Now that the music industry seems saturated with afropop, the question that comes to mind is whether rap music in Nigeria is dead? The new generation of Nigerian rappers prove otherwise but we cannot ignore those that paved the way for them.
On #ThrowbackThursday, we take a look at some of the forerunners of rap music in Nigeria and they include:
1. Mode 9
Babatunde Olusegun Adewale, popularly known by his stage name Modenine, is an English-born Nigerian rapper. In 2014, he released a song titled “Super Human” with Jamaican-American rapper Canibus.
2. M.I
Jude Lemfani Abaga, better known as M.I Abaga, is a Nigerian rapper and record producer. He rose to prominence in 2006 when his song “Crowd Mentality” became popular in Jos, Nigeria. His debut studio album Talk About It was released in 2008.
3. Eedris Abdulkareem
Eedris Turayo Abdulkareem Ajenifuja, popularly known as Eedris Abdulkareem, is a Nigerian hip hop, R n B and Afrobeat artist, songwriter and singer. He was the lead rapper of the defunct Nigerian hip hop boy band The Remedies.
4. Dagrin
Oladapo Olaitan Olaonipekun, also known as Dagrin was a Nigerian rapper from Ogun, Nigeria. Da Grin was cited as one of the pioneers of dialect rap singers of Yoruba language and Pidgin in Nigeria. Dagrin died at the age of 25 on 22 April 2010 after a vehicle accident in Lagos, Nigeria.
5. Sasha
Sasha P, also known as the First Lady of Nigerian Hip Hop, is a Nigerian rapper, musician, businesswoman, lawyer and motivational speaker.