The Nigerian HipHop Scene experienced an event like never before on the 27th of December, 2022. The M.I Abaga Co-owned CCX Lounge on Kofo Abayomi, Victoria Island, Lagos, witnessed a large crowd of passionate HipHop lovers who came from various parts of the country to support the culture.
Ever since its inception in August 2022, the DayGenius idea has continued to grow and looks promising to stay for a very long time.
With the involvement of TASCK and M.I Abaga partnered with DayGenius Battle Rap Africa to create “The HipHop Event” platform, the event has been remodelled into a complete HipHop Event Package.
The latest edition remains the best of the series, slightly rated over the November edition, which saw the 2022 Hennessy Cypher Africa participants – Octopizzo(Kenya), M.anifest(Ghana), A-Reece(South Africa), M.I Abaga & Vector(Nigeria) grace the event.
The December edition did get detty, but just like every event, there sure are some factors that need to be worked on and improved.
• Everything about the Timing of this event reeks of discomfort. From guests getting to the venue on time and waiting on battle rappers and performing artists to arrive – speaks Ill of the culture. Keeping fans and guests waiting is not an in-thing, it’s a vibe killer. Events extending till midnight make it difficult for some of the guests to head back home, that’s a big NO. Not everyone at the event has a car and can get back home anytime they like.
• The Crowd Control during Battle Raps is overwhelming. Now that might sound like a good thing but it makes the battle rappers sometimes skip their lines. Chit-Chats during the battle always call for “Hold it down” and this breaks the flow of the battle. Let me quickly add that, during the battle, supporters on the stage should allow for performance space and stop dragging the rapper every time he hits hard. Motivations can come in more subtle yet effective ways.
Sound? At this stage, I really think Sound problems shouldn’t be experienced anymore. Microphones going off and having to share one mic between rappers would definitely look bad on Camera.
Now for the juicy part of the event. I know you want to know my opinion.
Every artiste who came out to perform one or more of their songs did well. Seeing the confidence these acts have to entertain and pass their messages as well to the crowd is intriguing. I believe if these acts connect more with each other and assist/support each other, they would create a more comfortable environment for everyone to grow.
“THE END GAME”. Literally, when I saw the theme of the December Edition, I felt it did fit for the last month of the year. But at the end of the event, it meant much more. The idea of having 4 Battle Rappers Versus 4 Recording Rappers go bar-to-bar on stage was a classical way to end the year. but little did we know it would be a disaster for one of the sides.
It’s no longer news that the battle rappers were destroyed beyond repairs and it might take a long while before they have their glory restored. Dami Deasy was the only battle rapper of the night that did put up a good fight.
PSA:
Dear DayGenius,
We loyal followers and supporters of battle rap in Nigeria and Africa humbly plead with you to not keep us waiting for months before we get to watch these classic battles. Thanks.
Back to The End Game.
Fozter destroyed Spikey. Facts! There’s no need to explain this. Fozter was undefeated in all 3 rounds.
Wilxon Vs Emmortal battle was another fatality. Emmortal was on fire all through the 3 rounds. Though some battle heads felt the crowd couldn’t differentiate from battle bars to ordinary puns and kept hyping unnecessarily. We’ll wait for the cam before we debate that.
Dave Boosie Vs C-Mion: C-Mion has been in the game for a long time. One of the highlights of his career was when he appeared on the Gino track, “No Be God“. Boosie took advantage of the rapper’s fall off from the scene but even that wasn’t enough to outdo C-Mion’s flows and performance. Meanwhile, what was that line that had the mention of PG Blao? I didn’t really get that.
Dami Deasy Vs Maximum: This was the main battle of the night and it definitely came with so much tension.
Dami Deasy did put up a good fight in the first round knocking Maximum off to win the round only by a tiny thread. It was a close call.
Maximum won the 2nd round, Crystal Clear! And I’ve got to say it was because…
DAMI CHOKED!
DAMI LOST HIS VOICE!!
DAMI’S MIC SUDDENLY BECAME SCARED!!!
OLAWALE TRIED GIVING DAMI ALCOHOL TO HELP HIS VOICE!!!!
DAMI BOUNCED BACK!!!!!
AND DAMI GOT DUBBED “THE CCX KING”.
What better way to end The End Game than to bring out the Headliner, Vector Tha Viper.
From opening his performance with “Insomnia” to performing another hit track “Rap Attack” based on Popular demand. Vector kept the stage lit and the crowd ecstatic. It was fire.
History was made when M.I Abaga joined Vector on stage to perform the track, “Crown Of Clay” together. It was the first time both acts ever performed the song together on stage since it was released.
What’s Next? January 31st 2023, see you next year.
BigDan
The HipHop Journalist.
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Daniji Emmanuel is a content writer who has written hundreds of articles on various niches focusing on Entertainment topics. He’s also published interviews, conducted research and written opinions on the creative industry. BigDan, fondly called, also consults and handles brand promotions for people and organizations in the creative industry.
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