Last year it was Ghana. This time, in October 2011, Nigeria got a slot at the highly respected BET Hip Hop Cypher.
The event has come and gone but the question still lingers: was the Cypher a Smash, or Trash?
Nigerians have an enviable crop of talented hip hop musicians, who sing, dance and rap hip hop. Good money is being made by these artistes, with live shows, endorsements and record sales to prove it. So when MTV sent a production team to Lagos to pick the lucky few, they had plenty of choice...
ROLL CALL
To represent Nigerian on the global Hip Hop platform, were Six males and Five female rappers, as follows:
1. Modenine - Notably the most "respected" Nigerian rapper, who's been on the scene longer than most.
2. M.I. - Known for being articulate and witty, his fearless lyrics are admired and catchy.
3. Naeto C - Commercially successful, he's more of a laid-back rapper with many hits to his name.
4. Ice Prince - fresh kid on the block, his popular tunes have won him awards all this year.
5. SauceKid - Well known for his freestyles and flawless delivery/wordplay, he's a no-nonsense rapper.
6. Xo Senavoe – A commendable rap artiste, not to be overlooked by his Nigerian peers.
Female Contingent:
It's safe to say that the females hold it down well on the rap front in the Nigerian hip hop scene; several have won the respect and admiration of fans and their contemporaries in the male section. And here were the hand-picked few femmes:
1. Sasha – aka "The First Lady" of Naija hip hop; the most popular female Nigerian rapper.
2. Eva - Another respected female rapper, started making waves early this year and hasn't stopped since.
3. Blaise – Confident female rapper known for her quality lyrical content.
4. Muna – A well known rapper and former beauty queen with a flair for swag and style.
5. Zee – Signed to Capital Hill Music, she's fearless and fierce in the rap scene.
The Cypher: How Did They Do?
The reviews were mixed: some said it was okay, though nerves and inexperience got the better of some. Many however were proud of the Nigerian rappers' achievements and what a leap it was for the Naija Hip Hop scene to have a listening/viewing public on an international scale. The Cypher itself was not aired at the live BET Awards show that night, but this was no set back for the proud Nigerians who watched videos of the Cypher and gave their thumbs up.
There were two or three shining stars. Modenine, MI and Saucekid stood out with good lyrics and delivery which seemed worthy of note. Ice Prince and Naeto C were said to not have lived up to expectations as some viewed their lines as weak or unimaginative, at best. XO Senavoe on the other hand, gave a commendable effort according to general views.
For a few days after the Cypher was aired, Twitter was awash with comments about the performance, and everyone had good things to say all round. Most were just happy that Nigeria had a look in this year.
Technically, it goes without saying that the Rap industry in Nigeria still has a long way to go. In America, rappers find it hard to obtain acceptance in the music industry, as only a select few manage to achieve commercial and public success. The same also goes with Naija rappers: one has to really stand out to win accolades in what has become a competitive industry indeed.
The female rappers, though talented, are still way behind their male counterparts, and their showing at the Cypher was, on several levels, considered as lacking. They did their best over all, but it was obvious they have a long way to go before they can deliver like their female peers in America, and even their male peers in Nigeria.
Best Bits...
XO Senavoe
The Lyrical Dangote, even Aliko couldn't get on this "bill"
Last year watched this from my office - now I'm here - Surreal!
Pray for me, I'm spittin' in a sick way, and I'm (Azikwe Nnamdi) - Truth!
Yeh "We Are Africans - Awoo!"
But the Rap crown was roaming (Roman) and so I ceased her (Ceaser) - Poof!
Talking 'racks on racks on racks'?
'Maybachs on bachs on bachs'?Not stopping 'til Fortune companies hire Blacks on Blacks...
Ice Prince
I'm sitting on their heads, I'm like a basin
I shut it down from Las Gidi to Beijing
Only keep it sidelined when i'm on the beach
Life is not fair, so I'm thinking how to bleach
But when it gets dark, I see through the Eclipse
I don't even need a hook, my bars are like fish
Yeah, my pro flow is like propane
Fly like a pigeon (pidgin),English is broken,
See me cracking up and I aint even joking
One time for me and you, you get no thing
Sauce Kid
If you expect the unexpected
Then it becomes expected
So why expect respectOr get disrespected
We all got different views but yo check this perspective
I'm with the in-crowd, don't know where the rest is
The game can't be told my dawg you just gotta learn it
Yo who gonna respect the wages gotta earn it
I'm from a grimy hood, my goons don't find fair
We scare through the night, give Freddy Krueger nightmares..
Naeto C
There's only 12 peeps in my cartel
Rappers turn around me like a carousel
By the time I made my first 6M
You were riding Jinchengs
Cos the king's swag needs blue like the BIC pen
I am not cheap baby boy I like the big spend
Cos I'm a boss and you living in the kid's pen
Now let's separate the boys from the men -
I make more money, I don't need that many friends
What's up
You know I did it all for the Naira
My name is Naeto C and this is BET the Cypher
Yes Boss...
ModeNine
Funny pants like you Lil Wayne kick it
Protesting against me lames, picket
You won't be fly if you bought a plane ticket
Look ma word play's incredible fam
To get into ma rhyme book you need a retinal scan
Stake out the doberman in the Sentinel van
The definition of a heckler unintentional fan
Blow me - pause, homie
You full of baloney
Phonies creeping and crawling without spines
Double jeopardy you get blindsided and outshined
I burn mics leave nothing but charred outlines
The last time I was outrhymed I was about nine
No five, plank a bee hive
Better yet strap weights on a deep sea dive...
M.I.
Word play, I'm killing it, lyrical execution
My style is fresh like its erudition
What I do to 16s it must be statutory
Forensics in the laboratory try to gather for me
Route to find and catch and stone me
But I'm so evil they should get a pastor for me
Before a confrontation, so what's the complication?
The best rapper pound for pound any denomination
My skills above my alibi or my corroboration
So bring your allegation I will reallocate them
Yeah I'm reckless and I'm everything you looking for: Craiglist
I bring the drama to your doorstep: Netflix
All I spit right here the flow is ambidextrous
I cross BET the Cypher from my checklist And I'm done...
Well, that was it folks. Till next year....
