Double Six's Top 5 Greatest Nigerian Rappers Of All Time


As far as hip hop music goes, there will always be debates about who’s better than who. Trust me, I’ve been in these types of arguments a billion times. We all are entitled to our opinions, even though not everyone would agree with them.

I believe for a person to be great, he/she has to do what no one has done before, or take what someone has done in the past and shoot it up to unimaginable heights.

Being a staunch hip hop head and music maker who “bleeds” more rap than blood, I have decided to compile a list of my personal top 5 greatest Nigerian rappers ever to rock the mic.

I rank the greatness of the following emcees strictly by their influence in the Nigerian hip hop scene and skill. Please note : Influence = 60% Skill = 40%. This means your favorite rapper could be the baddest spitting motherfucker Nigeria has ever seen, but if they didn’t change the game, then they won’t be on my list!

Counting down from 5 to 1. Read on –

5. M.I Abaga

The short black boy came at a time when the likes of Tuface, P-Square, D'banj, 9ice & Olu Maintain were all topping the charts. At this time, hip hop had lost its grip on the mainstream market and that was the era when the average Nigerian music listener would say things like “rap no dey sell for Naija”.

Well guess what? Against all odds, M.I came, saw and conquered. He sold like crazy and anything he touched turned to gold. His ability to make good music, attract female fans and still remain lyrical was very impressive.

Lots of Naija MCs could spit, but they couldn’t sell records. Some could sell records, but they couldn’t spit. Mr. Abaga could do both. He showed the naysayers that rappers could remain dope and still make millions of Naira off their art.

Oh yeah, what’s a great rapper without a great album? M.I’s “Talk About It” is a Nigerian hip hop masterpiece. Simply a classic!

4. Phyno

Nope, it’s not a typo error, you’re reading correctly. I place Phyno at number 4.

There was a time when indigenous Ibo rap was unattractive. Rappers who kicked it in their native language were seen as “razz” and their fan base was quite limited. Not Phyno!

When I first saw the video for ILL Bliss's “Anama Chikwanu”, I was like – who’s this skinny, Mohican hair carrying, tattooed up, shirtless dude?

Gaddammit !!! His attitude in front of the camera and his flawless delivery of the Ibo language on a rap song was one Nigeria has NEVER seen before!

His single “Ghost Mode” was one of a kind, groundbreaking and original. Before then, there was NOT ONE Nigerian hip hop song that sounded like that.

No doubt, Nigga Raw is a legend and a pioneer of Ibo rap, but Phyno brought the heat and took it 100 levels higher.

He made rapping in Ibo look cool and he inspired thousands of young rappers from the east to rap in their native Ibo language.

His album “Man Of The Year” was a dope body of work too. It did very well in the market and ensured hip hop had a voice in an afro-pop dominated mainstream.

3. Dagrin (R.I.P)

Sadly, he didn’t live long enough to do more. But with his classic album C.E.O (Chief Executive Omoita), Dagrin embedded his footprints in the solid rock of Nigerian hip hop.

Just like Phyno, he made Yoruba rap look cool and inspired a lot of Western youngsters to spit in their native dialect.

Dagrin was a rapper who was just as popular as P-Square, and that’s no easy feat in this part of the world where rap music has been outcast.

He could spit bars as well as make great, melodious hip hop music. His freestyle on Jimmy’s Jump Off is probably the most popular freestyle in Nigerian hip hop history.

Shout out to Lord Of Ajasa, also a Nigerian hip hop legend and pioneer of Yoruba rap, but Dagrin takes the number 3 spot.

2. Modenine

Regarded as the greatest lyricist Nigeria (and Africa) has ever seen, Modo made it clear that he was all about BARS !!!

He could sneeze and a punchline would fall out, just like that!
His critically acclaimed mixtape “Malcolm IX” set the standard for boom bap in Nigeria.

He didn’t play around on the mic and he didn’t water down his lyrics for no one, even when the pressure was on and rap was taking a shift to the more “commercial” sounding tunes.
He kept the beats hard, and the lyrics harder. Impossible to murk on a track (ask those who have tried).

His opening verse on Jimmy Jatt's “Stylee” was so popular, that people sang along to it in the clubs, word for word!

Besides winning the Headies “lyricist on the roll” 7 times straight and winning 3 Channel O awards on the same night with his hit single “Cry”, he inspired almost every new generation “boom bap” rapper to be lyrical.

1. Ruggedman

Do you remember Hit em' Up(Tupac), 2nd Round Knock Out(Canibus), No Vaseline(Ice Cube), Real Muthafuckin G's(Eazy E)? well it was songs like these that made hip hop interesting. What the Bleep is rap without a little bit of controversy?

Ruggedy Baba seizes my number 1 spot. He single-handedly made battle rap(diss tracks) a “thing” in Nigeria. His single “Ehen” is the first diss track to hold any weight in this part of the world.

He didn’t stop there, his follow up singles “Peace Or War” & “Big Bros” were scathing disses and they set the standards for dissing (subliminally and directly) in Nigeria, and that’s legendary!

He had what many rappers in his era lacked – balls !!! He didn’t kiss anyone’s ass and he wasn’t afraid to bark at the “Big Dogs” in the game, Kenny & D1, in fact he went at their whole record label and almost every artiste signed to them.

As for commercial success, he found it with his hit single “Baraje”. Which was quite surprising if you remember the rumors flying around at the time that the powerful Kenny Ogungbe tried to have Ruggedman's songs taken off the radio.

His album “Thy Album Come” was also a solid body of work, one that managed to cater to the needs of the real hip hop heads as well as to the shoemakers and mechanics. Brilliant!

He could spit bars too. With a unique sounding voice, a cocky nature and ability to make classics like the 9ice assisted single “Ruggedy Baba”, he is truly a Nigerian hip hop icon.

Notable Mentions

I have to give props to Weird MC and Sasha as notable mentions as far as great Nigerian rappers are concerned, being that they were pioneers of female rap.

I can’t help but squeeze in Blaise too. Weird MC & Sasha showed Nigerians that the girls could rap, but Blaise showed Nigerians that the girls could rap just as good as the guys. Just listen to her verse on Freestyle’s “Bragging Rights”

So, there you have it. My top 5 greatest Nigerian rappers of all time. You may not agree with my list and that’s totally cool. Feel free to list out yours and let’s exchange opinions and thoughts.

This is an original article written by Amechi "Double Six" Okoli

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Peace!

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