Is Real Hip-hip/rap Facing Extinction In Nigeria?

Ever wondered why rap artistes like Modenine,kahli Abdu,poe,loose kaynon,pherowhuz etc are not been taking seriously in the industry(atleast by the majority of music listeners) today? Meanwhile rap/afro-pop acts like Ice-prince,olamide,phyno are seen as the face of rap music in nigeria today? Yea,your guess is as good as mine,real rap is slowly getting extinct in nigeria.But hey! It would be quite unfair to blame the artistes that adapted to change and placed music hustle first,which in-turn puts food on their table.Of course who wouldnt want to drive the latest cars and build the biggest mansion? I would.

Coming out as a rap/hiphop artiste in nigeria today,there are two things involved.Do you want to be a real rap artiste or a commercial rap artiste? If you want to be a real rap artiste,fine! But get ready to be taken seriously only by rap heads and your hommies.If u want to be a commercial rap artiste,the better,considering the fame and the financial gains.Doesnt sound fair right? I know.There are couple of reasons for the inbalance which i would explain to you.In business(in general) the consumer comes first right? Now,same applies to the nigerian music business,the music lovers and listeners also comes first.They(consumer) pratically holds the key to the artistes success...and ofcourse God.

Having said all these,it is important to analyse the music consumer,yea? I would save you the trouble.The average music listeners in nigeria today has grown to be quite lazy(no offense).Nobody wants to spend the whole day deciphering your punchlines,metaphors and similes when there are different problems facing the nigerian man/woman.A banging beat,catchy hook and lacklustre verses talking about how you are 'ballin',boasting about being the street king and most importantly addressing the feminine backside(a*s) while asking her to "shake it" would do the trick of getting you that commercial success,whereas,leaving the real hard workers on the sidelines with their so called "real hiphop" which is quality goods for the consumer.I am quite sadden when i see these real rap artistes spits their lives out in their songs and dont get the props,support and recognition they truly deserve,hence,my reason for writing this article.

The thought of Ice-prince(no beef intended) representing nigeria at the BET(which houses stars like Drake,kendrick lamar,Jcole etc) as the best rap artistes is quite laughable for a big country like nigeria which also houses quality artistes like modenine,khali Abdu,poe,boogey,jesse jagz etc who would give their american counterparts a run for their money(atleast to some extent).This,to me is quite deplorable.

Conclusively, I doff my hat to these real hiphop artistes who never gave in to the commercial stereotype-craze in the industry today.To me,it all boils down to LOVE and PASSION for the art(which is the real essence of listening and making music) and not the money.Thanks to these "real artistes" for keeping rapheads like me glued to nigerian music.