Where Are Nigeria’s Female Rappers?

Where Are Nigeria’s Female Rappers?

Where Are Nigeria’s Female Rappers?

I’m writing this article not as a writer
or journalist, but as a fan who is sad
and disappointed at the current state of
female rappers in our music industry.

Gone are the days where the likes of
Sasha, Kel, BOUQUI, Muna and Blaise
held sway at the top of the female
rap food chain. The last I heard,
Sasha now concentrates on her
budding shoe design business-
Eclectic by Sasha and as for Blaise
who hands down was the best
lyricist among the lot, no one seems
to know what she is up to.
Kel was more of a flash in the pan
rapper. After the mega success of her
single Wa Wa Alright everything
seemed to go downhill. Her fight
with her Clarence Peters led record
label didn’t help too. She now works
with Cool TV.
Muna never convinced me that she
had what it takes to survive in this
industry. Maybe it was her
modelling background or the kind of
music she put out, she just never did
it for me. And judging from the
trajectory of her short lived music
career, this was the general
consensus amongst majority of
Nigerian music lovers.
BOUQUI showed early signs of
genius. Even though she focused
mainly on Gospel music, she still
released songs that everyone could
vibe to. In recent times however, her
output has dwindled. Some say her
move back to the U.S.A may be
responsible. She deserves some
plaudits though because via her
Unstoppable Rap Competition, she
may have found in (Great man,
winner of the competition) the next
star of Gospel rap.
Our current crop of ‘Femcees’ are
just there. If I was to pick one that
stood out, Eva Alordiah comes to
mind.
Eva’s rise to the top had the makings
of a fairytale. Yes, she put in the
required work, but some still feelt he
position she enjoys now boils largely
down to luck. I say its her
understanding of how the
entertainment industry works that is
responsible. You see, Eva
understands that the 21st century
Nigerian entertainer cannot be ‘one
sided’ if he or she wants to be truly
successful. We now have people who
we thought were just singers
producing hit tracks, Singers
transforming into businessmen/
women,singers transforming into
good actors and video directors etc.
In Eva’s case, the music is still a big
part ofher but she is also a successful
makeup artist, model and writer. If
you cannot recall any hit song of
hers,then you must have seen her
makeup works, or read an article of
hers. These different parts of her
help keep in her in the public eye.
Another Femcee that is attempting to
carve a niche for herself is Mz Kiss.
The Capital Hill signed artisthas
jumped on the indigenous rapper
train and only time would tell how
far she goes. Splash is another
female indigenous rapper that has
some buzz around her. Despite her
new deal with Mbong Amata’sBong
House record label, I’m still waiting
for her to outdo 2013 hit Church
Agbasa.
Many are of the opinion that the
Nigerian music industry does not
favour female rappers. This is
simplynot true. The problem remains
that most of the Femcees have
refused to adapt to the realities
on ground. Hardcore rap or punch
line heavy songs do not get played on
radio or anywhere else as much
asthe pop infused rap tracks. The
likes of M.I, Olamide, Phyno, Vector
and even Illbliss have realised
thisand tweaked their songs to fit the
status quo. That is why they can
compete and perform on any stage
like their colleagues who are more
grounded in the pop genre. The same
thing can be said of NickiMinaj.
So for anyone hoping to make it as a
female rapper in this part of the
world, it’ll do you good to know what
you want and how far you are
willing to go in order to get it music
wise. Forget the trappings,forget the
drama, and forget the lies.
Hardwork, ingenuity and resilience
are the only guarantee for success.
This article was written by ‘Bisola
Alawode. ‘Bisola is a journalist and
PR consultant. He can be reachedvia
his email address
abisolaalawode@yahoo.co.uk