Anyone who closely follows the Nigerian underground rap scene on Twitter would notice that there’s been a number of beefs in the community. especially in Q4 of 2023.
The most notable of them all was between Sknny and Zilla Oaks. Sknny was apparently pissed off about comments made by Zilla Oaks directed at rappers from the South region of the country who fired shots at Zilla on his golden child freestyle.
The apparent shot at Zilla Oaks caused a raukus in the scene, eventually turning into a messy situation with old tweets resurfacing and DMs leaked. Zilla Oaks attempted to save face by releasing two snippets of recent recordings that were supposed to be a response to Sknny.
Both snippets were forgettable and lacked any sort of quality. He shelved both records, opting to release his brand new single ‘Gundown’ even after Sknny released a one-minute diss track where he fired direct shots at Oaks. However, it seems both rappers have broken bread and are cool with each other.
The most recent beef is the one between Sosa E and Samvsthekid. This writer does not know the origin of the beef and, in all honesty, is not eager to find out. The situation has become very messy and has gone beyond rap. One of the warring parties has even been accused of a moral crime.
Nothing good musically has come out of the beef, and at this point, it seems nothing will.
The Nigerian rap community, for a long time, has not enjoyed mainstream attention until recently. The emergence of Blaqbonez as well as polarizing figures like Odumodublvck and Shallipopi has resulted in Nigerian rap enjoying a spell at the top of the charts.
Shallipopi has been the hottest Nigerian artist of 2023, scoring four monster hit records in the process. Odumodublvck’s debut mixtape, ‘Eziokwu’, is one of Nigeria’s most accomplished releases of 2023.
Nigerian rap is on the up. Some Nigerian rappers can now sit at the same table as Afrobeats artists. Being a rapper in Nigeria is more profitable than it was five years ago. Which is why it is important to pose the question, Is BEEF WHAT NIGERIAN RAP NEEDS AT THE MOMENT?
Since its inception, hip-hop has thrived on beef and disses. For rappers, it is always important to remind and prove to fans that there is only one top dog in the game. Once a rapper has laid claim to the throne, opposing rappers with different views come out to either correct the notion or lay claim to the throne themselves.
This is the same in hip-hop scenes all over the world. Competition is what helps the best of the lot remain the best. It’s why Hov has remained at the top of the food chain for over 30 years. It’s why Drake is the most accomplished rapper of his generation. Hip-hop thrives on competition. Beefs can never be removed from hip-hop.
The Nigerian rap scene has, for a long time, desperately craved the mainstream attention and appeal it is currently enjoying. For the first time in a long time, rappers are being looked after.
Shallipopi, for one, is one of the busiest Nigerian artists at the moment. It is impossible to book Shallipopi for any event at the moment, at least until the latter part of January 2024. So, is this the right time for Nigerian rappers to be beefing?
This article has made it very clear the importance and essence of beef in hip-hop. However, for the Nigerian rap scene at the moment, any sort of beef is unnecessary, at least for now.
Nigerian rap has witnessed a number of high-profile and well-publicized beefs in recent times. The beef between Blaqbonez and Payper Corleone, Blaq and Vader the Wildcard, Dremo and Davolee, and so on
The MI and Vector beef in 2019 was a monumental moment for Nigerian hip-hop. That moment gave Nigerian rap the highest level of interest it had experienced in a very long time.
However, most critics were critical of its long-term impact and whether it was enough to sustain the genre’s charge and once again become the foremost genre in the country.
Unfortunately, once the tension dissipated, Nigerian rap music returned to the sidelines. However, it is important to note that since then, Nigerian rap has been on an upward trajectory. Led by rappers like Blaqbonez, Ladipoe, Zlatan, PsychoYP, and the entire Abuja rap community, Jeriq, and most recently Odumodublvck and Shallipopi.
Nigerian rap has become a viable commodity. The community has grown, and there’s a lot of youngsters who pride themselves on their artistry and are keen on becoming flagbearers of the genre in the not-too-distant future.
This is a very important moment for the Nigerian rap scene. The comeback is so close to completion. What the scene needs right now is not controversy, beefs, or diss tracks.
What the community needs right now is for everyone to unite and come together as rappers. Create and release Cyphers that would excite the fans; pitch these Cyphers to brands. Any brand that is not Hennessey or Martell Look for other ways to generate traction. Traction would then bring paid listenership.
We need more hip-hop events. But these events can only sell out when there is traction. Rappers need to find more creative ways to generate traction. Daygenius is doing a fantastic job with the hip-hop event, but he cannot do it alone; we need more.
There should be more hip-hop-focused podcasts and radio shows. Obalurge and Raezy are prominent in this space, but they too need support. They cannot do it alone. We need more collaboration across the board.
We need to see more joint albums. especially amongst the new cats. A Blaqbonez, PsychoYP, and Odumodublvck album would easily be one of the highest-rated albums the year it is released.
Even a four-track EP from those three would be monumental. The culture would grow, and money would be made.
It is important that the community doesn’t miss this window of opportunity. Beef will disrupt the community, promote disunity, and hinder collaborations and strategic collaborations that would be beneficial to the community.
The goal is to build a thriving community. a community where everyone involved is making money and releasing quality music. That’s the goal. The Nigerian rap scene needs to learn from the past and build towards the future. The ‘virality or nothing’ model didn’t work before and will not work in the future.
It is important to close this piece with a 2019 quote from pop culture writer Dennis Ade Peter.
“In a bravado-fueled genre like rap, beef culture is a cornerstone and a facet of it, not the foundation on which to build a thriving hip-hop scene.”
