Hip-hop in Green and White

2020 Cognizance

A true testament to a young Nigerian’s innovative, tenacious and all-round inclusive demeanor is a calendar year of hard, delivery-precise Alternative rap, Afro trap, Contemporary pop, and Afro Hip music. From Fresh L & Deelokz Alternative pulsating rap to Vectors’ ingenious Voem music right up to A-Q’s flawless Rap lines — we are blessed with top-notch society-conscious hip-hop. These MCees are not limited; they mostly sing for love but there are more politically virulent ones nonetheless. Pardon this writer; the setting is mostly Alte // DRBLasgidi made sure…

DRBLasgidi are the PIONEERS of Alte Hip-Hop

With santi, prettyboydo , odunsi the engine, lady donli listed as features, it was going to be the most successful of all Alte projects so far. Boj’s superior Alte Fusion serenades all the tracks with exceptional hooks but one, “Trouble”, with Temz where Teezee’s underwater-tuned bridge steals the show. Teezee’s vibey version of Afro trap left me breathless most times — his fast-paced verse on “Salty” stands unrivaled while Fresh L’s distinct Alternative rap sounded too good every time it came on… “been sick a few times didn’t find no medication, never giving up my goals, never cheating on my bros, now they call me Simi // why // everything I touch is Gold… “he trailed off on “I Swear”. “Softly softly make you rock me aya mi oo, if you no mind, make I take you to mummy o,Mo fe ro e shey o ma di iyawo mi oo…” Boj croons on the chorus of “Softly” to a banging Pheelz sound while Fresh L and Teezee take turns to rap for subtle love

KIIENKA and Mazi Codex setting a pace

Trap lives in Atlanta but KIIENKA has brought it to us. I’ll fondly call him the Gunna of Nigeria. His consort with Veen is not to be overlooked. On Spaceman 2.0, top class trap is made for “Bonnie & Clyde” and his “Mob”. On just the second track, KIIENKA sings in trap auto-tune…” Yeah I got a bad bitch from L.A., way she move her a** back you can tell it, she ain’t playing no games when you ready, a** so fat she gon’ block your Telle”

Mazis’ Drill Set must have been refined by UK Drill because it uses a harsh and stripped-back delivery which is indebted to grime but “Amen Feat. K3andz” appealed to the innate placidity of his audience. The use of pidgin on drill to make humor tell tales of a mental giant even Odumodublvck joined in…” Igbo man carry big kala for my hood, na him we start to dey call am Mazi big gun”

UK Drillers are known to be allusive and ironic lyrically; while “Drill God” was the hardest on set, test Mazi Codex on “Ha ah” …”Drill on the beat fantastic rhymes, Back in school I was called Sunshine, Mans look me and her eye go blind”

AMATERASU on Paper Planes

Watch out for these TWO…

Remy on one hand meld trap, his unique melodic rap with contemporary pop on Amaterasu: one of the better-delivered hip-hop tapes in 2020 thanks to an exclusive Remy Baggins production. His features were top-notch — veen, KIIENKA , MarvOTM, ran “Southside” ragged with beautiful trap verses while Boogey “…go full flame on, it’s target practice tossing lightning bolts; Pray to the one who owns the sky, no replies, is she light-skinned though ? “

Martyn Chika on the other hand might just be the most talented rapper in the underground. I flirted with the name “Nigerian Drake” but these are big shoes to fill. “Konichiwa” would rate itself as the best song on Paper Planes. This is a student of champagne papi in every sense — the disquiet wordplays, effortless deliveries, his majestic innuendos. In the intro, Martyn raps “…we are so HIP to let the POPO TAMe US”. The 6 tracks without choruses are well produced and there are a lot of life lessons dished out in frank, clear melodic top-drawer rap with Nigerian elements we relate to. “From Lagos With Love” introspects…

” I’m a ’94 baby unsatisfied with what I got in life, And I can’t live it if I work a 9 to 5 Doing 96, running through Maryland like i97, I promise we gon ball tomorrow in a nine eleven, 98 percent of all you millennials just wanna party like it’s 99 but..“

Vector riding the beef wave

AFRICAN MIND {E.P} is this writer’s best lyrical work in the 2020 cognizance. 4-track Voem [ meaning verbal, unorthodox views best kept to yourself tho correct] On “Rape” he says…” Well, you’re wrong because I watch from a sit on advantage, you know umpire, ball higher Like say, pastor no fit get side chick for choir”. The tracks are Tha Vipers raw thoughts on the aleatory nature of the present Nigerian society — “Protect The Church” satirically makes us realize the spirituality of the African mind… “We have let us deceive us, that WINNERS have to go to a gathering to be winners And that to be REDEEMED is go through suffering traffic, causing madness And on your way to the holy ground, you too must have …”

Vector’s infamy as a battle rapper was the rave of 2019 due to the M.I beef but his music was crafted along a finer path in 2020. VIBES BEFORE TESLIM was always going to be the journey to CrossRoads — EP, a masta collaborative work with MasterKraft. “Eyan Colgate” & “No worries” saw this rapfrobeat artiste flex his amapiano chords delectably while “Blessed”, “No Peace” & “If We Must” had golden answers to the dreadful mind questions 2020 asked of us.

Give it up for Garcon

Even the tribe of Judah knows Garcon is a better listen — no disrespect to M.I. Deelokz has certainly come of age with his music, “Left for Dead” introduces Moxie singing her heart out against floundering loyalty while D raps …” I follow my heart, Call of the Sea: Captain…Swim through hell drown in heaven, Save a soul for the reverend…” His topics range from social inequality, love & heartbreak, feminism, and the sweetness of friendship. “Workings” is for the young Nigerian finding their feet and “Quarter to Heartbreak” is a dark emotional love song for his girl. “A Scenario” has its setting in a bar where Deelokz starts “I swear I was feeling /better/, Chilling pelu boys on a single bottle /lager/, Matchday trips but my FPL /scatter/, then this babe walked in, She feeling like Rita Ora…” but ‘Tosin Amire is a Feminist and their meet turned out to be quite the crux while “A Charlie Hebdo Interlude” defines satire and why we need to do better. “Sunscreen” is a love song Wale would be proud of and it samples K.dot’s “DNA”. “Joie de Vivre (exuberant enjoyment of life)” is saved for the last and it’s the best — done on lo-fi beats with fellow Alternative rappers David Ibeh and Mitch Angelo. This is a paean to friendship in uncertain times…” We just kpef a bit to lift off, having ourselves is all that we got..” Deelokz sings on the chorus.

Ictooicy and her icy muziq

At first listen, Sorry I Don’t Like Phone Calls did not fit into any genre with me. Diverse, graceful and quite inaudible — what is this kind of music called? She is in lingo between Alte and Alternative tho leaning more to Alternative as she switches between different genres.” Liberty Road” is a low tempo lo-fi beat production with the music playing in the background. Icy, as her numerous voice mailers address her is nonconformist… “Yeah I can be difficult; I guess that s**t is habitual” she raps on “Lights” with Kiyo. Her emotionally broken voice on “Forget About Us” is quaint. There is a certain level of inquietude associated with her music and the missed calls are a testament to that. Ictooicy is not a rapper just a poet with a flow making avant-garde music.

IllyChapoX vs God’s Engineering

This is the 5-star rated section by many standards.

God’s Engineering raises A-Q to the very pinnacle of the hip-hop/rap scene. On “Feel Am Feat. Oxlade”, Q delivers liminal answers that would define the album. Carefully curated song titles with exceptional music production by beat boy J sees Q outrap all his peers in just 36 minutes. “Zodiac Killa” with my man Tomi Thomas is just what the title insinuates, an out worldly description of ladies God sent on the turn of each Zodiac sign. On “Mama Said”, we walk through the uplifting story of Chinedu who listened to his overbearing middle-class mum. “Man Slept Jesus Wept” summarizes hip-hop in 2020 with a masterpiece delivery, “Let me tell you how it all began, the politics and plans the reason I had to rebrand…”. “A Class Act” sees Q outdo himself on an M.I hyped track while “No Pension” should be the most controversial hip-hop music in the 2020 cognizance as Q reveals on the chorus that the whole concept is control, “The fruit of your labor is apple, they tell you what you can and what you can’t do…”. “Loyalty vs Honesty” as golden nuggets for the young and old alike with a classic epilogue worthy of Chimamanda Adichie. God’s Engineering would be defenestrated by Chapo’s equally 5-star offering –

the CULT gives The Live Report

“Agunyi Ironsi (Through The Mud)” sampled Fela with a regnant rap style, “…Me I cut the line like airtime is Up, I go for the head like a mind Doc, Like you at the barber need a Line up…” Through the mud introduces “Boy Band” which carries the true figurative expression for the album title (ends with a victor uwaifo interview ??). There’s something glamorous about paybac’s voice — “Masquerade” would bring “…Bricklayers sef reject me, At the bottom of the pile, Now I’m on top of the roof, And my limit pass the sky..I just met a masquerade And I looked her in the eye” while the rap on trumpets and horns through “Glamour girls with JAZZZ” is dexterous; this sounds like Lil Wayne and k.dot mixed in a bottle. CULT! Would veer political with songs like “Nigerian Dream”, “Money in All My Pockets” and “Fuk a Politician”. Other songs like “Afro Skanking” & “Nana’s Interlude” certifiably have replay values. Paybac Iboro is a “Devil in The Detail” -

Define A Starving Artist

I had to start from the rear for this one — “Everything” is the song where ejay bares it all and truthfully thanks the ones supporting him. “Soon” kicks off Blackmagic version 3.0 (Starving Artist) and has Temz singing “…it’s been a very long night, waiting for the sunrise, waiting for the moonlight…”. “Koole” is so cool, Blackmagic steady giving us his indigenous techno-pop vibes. The creativity kicked up on “Anything 4 Love”, an afro-fusion/alte sound that would get you vibing. Songs like “Dreams”, “Ordinary Man” and “Blue” detail the central theme (which might be sophistry) of the album but “No Need” embodies it and quickly stands out because of the captivating singing and clear alternative rap — “Its fly die season I’m allowed to die..Suppress my belief I accept my disease..Fuck your pies, Don’t fuck your guys..They say make you ride for your guys, You still go jam, Yet you still my man”. “Ego Feat. Big Bad” is the afro-trap: a total club banger. “I Do” as the widest range of topics, its trenchancy on connecting your conscience with humanity is amazing. “Strong Man” follows it:

“You see, what makes a man strong is his ability to go through life; ups and downs, and still have love in his heart. Weak man bend, weak man change but strong man holds on to love everyday…”