The Nigerian hip-hop scene is a male-dominated space.
Over the years, we’ve seen a lot of dope female emcees come through and light up the scene.
We’ve seen Sasha P, Eva Alordiah, Kel, Mochedda, and most recently, Sgawd, Deto Black, and Lifesize Teddy.
There’s a number of female rappers who are spitting fire bars, releasing fire tapes, and making quality music. Here are five of them.
RebelWav
Rebelwav is a female rapper with impeccable rap skills and a ridiculous pen.
She started writing raps as a child and was influenced by the greatest female rapper of all time, Nicki Minaj.
She released her debut mixtape in 2014 and has released two albums and multiple EPs since then.
If you haven’t listened to Rebelwav, I’d recommend her most recent release, ‘Rage‘ released in December 2023.
It showcases the best of Rebelwav’s talents. She showcases sharp lyricism, polished flow schemes, and ridiculous technical abilities.
She also flexes her singing voice and her ability to shape shift, and dominate different subgenres of hip-hop.
Track two is the standout track, and she delivers a fantastic performance that Pop Smoke would have been proud of.
Arlene FL
The FL in her name is short for “First Lady.” She is the only female artist signed to Blackfeds Entertainment.
She is a rapper and singer from Port Harcourt City. She has been releasing music since 2020.
She is super talented and blessed with the ability to spit bars like Benny the butcher and mold melodies like Rihanna.
Her new project, ‘First and Foremost‘, showcases everything good about Arlene’s artistry. She’s a superstar in the making.
Shalom Dubas
If you listened to Show Dem Camp’s ‘Clone Wars Vol. 5: The Algorhytm’, then I’m sure you were impressed by Shalom Dubas’s fantastic performance on ‘Draw Me Close‘.
Shalom is an amazing rapper. Let me say that again: Shalom is an amazing rapper. She is an American-Nigerian rapper with a ridiculous pen.
Like she did on the Show Dem Camp record, she also proved that she can lay resonant hooks with intoxicating melodies.
She has been putting out music since 2017 and has released five projects since then.
If you haven’t listened to Shalom Dubas, you need to listen to her verse on ‘Draw Me Close’ off the fifth installment of the Show Dem Camps Clone War series.
Her 2020 effort ‘Deep, Blue’ is also one you should check out. Her 2022 single ‘Gold‘ is her best rap record.
ThellO
If you watched Hennessey VS class or you’re active on Naija Hip Hop Twitter, then you definitely know ThellO.
She’s a Cameroonian-Nigerian emcee. Influenced by rappers like Eminem, Modenine, 2Pac, and Lil Wayne, she started writing rhymes at 16.
Despite discovering her talents at that early age, she prioritized her artist development; it wasn’t until 2021 that she released her debut mixtape, ‘ThellO‘.
The second track on the mixtape, ‘god’, is a flawless rap record.
Lyandra
Port Harcourt never stops producing elite musical talents. Lyandra was raised in Port Harcourt.
However, she was born in the UK and is from Bayelsa State. She shares a lot of sonic similarities with Nicki Minaj.
Despite having the ability to mold melody and deliver solid hooks, she tends to lean more into her rap side.
Her 2021 album ‘Lotus‘ is a great place to start if you haven’t listened to Lyandra’s music.
Across 10 songs, she showcases her incredible rap skills, range, and fantastic penmanship.
Her 2023 single ‘Elon Musk Girls‘ was one of the most slept-on rap songs of 2023. The song deserves more.
