Entertainment
Revisiting The Rise Of ‘Naija’ Super Rappers …(From Lord Of Ajasa To Olamide)
In the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, Nigerian rap lovers were only exposed to the hard core American-English style of the genre from the United States of America (USA), later Nigerian artistes started to interprete the art in our own version of English language as well as pidgin.
Rap stars like Trybesmen with Eldee D’Don, KB, Freestyle and Swat Root, a group which included Mode 9, Terry Tha Rapman, Six Foot Plus and Rule Clean as well as Eedris Abdulkareem became pioneers of the contemporary form of the genre in Nigeria.
However, another set of rappers came up almost simultaneously who preferred to adapt the urban American Street expression to our own indigenous languages unlike the early pioneers, these rappers earned some appeal since they flowed in languages Nigerians understood.
These days, the pioneers have been replaced by more popular acts like Olamide, Phyno and Reminisce, but their legacy will never be taken for granted. Among the popular pioneer ‘naija’ rap artistes are ‘Lord of Ajasa who leads the pack. With his first single ‘ma yi lo’ in 2000 he went on to produce a monster hit “Fenusa” featuring Gice on his second album “second turning by the right”. He is known for strictly rapping in yoruba with English words mixed into his rhymes.
Then came ‘2phat’, another Yoruba rapper under ID Cabassa’s coded tunes. He is popular for his “Bere mi” track featuring Gice released in 2009. I ll Bliss pioneered raping in Igbo with his first album, “Dat Igbo Boy” which had hits like “Aiye Po Gan” and “You Go Wound”, he has gone on to release three studio albums namely ‘Dat Igbo Boy”, “Oga Boss” and “Powerful”.
After Ill Bliss came ‘Niga Raw’ who now goes by Mr Raw another Igbo rapper popular for his track ‘Obodo’ featuring comedian “Klint Da Drunk”. However, with the rise of Dagrin came a new twist in the game. He brought in modernity and streets vibes. Although his first album “Still on the Matter” did not make much waves, his second attempt ‘Executive CEO’ did.
He brought life to the game and what many indigenous rappers today leverage on popular for his hit track ‘pon pon’ and over 200 collabos before his untimely demise on April 22, 2010 that left the whole nation mourning. Dagrin’s death paved way for new school indigenous rap artistes like Reminisce, Olamide, Phyno, Lil Kesh CDQ, Chinko Ekun, Base One among others.
Phyno, Olamide and Reminisce have gone to be the faces of indigenous rap in Nigeria. Others include Mode 9, Ice Prince, Naeto C, Falz, Skales, Ycee, Vector, M.I. Abaga among others.
Popular businessman and socialite, Pascal Okechukwu, aka Cubana Chief Priest, has said that his relationship with singer Davido is beyond money and gossip.
He stated this in a recent interview with BBC Igbo.
“Davido is my friend. He is my in-law; he married Chioma who is from Imo State where I hail from.
“So the relationship I have with Davido is beyond money and gossip,” he said.
DAILY POST reports that Chief Priest disclosed via his Instagram page that his outfit for the wedding of the singer, Davido and his wife, Chioma, in Lagos on Tuesday cost seven million Naira.
The socialite recently appreciated Davido for not “discarding” Chioma.
He stated that the DMW boss has made Imo State proud by choosing to marry from the state.
Nigerian singer Simisola Kosoko, popularly known as Simi, has lent her voice to the ongoing anti-tax hike protests in Kenya.
The Tide’s source reports that Kenyan youths are marching against tax hike in widespread demonstrations tagged ‘RejectFinanceBill2024.’
Five people were shot dead and dozens wounded after police clashed with protesters who stormed the parliament building in Nairobi on Tuesday, according to Amnesty Kenya.
Reacting via her X handle on Tuesday night, Simi declared her support for the demonstrators.
She stated that “it is both powerful and heartbreaking for a people to have to fight and die for freedoms and rights.”
The singer wrote, “I stand with the people of Kenya. It is both powerful and heartbreaking for a people to have to fight and die for freedoms and rights. Godspeed and Strength. [Hash tag] RejectFinanceBill2024.”
In a series of other posts, she wrote: “Wow. When you’ve had enough, the fight is almost inevitable.
“African leaders- have not you done enough?
“I can’t wait for the day Africa is not a weapon fashioned against Africans. All of this amazing Black power and human resource, but the majority are not likely to thrive unless they run.”
Famous Nigerian Afrobeat singer, Davido was spotted among other top artistes at Asake’s ‘Lungu Boy’ tour concert in Atlanta, Georgia.
Asake’s performance at his sold-out show at the 17,000-capacity State Farm Arena in Atlanta began on August 16, 2024, and is set to run for 10 days.
In a trending video on social media, Davido appeared backstage with American rapper Quavo to support Asake during the live performance.
Other musicians in attendance included Nigerian hitmaker Zlatan and American rapper Russ Millions.
The Tide’s source reports that Asake’s ‘Lungu Boy’ tour is set to cover six U.S. cities, where he will headline notable venues including Madison Square Garden in New York, the Toyota Center in Houston, and the State Farm Arena in Atlanta.
Asake’s tour comes just days after the release of his latest hit, ‘Lungu Boy,’ which features several superstars, including Wizkid, British rappers Central Cee and Stormzy, Travis Scott and Brazilian singer Ludmilla.
‘Lungu Boy’ set a new record for the biggest opening week on Spotify Nigeria, garnering 18.9 million streams in its opening week and breaking the previous record of 14.4 million streams held by Davido’s ‘Timeless.’