From Eedris Abdulkareem dragging President Olusegun Obasanjo on Jaga Jaga to M.I making a whole rap song from the titles of other popular songs on Safe, Nigerian rap has been anything but boring. And while we may have switched actual rap beefs for Twitter fights, newer rap gods are taking the game to a whole new level.
Is rap still the way it was when Modenine, Sasha P and Dagrin ruled the game? No. But that鈥檚 not to say the genre鈥檚 not alive and kicking in 9ja.
These are some of the Nigerian rappers you should have on your radar in 2022.
Zlatan
You know you鈥檝e made an impact on pop culture when there鈥檚 a dance named after you. Despite being on the scene for a while, 2018 was the year we all got our real dose of Zlatan with his breakout hit, Zanku (Legwork). Since then, the rapper has scored big hits with Burna Boy, Naira Marley, Tiwa Savage and Davido.
Continuing the legacy of rappers like Dagrin and Olamide, Zlatan鈥檚 Yoruba-heavy flow has crossed over into the mainstream and made him one of the leaders of new school street Hip-Hop artists. Still can鈥檛 get over the 鈥淵ou鈥檙e not Ayefele, so what鈥檚 your excuse?鈥 line from Killin Dem.
Psycho YP
Psycho YP is one of the most dynamic rappers in the country right now. Going through every emotion from his rage on songs like Smoke 4 Free to badass confidence on Big Moves, Psycho is creating his lane when it comes to rap and no one can cross his line. From trap music to Afropop, Psycho is doing the thing and we鈥檙e fully invested.
SGawD
You may not know SGawD now, but trust us when we say you need to get into her now. With a sick flow that can stand toe to toe with most of the rappers in the game right now, it鈥檚 no surprise that her 2021 Savage Bitch Juice EP made our albums/EPs of the year list. SGawD is anything but subtle when it comes to telling her stories through rap. With every bar, SGawD demands our attention.
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Tomi Obanure
While the world may view Lagos as the only entertainment hub in Nigeria, a not-so-quiet storm of experimental rappers is brewing in the capital city of Abuja with Tomi Obanure at the forefront. Flipping drill music made famous by artists like Chief Keef, Pop Smoke and Unknown T on its head, Tomi has created something unique to the Nigerian flavour. From his 2019 drop, FFPO to this year鈥檚 I鈥檒l Sleep When I鈥檓 Dead, Tomi reminds us that he is 6鈥 3鈥, sexy and one of the ballsiest rappers around.
DETO BLACK
The world was in deep lockdown mode when Odunsi (The Engine) dropped the EP, EVERYTHING YOU HEARD IS TRUE. But while we were all excited to hear brand new Odunsi, Body Count was the song everyone just couldn鈥檛 stop talking about. Exiting the stage for female rappers to shine, the track introduced us to the badass DETO BLACK. There鈥檚 no way you could鈥檝e missed the rapper whose unapologetic lines remind us of the fun, in-your-face flow in the style of faves like Doja Cat and Megan Thee Stallion. With women taking centre stage in rap on a global scale, rappers like DETO are holding it down for the women here.
EESKAY
If you鈥檝e been to an EESKAY show, you鈥檇 know that the rapper has a habit of turning the crowd into a mosh pit. Owning a big part of the drill scene in his own right, EESKAY鈥檚 flow is witty, hedonistic and infectious. On his new mixtape, Drill.Or.Nah 鈥 Nah here means New Afro Hip-hop 鈥 which features the rave-starter, Agbalagba, EESKAY shows us once again that he鈥檚 not your average rapper, instead he鈥檚 an artist ready to shift the culture.
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