Let me begin by saying; this is not a paid hype or advert campaign for anybody, although some of you at the end of this post might think otherwise. I can’t deprive you of your opinion(s) (after-all isn’t all these write-ups’ someone’s observation?). That out of the way, I feel the need to address the issue of Nigerian female rappers fading out of the music scene like its destined they’ll always play a cameo role in the industry. We see them drop 1 or 2 bangers (most aren’t even that dope, but we still show them love) and then they burn out. I know by now a few names have been popping into your heads. There are quite a number of them but I’ll mention a few and leave the rest to your imagination.
We start from the most visible female in the game, Sasha P right? almost a decade ago since she left da trybe before establishing herself as a solo artist with the hit single Ewa bami jo back in 2007, and then there was a long pause (radio static silence) in her career, before dropping Adara (the lead single to her First Lady album under storm records), where she voiced all her frustrations about not reaching the expectations of her fans. At least she had a better and smoother career as opposed to Blaise.
Although I loved blaise’s team-up with Jesse Jags and Ice prince on MI’s album in a song that interestingly was titled blaze. I think blaise-a trained architect, never saw music as a full time job, she probably had other source of income as she never got around the vocal booth often, and if she did sorry for the misconception but we were never given enough materials to think otherwise.
Kel…Kel…Kel…Kelechi Ohia, lets just leave it at that cos frankly there isn’t much to say about her. WA WA ALRIGHT.
More recent though there’s been some step-ups, the fair Munachi Abi (I mean fair as always used in medieval English, not light skin) oh yes I said beautiful and that isn’t an opinion, she was a beauty queen in 2007.You’ll think she probably got the idea of doing music professionally when she was going out with peter of p-square, but she’s been doing rap way before then.
‘BTW, was that a failed attempt for a publicity stunt when the dancing twins said they were calling the group quit?’
Muna appears on our TV screen more often for various other reasons other than rapping. She does rap in potois sometimes which I think is really cute, but not enough to get the fans star struck.
Another pretty and petit lady that does patois is Eva Alodiah, her song High was impressive and she got my attention with it (I say that like my attention matters to her, lol). Anyways, the track deaf was for me the highest point of her career thus far, Ol’ up Ol’ up don’t tell me shit *in eva’s voice*. As much as I believe she has a very good rapping skill-word play is top notch, poised to be a successful rap sensation. However, here’s the deal she can’t sing. I think here is the one point where all of the afore mentioned acts have gotten it wrong.
Singing is an integral part of a female rappers career, the ability to switch between hip-hop and RnB is the door way to career longevity(even male rappers do sing these days, you catch what am saying?). As a female artist we want to see emotions flow, and how best to achieve this other than singing a song. Ability to sing is an automatic invitation to carry hooks on many other artists’ joints, which is more playtime for them.
When you listen to Nicki minaj’s albums till date-there’s no telling she’s having the most lucrative career (as she has surpassed many other female acts that had been in the game) you can really get a hold of the whole point am making.
Although she does rap, dance hall, the Edo born Cynthia Morgan got the singing thing going for her I think. Her first single after being signed under Jude Okoye (p square) northside inc, a song titled Don’t break my heart has successfully brought her back into the game. After falling into oblivion just after her brief introduction in Jhybo’s track ejo le fero.
In the end we love all our female emcees, the kind of culture they operate in alone is enough to discourage or kill off their career, but for perseverance and tenacity we thank all of them for making a statement.
musictransafrique 