Where are the ones that started hip hop in Nigeria are they ripping all the work they actually started or are the so called new hip hop artist making all the money.
Nigeria is sometimes called Naija. Afro Hip hop in Nigeria dates back to the late eighties and early nineties.
The first place hip hop gained popularity in Nigeria was in Lagos,
Nigeria. During this time (1980s), Nigeria was under a military
governorship.
This period of military governorship brought about crisis in Nigeria
which involved the devaluation of currency, loss of jobs and persistent
unemployment especially for new graduates from the University.
Hip hop during this time was used as a means of escape by youths from
the country's crisis. It was made popular by using Nigerian languages in
the lyrics along with traditional hip hop beats, such as those made by
the founding fathers of hip hop, DJ Kool Herc, Afrika Bambata and
Grandmaster Flash.
Since there were very few record labels to sign a new musician at this
time, the youths decided to start making music on their own with a very
little budget. The music videos were very simple and not grand and
expensive.
The availability of computers and cheap music editing software in the
late 1990s and the first decade of the 21st century enabled Nigerian
musicians to achieve higher quality recordings which quickly won over
the Nigerian audience. This was a very cheap way to make music and a new Nigerian hip hop musician would make music and sell it on a CD.
This was one way for the youths to be independent from the government
by being lucrative and creating jobs for themselves, since the
government was not helping them. Hip hop was used during this time for entertainment, but also to criticize the government and demand change. Groups and solo artists during that period include the likes of
Junior & Pretty, Daniel 'Danny' Wilson, Plantashun Boiz,
Remedies with members
Eedris Abdulkareem,
Eddy Remedy & Tony Tetuila. The late 90s and the early years of the
new millennium saw an outburst of artists and groups, many returning
home from the Western Diaspora, like
Eldee da Don of Trybesmen,
Madarocka and the S.O.U.R.C.E. Clik,
Naeto C of W.F.A, and from Europe, JJC and the 419 squad; and
P-Square (the duo of Peter & Paul Okoye) became a part of mainstream Nigerian music after the collapse of pop trends like
Yo-pop. These up-rising artists in Nigeria began to localize hip hop and make
songs in English and any other Nigerian language as a means of
self-expression, thus making Nigerian hip hop multilingual. Just as Nigeria's Nollywood
movies have done with Western movies, Nigerian hip hop has begun to
displace Western popular music. Musicians such as Eedris Abdulkareem
started making multilingual hip hop music and the lyrics were usually in
English, Pidgin English and another Nigerian language such as Yoruba,
Igbo, and Hausa.
Hip-Hop World Magazine, based in Nigeria, is a prominent
publication that has helped fashion the orientation of hip hop culture
in Nigeria and across the continent.
African Beatz, Blast and
Bubbles magazines are other similar major Nigerian hip hop publications.
Other notable Nigerian Hip hop artists include Modenine,
U.G.O., TySu, Chris Akinyemi, B-One, Terry tha Rapman, O.D, Junkies, Six-Foot Plus, M.I, Naeto C, Ruggedman, Styl-Plus, eLDee, Duncan Mighty, African Kings, Blak Jesus, Whiteboy Pee, Sauce Kid, Nefe Stone, Ikechukwu of W.F.A, Mastaplan (MP), IXXIGABARI, Kraft, Pherousheouz, Freestyle, Ill Bliss, Elajoe, Sasha, B.o.u.q.u.i, J-bif, Tony Merlot, Jesse Jags, A2 BrothazZ (Afro-Asian BrothazZ).
More recently the Nigerian hip hop industry has witnessed a wave of
new artists which include
Weird M.C, Jazzman Olofin, Baba Dee, The Mo'
Hits crew, Tannaz Records Family, C TySu, B-one, Faze, 9ice, Young Paperboyz, Blaise, MCskill ThaPreacha, Phyno, Jay Ikwan a.k.a The Mega-Jay, Nikki Laoye (one of the first Nigerian aristes featured on BET Chemistry, Lord of Ajasa, Skuki, Mr Belushi, Darey, Mojizzle, Pius (of MC) & Chocolate City's loopy crew which includes 2009 Hennessy Artistry winner Ice Prince & Jesse Jagz and Soundcity's Best hip hop video winner Str8Buttah.
Nigerian hip hop music is majorly influenced by its American
counterpart. This is mainly because the nation can be said to be the
highest American hip hop-consuming nation after the Americans
themselves.
Some American hip hop artists have included and have been influenced
by Nigerian music. For example, on an episode of the radio show
The Let Out, there was a "Nigerian Gangsta Remix" of the Jay-Z song "Roc Boyz" which features Fela Kuti, one of the most influential Nigerian musicians of all time.
Contributors to Nigerian hip hop include the producer Cobhams Asuquo.
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