Ntatao is back on our screens and this time, drops a hot freestyle courtesy of SPeeKa for the Sotra Cypher freestyle series.
We’ve seen the likes of Stogie T, N’veigh, and Sizwe Alakine grace the Sotra Cyphers booth, and now we get to hear Ntatao in a different setting.
The Lesotho rapper has a lot of bars to drop and the Sotra Cyphers is the perfect platform for him to talk his talk. He effortlessly switches between Sesotho and English, flexing his lyrical prowess while staying on beat and never choking.
The first two tapes were me testing the waters Might just hit a collabo just to show you I’m your father.
Stand Up Nigeria, There is a new Star in town as Genre bending, songwriting and performing artist, Kayode, comes full circle with his debut EP, “Still Figuring Life”,
The rising young African star is quickly amassing a strong fanbase and already has north of 50 million streams under his belt. With high anticipation for his EP, “Still Figuring Life” is an introspective project that explores the complexities of the human experience, capturing the challenges and triumphs of navigating life’s uncertainties through soulful melodies and heartfelt lyrics. Kayode’s raw and honest sound invites listeners to connect with their own struggles and triumphs.
“Topics on my EP range from Love and Hope to Heartbreak and Determination. All things that I believe are relatable to my audience,”
KAYODE
“Still Figuring Life” serves as a compelling and emotional work of art that speaks to the beauty and complexity of the human condition, that music lovers globally will enjoy.
The 7-track EP features singles “I Don’t Know Your Love” and “All I Need” which have both enjoyed local radio airplay in South Africa, with his latest lead single “Blessings” sure to follow suit.
“”Blessings” is an uplifting drill anthem that emphasizes the importance of hard work and perseverance in achieving one’s goals,” .
Kayode
He adds “It celebrates the desire for blessings in life and encourages listeners to stay focused on their dreams despite any obstacles they may face.”
Make sure to connect with Kayode on social media for more music news, and stream or download “Still Figuring Life” today:
Akwa Ibom born and Lagos bred Nigerian Afrobeats singer Daniel Benson, popularly known as BNXN, formerly Buju, has released his latest single, titled ‘Pray,’ accompanied by a TG Omori directed video.
The song is a melodic thanksgiving that shines a light on BNXN’s struggles as he tries to break into the music industry and the second verse celebrates his accomplishments so far.
That second verse is what has had Nigerian twitter raving, as a lot of fans point out that the ‘Feeling’ singer sounded a lot like a rapper on the verse, as he employed the use of double time couplet rhyme schemes on the verse that goes:
“just duppy two shows, killed that on the same night The same night I was thinking ’bout date nights With shawty and you know it’s her favorite Her fine face and her body on skin tight Skin tight so you know it all fits right Man this year I was giving them fist fights Fighting all my demons at midnight While blowing bare gas through my windpipe I told ’em not to sleep on my shit, right? Now I’m at the O2 past midnight I’m playing two nights and I’m outside Feels right and you know it all feels right”
BNXN before blowing up as an Afrobeats artist, like quite a number of some of his colleagues in the genre—started out as a rapper.
Some other Afrobeats artists today who began their careers as rappers include Fireboy, Burna Boy, Victony, Omah Lay, Rema, Swayvee etc.
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Nigerian rapper Folarin Falana, popularly known as Falz the Bahd Guy, took to his Instagram account on May 11th, 2023 to announce to the public that he is currently recovering from a knee injury.
The rapper and lyricist who ironically has a song titled ‘Knee Down,’ narrated with an recovery update vlog, how he sustained an injury on his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL).
The multiple time AMVCA winning artiste and actor who once alluded to himself as “young Jay Jay Okocha” on his song ‘Roger Milla,’ said he was playing football in November 2022 when he sustained the knee injury.
He added that the surgery was conducted on May 2, 2023, at a medical facility in London, United Kingdom.
Lagos-born alté artist and songwriter Adams Olabode Michael, most popularly known as Smada has dropped two new singles in the first hour of Friday May 12th, 2023.
The first single ‘Papilo (Smadumodu) is the highly anticipated collaboration with NATIVE Records rapper and and ‘Declan Rice’ hit maker Odumodublvck titled.
The second single is a catchy love tune with a Ghanaian influence titled ‘Abena.’
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“Papilo (Smadumodu)” was produced by Oluwasemilore Oshiyoye, while “Abena” was produced by Adebiyi Kolawole.
Odumodublvck shower his support to his collaborator by sending him the sum of a hundred thousand naira to congratulate him, after the song dropped.
Smada thanked the “Oganigwe” hit maker with a tweet that read, “only Odumodu go chop you for your own song still send you money to compensate.”
A-Reece broke his social media silence recently to give props to rising SA rapper Loatinover Pounds, whose hit song ‘Sosh Plata Remix’ is making a huge impact on the airwaves all over the country and beyond.
The rapper who featured Pounds on the song ‘Live Once Interlude’ from his 2022 4/20 tape ‘The Burning Tree’ posted a screenshot of ‘Sosh Plata Remix’ which features Pretoria rapper 25k and and Thapelo Ghutra, racking over two hundred and fourty one thousand views on YouTube— on his Instagram story.
Reece captioned the IG story, ‘biggest SA hip hop song.’
Loatinover Pounds ha also been announced as the new Featured Artist for Rap Life Africa on Apple Music.
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If you enjoyed reading this article do not hesitate to share with friends via all social media platforms.
Back in February, Chad Da Don dropped 23 alongside Jay Jody and Emtee. He’s back to share behind-the-scenes photos from the music video shoot.
Chad stands beside his compadres as they pose for several pictures, swag dripping as they build anticipation for the music video release. “23 visuals coming soon,” revealed Chad in an Instagram post.
We haven’t gotten much music from Da Don but hopefully that changes as the year progresses. In the meantime, get ready for the 23 visuals dropping soon!
2023 has earmarked the celebration of Hiphop at 50. The now global music genre started some 50 years ago. The Mainstream American media have continued to celebrate the fit by putting out various articles and media content to commemorate the major achievement.
In the spirit of sportsmanship, HiphopAfrica will like to know which Nigerian song got you hooked on the genre.
The majority of the new generational hip-hop fans will probably lean toward a more Gen Z-centric rap list, while some old heads will probably highlight stars like EedrisAbdulkareem, Eldee, Jahbless, Ronnie, and Dili. I. Jukson, Mams & Hart and a whole lot of others.
However, the likes of M.I., Ice Prince, mode9ine, Dagrin, Olamide, Sinzu, DJ Jimmy Jatt, Phyno and more were the ones who popularized the genre amongst people of diverse age groups.
I asked a few people which Nigerian Rap song or rapper got them to start paying more attention to the Nigerian rap scene and these were some of their reactions.
Hiphop Fan Opinions
I have always been a huge fan of Naeto C and a lover of rap music I started to pay more attention to the Nigerian rap scene after he listened to NaetoC’s “Ex-girlfriend“.
JamoTech in his response acclaim that the beginning for him was when he listened to M.I’sUnstoppable.
Moroba, a South African, could not pick one. For her, it dates back to 2013 when Ice Prince dropped “I Swear” with French Montana and then “NWord” remix with AKA. She also acclaims that M.I.’s “Superhuman” with HHP got her attention.
Nefy decided to acknowledge the Legendary Dagrin, his interest was discovered after he listened to the rapper’s “Pon Pon Pon“.
For Oladin, the first Nigerian rapper that had his attention was Vector and Olamide, when they released “Komole” and “Eni Duro” respectively.
David, a highly revered Hiphop head says the first rapper to get his attention was Eldee, however, he claims M.I. made him pay more attention to the Nigerian rap scene. Another Nigerian Hiphop supporter, Agees, was inducted into the Nigerian rap music scene by YBNL head honcho Olamide.
As for Feranmi, another great hip-hop enthusiast, Anoti by M.I. was what got him glued to the Nigerian hip-hop scene. While budding content creator, Character Chief, Olamide was the rapper that introduced him to the Nigerian Rap scene.
A whole lot of my respondents also started listening to rap music around the time ChocolateCity was hot and controlling the rap scene in Nigeria. While some others only caught up with the industry after the more relatable Olamide came into the industry.
Appreciations
However, we can not underestimate the roles played by all the hip-hop personalities, from the rappers, to the producer and even to those singers who lend their voices from time to time. This is without living out the Songwriters as well.
The role of the media can also not be underestimated. Although the Nigerian HipHop scene is not yet 50, however, the industry has transcended decades of individual contributions of hard work, dedication, self-development, selflessness, discipline, collaborations and even investments both financially and even in the form of time.
A whole lot of value has been created from Hiphop. Family histories have been changed for good, individuals have learnt to be better, broken hearts have been mended and a whole lot of other values have been created.
2023 holds a lot of promises with the likes of AQ, Dremo, OdumoduBlvck, FreshL, Olamide and a host of others gearing to drop new projects we can only expect the best and look forward to what they have coming.
The importance of the industry cannot be underestimated, which is why we at HiphopAfrica are looking to know “Which rapper or rap song got you to pay more attention to the Nigerian rap scene?”
One thing for sure is, Blaqbonez has never sounded like a feature on any song, the genius rapper always owns every beat. Blaqbonez on Cinderella Girl with Legendary Hollywood rapper Ludacris, he ate and left no crumbs.
The song which was recorded a while ago surprisingly sees Blaqbonez calling for Cinderella girl, we all thought the rap genius said “Fuck Cinderella” a while ago. Well, what do we know?
The delivery of both rappers on this record shows that they are like a pair made in heaven. Ludacris definitely still has the beast in him, his raps and flow are still unprecedented.
We look forward to seeing Cinderella Girl top the charts and do great things for the culture.
Shawn Houdini, an acclaimed Kenyan rapper, recently collaborated with artist Bueno on his latest single titled Golden Eye.
The trap hit is majorly themed in the Kenyan urban experience. It explores various topics that resonate with the young hip-hop audience. From street life to elegance, The Jam explores it all.
Golden Eye is nuanced to symbolize the constant need to stay alert and be aware of situations in your surroundings. You never know the consequences of being caught slippin’.
Shawn Houdini is a clever rapper with the bars and punchlines, able to twist his messaging into the lyrics. Rapping mainly in Swahili, he weaves meaning into the song creatively, making it easy to understand. Listeners must stay sharp to avoid the bars from going over their heads.
Bueno, on the other hand, is elegant with the bars. Dubbed Kenya’s Central Cee, you will be forgiven for thinking he comes straight out of London. His drill style blends perfectly with the beat to produce the head-nodding tune.
Check out the song below and explore more of these fantastic rappers’ catalogues. Let us know if it is a hit or a miss in the comments.
Produced by @Tyrantcgm
Mixed and mastered by @odzzmusic
Video Credits Production company: Pressure Szn Pictures
