Drake, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, Megan Thee Stallion … if you were asked to name the hottest rap artists of all time, names like these would undoubtedly top your list.
But, whilst these rappers are focused in the United States, there are plenty of international names who are beginning to make a stir.
In fact, there are many rappers in Africa whose popularity is starting to be noticed more widely. These include Nigerian rappers like Tekno Miles, a singer-songwriter and self-dubbed ‘king of afropop’, a music genre with a dedicated fanbase both in Africa and beyond. This article names just a few of the other hottest rap artists in Nigeria today.
Olamide
Known popularly as ‘Badoo’, Olamide consistently ranks on lists of the top rap artists in Nigeria. Hailing from Lagos, Olamide raps in both English and Yoruba, which distinguishes him from other Nigerian rappers and no doubt explains his enduring – and growing – popularity.
He broke onto the rap scene in 2010 with his top single ‘Eni Duro’, and has since created YBNL Nation – known as YBNL for short – as the CEO and founder, which is one of Nigeria’s top music record labels. His most recent album ‘999 EP’ featured other artists including Jayboi, Adekunle Gold and Fireboy, and was released in 2020.
M.I Abaga
Going by M.I for short or ‘Chairman’ to his fans, M.I Abaga is one of Nigeria’s better known and most popular rappers. His earlier albums have been credited as amongst the best in Nigerian hip hop, and he got his nickname from fans after his successful 2015 album of the same name.
Aside from creating his own music, M.I has held exec positions at his own record label, Chocolate City, which sealed a partnership deal in 2019 with Warner Music Group in order to hunt down and export talent from Africa to wider international audiences.
Vector
Known as Vector Tha Viper, Vector is one of the most popular Nigerian rappers, and is known for the speed of his delivery, which often results in him being compared to Eminem. His music also has a political slant, and he’s involved with SARS Is Around, a campaign against local police brutality.
He’s the CEO of G.R.A.P music label, and has won many awards, including the Nigerian Entertainment Awards and Nigerian Music Awards.
Reminisce
Like Olamide, Reminisce raps both in Yoruba and English, and continues to be a popular Nigerian rapper. He’s known for his hard work, but his materials are still popular and high-quality, as evidenced by the fact that he was the first African hip hop musician whose album debuted on the Billboard Charts for World Music.
Y-Cee
Blending rap and song, Y-Cee has been in the music industry since 2012, but rose to fame in 2015 with his song ‘Jagaban’, but has since incorporated more melody and dance music into his style. He’s been nominated for various awards, including the MTV Africa Music Awards, and fans go hard for his laidback sing-raps.
