Joey Akan once tweeted as coming across as a celebrity who lives in the Nigerian struggle \u2013 has always been a socio-political activist. While his brand is effusively entertaining in what could be termed the \u201cTriple Talent\u201d of comedian, rapper and actor. For many, the last two is the most recognizable Falz. It\u2019s the reason he\u2019s in the conversation year in, year out. It\u2019s the talent of a man who works at his own pace and dictates his moves, and makes the industry bend to his artistic outputs, in whatever medium. But Falz is also a rapper, one who is respected by your favorite rapper.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A project of his that bear testament to his rap credentials is his debut<strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><i>Stories That Touch<\/i><b>:\u00a0<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">a fresh-out Falz, still puristic in his music. Across the album, are recognizable stories that only Falz could put that his light humorous touch on and emerge on its closing seconds a master storyteller and satirist. So proficient was his skill at this that when Simi\u2019s breakthrough song got a feature verse from him, did it dawn on us that subconsciously we\u2019d known that all through, that the story of\u00a0<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Jamb Question\u00a0<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">was \u201cFalz esque.\u201d Months later,\u00a0<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Soldier<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0happened, a human perspective into a much demonized people. It was the visuals of that song however, that first publicized Falz as a conceiver of big ideas. He relishes the challenge of having his art tagged \u201ccontroversial.\u201d In other words, talk worthy. Awareness which cuts across diverse levels of literacy seems to be Falz\u2019s goal but even where the wide spread discussions are first, aspirational to the benefit of information and education in Nigeria, Hip Hop stands not too far away, a close second in the benefactors list.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When Falz\u2019s \u201cThis Is Nigeria\u201d was released, it was met with mixed reactions; Arts for Arts sake deemed it a poor work, Arts for Society sake commended it. The essays were written, lawsuits threatened, and everywhere one went, the \u201cprovocative\u201d video was up in one\u2019s face. Mission accomplished for the rapper then.<br style=\"clear: both;\" \/><\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><iframe src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/UW_xEqCWrm0\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\nHowever, along the outskirts of popular music, where other non celebrity rappers reside, a brilliant song (\u201cThe PVC Story\u201d) was released and later on, accompanying visuals directed by Nora Awolowo. Where \u201cThis Is Nigeria\u201d is explicit, The PVC Story is suggestive, employing an array of storytelling techniques that only elevates its cinematic quality. But A-Q is a dark horse; a veteran, no doubt, but a traditional Hip Hop artiste whereas Falz is the typical example of just how \u2018Nigerian&#8217; Hip Hop needs to get to attain that national love. Had A-Q featured an Oritse Femi to record a hook for \u201cThe PVC Story\u201d would it have been better received outside his core fan base? There\u2019s a good chance. Hip Hop is the outsider in Nigeria. In countries like South Africa, its acts are the country\u2019s front runners of its music, across all genres. In America, a Jay-Z can rap: \u201cI say no to the Super Bowl\/ I don\u2019t need you, you need me.\u201d Here in Nigeria, right now, rappers have to find middle ground between their music and professional relationships with brands and artists who will increase their influence amongst other popular genres.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The year started excellently, with Show Dem Camp showing that it can be done. From their dive into the pop market with the\u00a0<\/span><i>Palm Wine<\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0volumes and now,\u00a0<\/span><i>CW4<\/i><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">,\u00a0<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">their status as visionaries cannot be overemphasized.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">MI also knows how to create buzz. Last year\u2019s\u00a0<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">LAMB August Projects<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0was the package Nigerian Hip Hop direly needed. Modelled on Kanye West&#8217;s\u00a0<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Wyoming Sessions<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, MI assumed an overseeing executive producer role. All the others had to do was be their best selves, knowing that a much bigger umbrella was above. From\u00a0<\/span><i>Crown<\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, to\u00a0<\/span><i>Yung Denzl<\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0to\u00a0<\/span><i>Bad Boy Blaq<\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, excitement levels were triggered. The first was a \u201cbring back the bars\u201d moment. The second, an aptly titled \u201cstudy on self worth,\u201d gave insider info into the life of one of the continent\u2019s biggest rap artiste. The third was Pop entrance for one of the genre\u2019s most prolific acts. It was a sacrifice \u2013 for that was a double entendre meaning for\u00a0<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">LAMB \u2013\u00a0<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">that certainly paid off.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They\u2019re not done, though: with the Martell cognac\u00a0<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cypher<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, there seems to be a sort of \u201cwarming up\u201d to these acts who, in all fact, are the hot rappers now. If other acts haven\u2019t been getting the same recognition, it is beyond the MI cosign. Each of them have had to polish their technical skills and overall personalities. Whereas A-Q was the firebrand rapper who sniffed the air for beef, he is now a more complete rapper whose humanity gleams through his projects, amongst which two are considered classics. Blaqbonez only had so long to figure out his battle rap tendencies wouldn\u2019t give him desired influence and artistic growth. Loose Kaynon is the Jay Electronica of Nigerian rappers: you know he\u00a0<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">has\u00a0<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">skill, but there are many administrative functions that comes with being\u00a0<\/span>Chocolate City\u00a0<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Vice President which limits his musical output. 2018 was the year Loose went all\u00a0<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">damn! I\u2019m a rapper.<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0With the same hunger taken into the new year, we can only anticipate great things from the quartet: they all (except Loose) have hinted at solo projects coming out this year (Blaqbonez released\u00a0<\/span><i>Bad Boy Re-Up\u00a0<\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">on the 8<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">th<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0of February).<br style=\"clear: both;\" \/><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<iframe src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/0ySKtoAVIhQ\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/iframe><br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br style=\"clear: both;\" \/>Whereas rappers used to blame fans for their lack of financial buoyancy, it is good news that the narrative is gradually shifting. People are paying for music. Lawmaking would also go a long way but for now, it is left for rappers to follow the examples of Odunsi, Ajebutter 22, Falz and the LAMB quartet. Create excitement through your art and people will connect; brands will seek your content.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Collaborations, too, go a long way in achieving this. The rapper and producer\/sound engineer Alpha who had a remix off a song (\u201cOcean Boy\u201d) on his\u00a0<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Half Price<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0album planned for release on the twelfth of January rescheduled, after he received a third feature verse. Realizing the Pop influence Dremo\u2019s feature could have surpassed the immediate impact in the game of scales. With A-Q getting some deserved attention off his killer verse on that cypher, I\u2019m thinking of what a Kwesta collaboration would do for his popularity. For Blaqbonez, he\u2019s been chasing that Nasty C feature because he knows: featuring bigger acts increases the chance of getting the much needed numbers.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At this point, Nigerian rappers know better than thinking that\u00a0<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">just\u00a0<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">rap skill is success in the waiting; community equals success.<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<h5><span style=\"color: #2d9cdb;\">Read Next :\u00a0<a style=\"color: #2d9cdb;\" href=\"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/en\/an-ode-to-lifelines-ladipoes-fascinating-rap-style\/\">An ode to lifelines, Ladipoe\u2019s fascinating rap style<\/a><\/span><\/h5>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When MI Abaga rapped \u2018SA rappers out here killing y\u2019all&#8217;, it was a means of expressing frustration at the decline of rap in the Nigerian music industry. Article wrote in 2019 April. Off MI Abaga\u2019s\u00a0Rendezvous\u00a0playlist, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":38,"featured_media":23283,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7833,9373],"tags":[4065],"location":[8172],"yst_prominent_words":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41613"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/38"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=41613"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41613\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23283"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41613"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41613"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41613"},{"taxonomy":"location","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/location?post=41613"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=41613"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}