Rugged-nine
hmmm
it wil be one of d greatest collabo ever made in 9ja

Finally we have it . . . Ruggedman at his best since Thy Album Come

Please can sumone tell Modenine that this is how to get the attention of Nigerians
Put a sick beat, a crazy hook, direct punchlines and sprinkle the Nigerian feel . . . Bleep the metaphorical out-of-space shyte, we appreciate directness
Tell me this track won't hold you down on autorepeat
I won't call it a diss, this is a rapper helping another one up

'Streets dey rule, they carve your behaviour'

Best part of the song?? 'Can you hear me?? ODE!!!'
This is Naija hiphop with the humour we got in Piggy Bank

Too early to say who won this battle . . . let's just hope Mode replies and we keep enjoying Naija's version of Nas Vs Jay
Meanwhile, I'm not ready to argue with Javalove that believes wordplays, punchlines and metaphors are the three elements of hiphop

let's just hope Mode replies and we keep enjoying Naija's version of Nas Vs Jay

Huh?

You mean -

Yung Berg V. Bow Wow?

Ice-T V. Soulja Boy?

Yung Berg V. Tyga?

Lil Flip V. T.I?

Bow Wow V. Lil Romeo?


Not saying both MCs ain't trying but they're Lightweight MCs!

eldee:

Finally we have it . . . Ruggedman at his best since Thy Album Come

Please can sumone tell Modenine that this is how to get the attention of Nigerians
Put a sick beat, a crazy hook, direct punchlines and sprinkle the Nigerian feel . . . Bleep the metaphorical out-of-space shyte, we appreciate directness
Tell me this track won't hold you down on autorepeat
I won't call it a diss, this is a rapper helping another one up

'Streets dey rule, they carve your behaviour'

Best part of the song?? 'Can you hear me?? ODE!!!'
This is Naija hiphop with the humour we got in Piggy Bank

Too early to say who won this battle . . . let's just hope Mode replies and we keep enjoying Naija's version of Nas Vs Jay
Meanwhile, I'm not ready to argue with Javalove that believes wordplays, punchlines and metaphors are the three elements of hiphop

LOL!!!! :d

what took u so long. No line in that track was more direct than modenie's diss!!!! U dont have to accept.

So "Talking to you" didnt have any nigerian feel in it? I'm disappointed at ur judgement, though is ur opinion.

abeg! who b mode nine? does he sell gala or fan Yogo? who da f**k knows him? Ruggedy Baba is the man, anytime.

Bamsyle:

Huh?
Not saying both MCs ain't trying but they're Lightweight MCs!

I get what you're saying . . . but you'll have to admit that this is the closest to Nas Vs Jay we'll ever get
This is the only time we'll get the poetic, golden generation-like rapper against the generation next crossover, radio-friendly emcee.
We might never see sumn like this again . . . let's just enjoy this while we can

javalove:

LOL!!!! :d

what took u so long. No line in that track was more direct than modenie's diss!!!! U don't have to accept.

So "Talking to you" didnt have any nigerian feel in it? I'm disappointed at ur judgement, though is ur opinion.

For someone that claims to know Modenine well, I'm dissapointed in you too.
Do you know since when 'em verses in Talking to You have been around??

Step into the shoes of an average Nigerian like me . . . no affiliations, which would you like to put on playback??
To tell you the truth, I've got nuffin against Mode . . . _{I can reach him anytime, his YiM is at me fingertips}, but u're just anti-Ruggedman

Even Nas has accepted that hiphop is evolving, but you and a few other fans won't hear that
I don't blame you, to you, anyone that doesn't use punchlines is a crap rapper

Oh, I get your point.

Ruggedman is a lucky Bleep,
He'd have died in obscurity

Eldee correct yarnz jare!

eldee:

I get what you're saying . . . but you'll have to admit that this is the closest to Nas Vs Jay we'll ever get
This is the only time we'll get the poetic, golden generation-like rapper against the generation next crossover, radio-friendly emcee.
We might never see sumn like this again . . . let's just enjoy this while we can
For someone that claims to know Modenine well, I'm dissapointed in you too.
Do you know since when 'em verses in Talking to You have been around??

Step into the shoes of an average Nigerian like me . . . no affiliations, which would you like to put on playback??
To tell you the truth, I've got nuffin against Mode . . . _{I can reach him anytime, his YiM is at me fingertips}, but u're just anti-Ruggedman

Even Nas has accepted that hiphop is evolving, but you and a few other fans won't hear that
I don't blame you, to you, anyone that doesn't use punchlines is a crap rapper

I have all the versions of it. From "Dissing on the low", to "All the way" and now "Talking to you", I got dem all. Even if it has been around for 100yrs, its still dope.

I v never said that. I v used the word "intelligence" in my post than any other nairalander on this forum. All I preach is intelligence and sensible lyrics. All u counter me with is whether the lyrics are wack or not, once it has a naija feel, its ok which i wud never accept.

Java 2 b sincere the lines on this song are intelligent!

wow like i give a mess if the lines are intelligent. so what? this is not class. if u want to teach intelligence, don't pick up a pen and pad. pick up a text book and study . nonsense. music is to make u feel good, to make to connect wit the speaker, not to make u skip all the fucking tracks because u can't cope wth the music. a modenine cd= punishment to the average hiphop listener

the folks who listen to modenine, what have the learned from his music? are there any modenine followers in nigeria? i doubt it becuase they do not support him.

javalove:

I have all the versions of it. From "Dissing on the low", to "All the way" and now "Talking to you", I got them all. Even if it has been around for 100yrs, its still dope.

I v never said that. I v used the word "intelligence" in my post than any other nairalander on this forum. All I preach is intelligence and sensible lyrics. All u counter me with is whether the lyrics are wack or not, once it has a naija feel, its ok which i would never accept.

If Ether was recycled hundred times, pple would get tired of it
Now look at this . . . since Dissing on the Low, Rugged has dropped RuggedyBaba, Speak Your Mind and Banging; all dope tracks with sick beats and intelligent attacks at Modenine's cred.

About intelligence, as I said, listening to Modenine don't make no idiot intelligent
You said sensible lyrics and when I asked you for Rugged's crap lyrics, u quoted 'I've been known to flog like cane' from 'Speak Your Mind'
When every Tom, Dick and Harry knows that's half of a multisyllabic rhyme

I've been known to flog-with-cane
I expect y'all to do-the-same

People that listen to Modenine to get intelligent, have they not heard of that new TV Station . . . it's called CNN

VERDICT: Ruggedy has been the more successful commercially,but Mode 9 still remains KING.
Ruggedy is more street,but Mode 9 is far more intelligent.

well thank you everybody for pouring out ur minds. u all havebeen abusive as ell as emotional . its ok
i hereby declare that both ruggedman and modenine are nigeria's best but on different levels , its like saying biggie and 2pac. .they are both good in different ways , and i have to comment eldee's comments here are the most intelligent . but the polls show that modenine leads ruggeydada by 6 -4.
the bottom line is they are both nigerians and will luv them. lets hear more opinions yall.

Anytime this topic of Mode V. Rugged comes up, I'm always at a loss for words. I really don't know what to say. But I'll try and say sumtn now.

Both MCs are trying. But both of 'em have a lot of work to do to take things to the next level.

Coming from Eldee's Nas V. Jay-Z angle, yes one can compare Nas and Mode. And yes one can say Jay-Z and Rugged. And honestly though I like Jay-Z, I rate Nas way above him. I love meaningful rap lyrics.

Based on that, I should easily rate Mode above Rugged. But I don't.

Just like Nas, Mode has the lyrics. Like Nas, Mode is poetic. And like Nas, Mode is deep. But unlike Nas, Mode has no flows. Unlike Nas, Mode can be very boring. Unlike Nas, Mode is not entertaining.

Look, let's even forget the Nigerian thingy for a while. All over the world, you need to be engrossing, captivating, somewhat entertaining to be a good public speaker. Forget what you say, entertaining nonsense can atimes be better than boring sense.

If you're trying to follow a prototype of something, best you capture every aspect of that thing.

Why do you think Nas is globally accepted? Or Pac? And some other great lyricists? Spitting meaningful but boring lyrics on equally boring beats? Nah!

And for Rugged. Like Jay-Z, Rugged is entertaining. Like Jay-Z, Rugged has got club bangers et radio-friendly songs. Like Jay-Z, Rugged has flows. And yes Rugged has no lyrics. But does Jay-Z have lyrics?

My point, I daresay Rugged fully represents his prototype - the radio-friendly, commercial MC. Exactly like Jay-Z.

But for Mode, he lacks one thing that MCs in his class (like Nas) have - flows. He also lacks that entertaining edge. He needs to work on this. And I think Javalove would help him by slowing down on his Mode hype. And his anti-Rugged campaign. Mode is not all that. Mode does not captivate the listening public. He needs to step up his game. Although Rugged needs to improve on his lyrics, Mode has much more work to do. Many times, I'm tempted to rate him above Rugged. But each time, I'm forced to hesitate. He's a good rapper no doubt. But anytime I listen to him, I always have this feeling that something somewhere is missing. Something is conspicuously amiss.

You can't be a good MC without that entertaining thingy. That's why even if Biggie can't be listed in the Class of Lyricists, people still consider him equal to the raplord Pac. Imagine a cross-breed between Pac & Biggie. Or Nas & Jay-Z.

My Verdict? None. _{Left to your judgment}.

I'm with Eldee on this one.

I wouldn't debate on who is better but Talking to you was definitely better than Ruggedman's response that is undeniable`

Hmmm this is getting tougher than i thought.
For the record those of u who called rugged a coward for not naming names should slowdown cus in is previous album he did a track saying
'if u wanna talk about me talk am make i hear and don't let people carry false rumours'
B4 mode's collabo with banky W if u've noted in is prev songs u'l see he was aiming some of his lyrics at somebody.
My point is dat rugged might not be too sure then dat he was being targeted with d lyrics and so judging by d fact dat mode is yet to mention his name he decided not to jump first and play d game as it comes.

Mode is known truly to be more lyrical but a little bit of entertainment wil help, his so far most entertaning is 'Nigerian Girls' which is stil not a song u can sing in a concert to move d crowd.
Okay which will be much more interesting
A ruggedman concert or
A mode 9 concert.

Bamsyle:

But for Mode, he lacks one thing that MCs in his class (like Nas) have - flows. He also lacks that entertaining edge. He needs to work on this. And I think Javalove would help him by slowing down on his Mode hype. And his anti-Rugged campaign. Mode is not all that. Mode does not captivate the listening public. He needs to step up his game. Although Rugged needs to improve on his lyrics, Mode has much more work to do. Many times, I'm tempted to rate him above Rugged. But each time, I'm forced to hesitate. He's a good rapper no doubt. But anytime I listen to him, I always have this feeling that something somewhere is missing. Something is conspicuously amiss.

You can't be a good MC without that entertaining thingy. That's why even if Biggie can't be listed in the Class of Lyricists, people still consider him equal to the raplord Pac. Imagine a cross-breed between Pac & Biggie. Or Nas & Jay-Z.

My Verdict? None. _{Left to your judgment}.

I'm with Eldee on this one.

You just spat all what I've found impossible to express in Anglais!!!
Fine . . . lyrics might be 50% of the whole hiphop thing . . . but what of the remaining 50%
We all know Mode is a lyrical masterpiece but we need to remember that HIPHOP IS STILL MUSIC
The greatest musicians of all time never even had to use words.

I saw the Singapore show and I was like . . . nah, u're so not giving these people what they paid for
One thing about hiphop is 'even if you can't move heads, move emotions'
Mode's punctuated rap and his poor breath control is not helping at all . . . and his so called 'intelligent' rhymes I'm yet to see
I saw the Nigel Benn Kraftwork mixtape and I was like . . . nah, I can't hold me tongue on this, this dude got me bored
The first good beat I heard him on . . . he flopped. Listen to Stylee and see

The people he's trying to be like are slowly taking up the mainstream culture
Nas now wears FILA for sponsorship, had Chris Brown on his album and went as far as going back on his hiphop is dead stance and still managed to assemble one of the most politically inclined albums of all time.
But nah . . . Mode had to release a track THREE times to make it sound acceptable to the ear

Skingo said it, a Modenine CD is a punishment to the ears of the average hiphop listener
Now think of our seven year old Nigerian hiphop industry . . . what is Modenine to a average Nigerian listener??
Nigerian hiphop is evolving . . . every emcee needs to adjust to it

Na wa oooooo

Where I go start now cos i get small headache sef. I agree with what u guys are saying, not all though but most part of it.

Ok, no breadth control, i accept.
No club banger, I accept
Flows, ? I . . . em em. . . em. agree _{(i no get time to argue)}

but eldee wait, u say u are yet to listen to any modenine's lyrics that is intelligent. Hmmmm, dis tin don turn personal oooo. well na ur choice. also, u say modenine no dey move heads and emotions, omo reveal ur identity and show us where u belong.

most of my opinions might have also been influenced by my personal hatred for rugged or any rapper who steps on pple to get on top (IMO).

Imagine Rugged saying modenine lyrics lame!!!! This thing don dey go personal oooo. Hope dey wont start using revolvers and all

I watch modenine's Facebook page daily and I know how pple drop comments about him and his music. People still gbadun am. It shows not al nigerians are interested in all what u guys have been posting. Dont get me wrong, I agree he needs to improve, everyone needs that as there is no perfect MC. Even with all that mode is still king!!!!/b] If he drops a madd ass club banger then all of una go join us wey don accept am as ing already.

ANs i think u guys are beng unfair in abandoning the minority hip hop listeners who are just concerend about lyrics. I dont dance, cos I dont like to. I hate watching videos of half naked gals. All me and a few peeps out there want is for d rapper to spit fire and my emotions are moved. Mode has his fans. Rugged has his.

Heard a line from a certain rapper y/day, 'ur dissing attempts need crutches cos they're lame', after listening to the track twice, it was too obvious that line is a perfect description of his song!!

[b]True skill will always be recognized, whether in english, pidgin or ibo. Modo keep doing ur thing, u're d best!!


Modenine still rocks. He moves me head and my emotions. Pigin, Ibo, Hausa or Yoruba, real skillz wud always be felt.

eldee:

Fine . . . lyrics might be 50% of the whole hiphop thing . . . but what of the remaining 50%
We all know Mode is a lyrical masterpiece but we need to remember that HIPHOP IS STILL MUSIC
The greatest musicians of all time never even had to use words.

Mode's punctuated rap and his poor breath control is not helping at all . . . and his so called 'intelligent' rhymes I'm yet to see

Tell the truth man! You are listening to Hip-Hop by force and U prefer other genres to it.LOl! You've made a self confession today! No be by force to listen to Mode oh!

Give a second look at what u typed and see how you contradicted yourself.It makes it obvious

[size=16pt]You're Confused![/size]

@javalove and all
you are missing the real point about the music called hiphop, why do u think people listen to souljah boi and dance crunk. not because it is better than rap but because it makes u move ur body, skingo talks more sense !

nigerians love modenine, ruggedman and saucekid ,
but saucekid gives us nigerian club bangers. if modenine drops a single club banger today the whole grammy family and nigerians will love him. the problem i have with mode9 is that he is stubborn headed . he even mentioned in one track that he heard heads asking for club bangers. and he is not going to do it . that i think is insulting to ur fans that u dont even know, take a look at this analysis:

for saucekid-i will play his mp3 in my car usb player, spend any amount on him too
for ruggedman- i will listen to his song because of his sick beats and bad choruses
for modenine- i will download online or hear it on the radio .but i wont buy his cds
until he gives me a club banger . stubbornhead cannot take mode9 far. take my words like that of a real black sista

see their baba right here!

baba of all the rap shit. dont care who came before him and who's coming after, as far as knocking down barriers and opening doors for folks like m.i, ghetto p and more talented artist which will show up soon.
its oluwaswaggalola himself


this is baba by himself


oh yeah, remember tattoo girl remix. yup. bangers. another clubber from faze and sauce kid


baba in the studio with diamonds on teeth.
i gree

!FLOWSHOW

When u type posts like u did above, always end them with IMO - In my opinion cos u just spat ur maind. You wont buy a modenine CD unless he gives u a club banger? Na u sabi?

The question is "is every music that is supposed to be danced to?" cos na shake body all of una dey talk since and i dont get u. I dont want to dance. All I am interested in is Good Sensible Intelligent rap lines. Dont be syprised there r lots of pple who think like I do.

Javalove, let me try and explain my point better. Maybe you'll understand.

Let's refer to Nas whom I have come to accept as Mode's prototype. You would agree with me that Nas does not have many club bangers. In fact, the one that easily comes to mind is Hate Me Now. But when you listen to Nas, even as deep and introspective as he sounds, you would agree that he is still entertaining. One Mic is an example of this. Nas maintains a tempo and a rhythm in his raps that keep his listeners fascinated to the last word.

My point, Entertainment does not necessarily mean the same thing as Club Banger.

IMO, Nas sounds better when he does not do club bangers. He is an introverted artiste. No matter how hard you try, you can't change your nature. It's like trying to re-write destiny. You can only improve on your personality - you are who you are. I still listened to Hate Me Now recently. And in fact, the more I listen to it, the more I'm convinced that Nas sounds better on slower beats.

There are some songs I listen to and though I don't dance to them, they still move me (for want of a better word). Good music must be good for the ears, mind, soul and atimes feet. And as contradictory as it may sound, it does not have to be danceable.

Most of the artistes I admire are not alujo or tungba artistes i.e. they don't make danceable music. But they make good music. The point I'm trying to make here is not so straightforward - it sounds contradictory but I know that deep minds would comprehend it. Let's leave rap music awhile. Study Bob Marley, Fela, Pac - these artistes didn't really make dance music but they made good music. So what was it they had going for them?

For me, I've always said I don't hate Modenine. I have his albums. And I want to believe a lot (though not all) of his critics don't hate him. I, like other constructive critics, just expect more from him. For an artiste that has been around for so long and who should by now have obtained an unarguably iconic status, I just feel he's not doing certain things right. I can personally mention some of his songs I like - Contradiction is ma favourite, Fellow Nigerians is another. Some other songs like Spasmodic et al are also above average. But when you listen well to Mode's songs, you would realise something is missing somewhere.

Finally, to the issue of Naija (cos everything I've discussed up there is meant for the global scene). Rugged may not be anywhere near Mode lyrically. But he catches Nigerians' attention faster than Mode. I've watched the two of 'em perform live before. And believe me, peops generally applauded Rugged more than Mode.

Yes you might be good. But of what use is your goodness if you can't make people, in fact, your immediate constituency, feel that goodness? Nigerians and all Africans are peops who love to either dance or be entertained. Mode needs to step up his game. He needs to be entertaining. Believe me he is good but he can be too boring atimes. I am an ardent fanatic of Lyrics. But definitely not a sucka for boredom. And in music, dry beats, flows, etc. are not it for me.

Much more is atimes said in silence than in actual speaking. I pray you get ma point.

yup, u right. for someone that has been around for almost 13 years, its simply a shame. look at the likes of tuface, tony tetuila, faze, ruggedman, etc. they have made some sort of status for them. icon in some ways
modenine is still arguably an underground artist tryn make it.but in actually, he's a vet.
pitiful.

@bamsyle
of all those that has been sharing their opinion on this topic, i think u r the most knowledgeable when it comes to music.
All i mean is that u've said it all and if any can understand what u posted they'l know mode9 and rugged should not be compared but each individual can giv reason for prefering one to the other.

@skingo
I don't think u should judge mode by how long he has spent, cus sometimes it has to do with luck.
I'l give an example:
Most rap fans do bliv 2pac and Biggie are the best ever in rap.
But, have u heard of the man named 'RAKEEM' He is d No1 rated Rapper in d world and yet not many kno him xcept those who listen to rap with conc lyrics. The funniest of it all is that he is still living and has been doin rap since d days when biggie and Pac where Novice.
Now talk about money he aint got much compared to people like 50cent who started 10yrs ago. Tight lyrics no club bangers and yet he has the respect.
If u don't kno dis guy check biographies of people like Jay Z, Nass Ice cube

how does someone give u the title as the best ever from nigeria, the best from africa, when u've had 13 something years to prove youerself and wear that crown,. u did not wear it, now other folks are coming for the throne and he wanna hug the mic. fukk that shit. in 13 years no hit songs. thats not my best mc ever.
even krs one had hits in his day, he aint arguably the best ever,
llcool j had hits in his time he still aint judged as the best.

some of the bests didnt even last long in life or career.

look at lil wayne. he's been around for 13 years too. didnt have a hit song btu he had platinum sales on almost every release. 13 years later, he's arguably the bestaround with albums, plaques and sales to prove it.

they say numbers dont lie. unless in naija. well modenine has no numbers.
when has he had a top ten album? he has the most videos on tv and he still didnt get no nomination for this year.

is allthe facts flying over ur heads?
hes the best rapper but ruggedman just picked up the award. what was modenine doing then?
besides he has a crew, the bests have always put their crew on.
terry and od are still looking for somewhere to call home. trust me i knw coz they have come to meet with asabari of isolo for promotion. im tired of talking.
Bleep y'all who hating on sauce kid for no reason. i see him as the best. and thats all i have to say!

modenine is critical acclaim. too bad critical acclaim aint always the way forward.

@Barmsyle

Thumbs up. I gbadun ur analysis. But thats mode and thats aw he has chosen to do his own. From ur analysis, he I can depict that the best emcee in naija is not at his best and yet, he scored a chanel o hat trick in 2006.

Yea, the best thing I v heared from him is Contradiction.

@skingo

i no say until i c ur obituary na in we go get rest for dis forum. cant u just die? or better still hang urself. i bet u, u wud feel good. fool

Lol, No mind am, da guy is desperate!!!

hw can sum1 hu most pple hav neva eav heard rap b the no1 rated rapper in the world?
hu ws he rated by?
i like the critiques but i jst dnt grab.

wats wiv mode9 eitha way?i only heard hi on 'cry' tho hes pretty good.
publicity is a major part of this music parole o.he jst needs a betta public manager.
he shld connects at mtv nd channelo.wateva the typ of music its only wen u hear it that u can judge it nw.
if u make album keep nd it under ur pillow for 5 years hu wil hear it.
Mehn more grease to all ya elbows.

nd java u nw abusin pple like skingo did.e no good o.

Lmao!!! The first rapper people heard around here is Eedris and i now know why y'all appreciate Ruggedman so much. Rakim is your favourite rapper's idol.