It is a good thing. It is making more people know about the country. I live outside Nigeria, so I see how a lot of people are now trying to sing afrobeats songs. Even people who have never been to Nigeria now say afrobeats is their favourite genre of music. Before, when one mentioned Nigeria, the thing that came to people’s minds was ‘419’ (advance fee fraud). But now, when one says Nigeria, the first thing one hears is ‘afrobeats’. I think it is a good thing.
People have been asking me this question over and again. But, I don’t care what anybody says. As long as you are not an authority in hip hop, why should I care? As long as I perceive you as somebody who doesn’t have the right credentials, I am not bothered.
I was influenced by my elder brother and sister. They used to play a lot of music at home. They both used to buy cassettes back in the day, especially funk and RnB music. However, some of the songs had little rap in them, and those were the verses I used to memorise. I guess I liked rap from there.
Then, all of a sudden, they started playing rap music videos on TV, and I was intrigued by it. That was how I began trying to learn other people’s rap lyrics. From there, I started writing my own rap songs. The initial ones were not very good, but as time went on, I started getting better at it.
I think it is the same; with the exception of a few rappers who are very lyrical. There were good rappers in the 2000s, and there are also good ones now. There is not much difference, but songwriting was a bit better back then. These days, a lot of people just freestyle. It is easier for singers to get away with that; with good melody and harmony.
The number one thing is ignoring a lot of things that people write and say about me. I always tell the people close to me not to tell me about the things said/written about me. I tell them not to even defend me. They should allow the people who want to talk to continue talking.
Also, I read a lot. I make hip-hop music, and one can get inspired in different ways. I read books, and also watch documentaries and movies. Sometimes, it could even be something I saw on the news or around me that could inspire me.
I don’t listen to music as much as I used to. Whenever I am about to record an album, I stop listening to music, and focus on what is ahead of me. That is pretty much what I did with this album, even though it took me a while (to make).
I recorded the songs mostly in 2020, and re-recorded them in 2021. I then listened to them again, and added new tracks. About five other songs were supposed to be on the album, but I took them out because I felt it was not the right time.
The main reason I try to stay away from music when I am recording is because subconsciously, I don’t want to sound like anybody. One is influenced by what one hears. And, the more one hears something, especially when one has a favourite song, the more one would want to sound like that person.
I am not an authority when it comes to listening to new rappers. I live outside Nigeria, and I don’t have a radio. The little that I know is what I see on Instagram. There is a guy called Hipman, who I think is quite good. Most of the guys are in the battle rap league, including Hollyfield, Queen Mother, Damzy, and BlackLaid Pastor.
What they are doing is difficult, and I rate them above most rappers. Many rappers just record rap songs, but these guys write and memorise long verses. I think that is very difficult to do, and I give them props for that. There is also a female rapper called Fellow Music. She is good too.
From the guys that have been there, and are still ‘holding it down’, there is Terry Tha Rapman, Pherousis, Show Dem Camp, and Vector. All of them are still doing well.
People often complain that Nigerian rappers are doing more of singing now, but it is those same people that caused it. Rappers have to (do more of singing) because if they want to compete with afrobeats singers, they have to add some elements of afrobeats into their music.
I really cannot answer that because I have not been to Nigeria in more than six years.
I think people still like hip-hop, but back in the day, the response was a little ‘crazier’. That does not mean people no longer like hip-hop, and it doesn’t mean that it remains an alternative genre. People are aware of hip-hop, and it is used for adverts. It would have been different if it was something that esoteric minds would enjoy more, but the local guys also know about hip-hop. The real question is that, do people want to listen to the kind of rap with deep lyrics that we are talking about? I think what people want for now is a very catchy beat and a chorus that they can dance to.
For those who don’t know, I have been making beats for a long time. My first project was the album, Malcolm IX, in 2004. There is a song on that album titled, One Hundred Fifty Bars; I made the beat for it. I had been using a software called Fruity Loops, but I was never serious with it. In 2019, after trying to do some projects with some producers and it was becoming difficult, I talked to my friend Lambo, and told him I was going to buy a machine called ‘MK3’, which is a hardware for making beats. So, I bought the machine, and I started learning how to make beats with it. When my beats got a bit better, thanks to my boy (a friend) named Mr Ray, who gave me some tips. When I was sure that I had improved, I decided to start rapping on my beats.
The UK rap scene is practically invisible to me because, I am not in it. I travel to other European countries, such as Germany and Sweden. I like Europe, because it is a better place for me; in terms of the type of rap and hip-hop that I do. In the UK, if tell people that you are a Nigerian rapper, they would expect you to be an afrobeats artiste.
They have their type of hip-hop, and it is quite different from what I do; even though they have some guys that use some sets of beats that I use and the type of music I make. It is cool but building a new fan base here is going to be hard, because of the way things are set up. Most of the people who know me are from Nigeria. To feel at home, I just go to Berlin or Cologne (in Germany) to perform. The hip-hop scene in Germany is ‘crazy’. They love hip-hop so much over there.
