MI Abaga: Why I think hip-hop isn’t dead in Nigeria

MI Abaga has dismissed the claims that the hip-hop culture is dead in Nigeria.

The rapper, in an interview with TV host Ebuka Obi-Uchendu, said the hip-hop scene has only been state-steady.

Over the years, there have been concerns about rap losing prominence as more singers adopted pop elements.

The global explosion of Afropop further accelerated this insinuation, with many purists describing it as an evolutionary shift.

In the interview, Abaga cited the works of Kanye, Drake, J. Cole, Falz, Show Dem Camp, and Ladipoe as a testament to the argument that hip-hop only stopped being the sole driving force for music globally.

“How would we define if a genre is dead? Is reggae dead? In that regard, we can say hip-hop is clearly not dead. Hip-hop still has J Cole. Kanye and Drake last year had two of the biggest albums of the year. The Migos,” Abaga said.

“You can just zone in on a type of hip-hop; say you want to hear rap in the 90s style and you find great artistes making it today. I think what’s happening is that the spine of what’s driving music was hip-hop.

“But there’s a moment when there’s beginning to be an amalgamation of different sounds. And while we’re in that period, people are feeling the pressure on hip-hop. In Nigeria, how do we say dead? Look at Show Dem Camp.

“Look at Ladipoe, Falz. It seems like you look at the charts, you see who’s touring, the big artistes, and those getting endorsements. Hip-hop is alive. I don’t think it’s ever been mainstream music in Nigeria.

“I think that at some moment, the fire was brighter. It has been on state-steady.”