Casanova Talks About His Trip to Nigeria

New York rapper, Casanova traveled to Nigeria a couple of months ago to shoot his video, 2Am, which features Tory Lanez and Nigerian superstar musician, Davido. In his recent radio interview with The Breakfast Club show on Power 105.1 FM, he was asked by one of the hosts (DJ Envy) to talk about his trip to Nigeria, and he said...


"I think I learned a lot out there...just seeing the kids dancing, with no sneakers on and stuff like that. But they happy. The mothers, with nothing, happy. They made me kind of come back and appreciate myself. And stop complaining, cos I always complain a lot. I think I'm money hungry. So, I just be like, yo, I need this, i need this. But when you go to Africa and you see these people with way less than everybody has in America, happy, dancing, doing the dances, and just was just stunned, like...like how can you be happy?"

Wale Speaks on Recent Terrorist Attack in Nigeria

In a new interview with MTV, Wale spoke on the recent terrorist attacks in Nigeria. With his roots in Nigeria, it was only a matter of time before he spoke on this. And me being a Nigerian, with predominantly American readers on my blog, it was only right I blogged about this.

During the MTV interview, he was asked about the recent terrorist in the northern part of Nigeria, which CNN claims had a casualty of over 2,000 people. Below is what he had to say about the incidence.

Photo of the Day: Akon and Wizkid

Our photo of the day is that of Akon, and Nigerian prince of music, Wizkid. Nice all black everything format. Akon put this on his Istagram on Tuesday, with this caption..."Always a pleasure havin my lil bro @wizkidayo around humble and talented."

Celebrities Protest Boko Haram's Abduction of 200+ Girls in Nigeria: Bring Back Our Girls

Being a Nigerian living in Nigeria, I never thought the worldwide exposure I always wished for Nigeria would come via a negative issue. About four weeks ago, the Nigerian terrorist group, Boko Haram abducted 200+ teenage girls from their school. Boko Haram, which means 'western education is sinful' in Arabic, has been terrorizing citizens of Nigeria since 2008. They especially operate in the Northern part of the country, where Islam is the predominant religion. So, basically, they don't want any form of western civilization or Christian teachings in the region. So, they bomb churches, and other areas predominated by Christians in the north. Although, in recent times, they have also bombed Mosques. Their latest act of abducting these school girls is to use them as a shield from planned attacks on their hideout by the Nigerian military.


I typed all that to say that their operations have been going on for more than five years now (bombing and killing of innocent citizens), but they became infamous worldwide in the last couple of weeks cos they abducted those school girls. Check out pics of different celebrities protesting the actions of the Terrorist organization below...from Anne Hathaway, to Trey Songz, to Diddy, to Wendy Williams...

Olamide is The Best Rapper in Nigeria (2014)

Yea, I said it; Olamide is currently the best rapper in Nigeria. If you wanna dispute that fact, you will have to name someone better than him right now. There are a lot of Godfather's of rap in Nigeria like Modenine and Ruggedman that I will always give respect to; but right now, in 2014, Olamide is the best rapper in the country. His consistency is unparallelled. He keeps dropping hit after hit after hit, and he never seems lose steam.




You might want to put up Ice Prince or Naeto C as contenders for that position, but those two are too one-dimensional with their raps. And also, they have a machine behind that make sure they get the best beats, the best features, and the best marketing. Olamide is a one-man-army, and you can't contest his skills on the mic. He switches from Yoruba to English, without losing the listener. And he has also shown that he is very versatile...rapping fast, slow, switching up his flow to fit into a guest appearance with not just rap artist, but R&B singers, and even Fuji singers too.




For the last 3 years, the kid has been on fire. Every guest appearance he gets on, he kills it. With all the songs you hear him on, you would think he would have spread himself thin by now, but he delivers all the time. The kid is is the most hard-working rapper in the country (he dropped two albums in the space of the last14 months), and definitely the best rapper out right now. He knows the basics of the art of rap; he has clever witty lines; the message is there, and his delivery is always on point. He is just the total Package. From First of All, to Durosoke, to Turn Up, to Dope Money, his hits are endless.

Hip Hop World Awards (Headies) 2013 List of Winners

To all my International readers, Hip Hop World is a Nigerian music magazine, and they hold a yearly music awards in the country tagged- Headies. The one for 2013 was held last night, and below are the list of winning at the event.

Best R&B Single

Good Good Loving – Banky W

Best Rap Single

Man of the Year – Phyno

Best Street-Hop Artiste

Durosoke – Olamide

Best Recording Of The Year

This Year - Jaywon

Best Collabo

Ghost Mode – Phyno FT Olamide

Best Rap Album

YBNL – Olamide

Hip Hop World Revelation

Omo Baba Olowo – Davido

Lyricist On The Roll

Let It Go - Mode 9

Producer Of The Year

Sho Lee – Dee Tunes

Best Alternative Song

Repete - BlackMagic

Best Pop Single

Ihe Ne Me – 2Face

Best Vocal Performance Female

Only You – Nikki Laoye

Best Vocal Performance Male

Rich And Famous – Praiz

Next Rated

Sean Tizzle

Best Reggae/DanceHall Single

I Wish – Waje

Song Of The Year

Limpopo – KCee

Album Of The Year

YBNL - Olamide

Artiste Of The Year

Iyanya

Best Music Video

Alingo – Jude Okoye & Clarence Peters

Best R&B/Pop Album

O.B.O – Davido  

Hall Of Fame

Wasiu Ayinde The 1^st

Most Downloaded Callertune

Mandela - Harrysong

Good to see Olamide won more than one award; that dude was everywhere in 2013. I think he is currently one of the most hardworking Nigerian artists out there. I heard people saying Sean Tizzle didn't deserves the Next Rated awards, and that Burna Boy should have won that. They forget what Next Rated means. Burna Boy has been out for two years now; that's a fact.

Ice prince Takes Side Of Record Labels in Battle With Artists in Nigeria

The last couple of months has seen a lot of artists cutting ties with their Record Labels, mostly because of problems with contracts they signed when they were hungry. From Wizkid, to Brymo, to Chuddy K, to most recently, Vector. All the names i mentioned left their labels or are currently having problems with the record labels they are signed to. Check out rapper Ice Prince's tweets on this issue below-

This is what I have been saying for the longest time. For anyone to invest millions in you before you have made it big as a musician is a risk. But some artists don't always want to understand that. Once they blow up, they believe they are being cheated, even though they signed the contracts with their own hands. Artists have to realize that the record labels are into a business of grooming artists, and they ofcos have to reap from where they have sowed. Some make losses, but if they make astronomical profits from an artist, it is all good. It is only for a period of time...most times, like 4 years.

The State of Hip Hop in Nigeria

Nigeria really is the giant of Africa, and definitely the most 'up to date' in fashion and style in the whole African continent, but as much as the music scene is flourishing, the state of Hip Hop in the country is another case. There are a couple of rappers doing there thing and being successful with it, but the bulk of Nigerian rappers are either trapped in the 90s, or those in the bid to infuse the local content into their music, have gone all the way to the left. You have the bulk of rappers that are too rigid with their style, and are stuck with that 80s/90s flow with no space for growth, and then you have rappers like Eldee, Dr Sid and Skales, who are definitely very skilled rappers, who have gone all the way to doing the local sing-song style which is very popular with Nigerian dancehall artists.




You are now left with rappers like M.I, Vector, Naeto C, and Ice Prince who are in the balance. Eventhough the last two mentioned are highly commercially inclined with their styles, you can't take away the fact that they are not out of the boarder of what is called rap...they deliver the 16 bars the right way. As much as Modenine is considered the best rapper in the country, i think he is too rigid. My apaologies to all his fans, but I am just being honest. He is not well rounded. Like I know KRS 1 is a skilled rapper, but he is not well rounded...that's how I see Mode. He has tried to break out of that box in recent times, and while some of the efforts were cool, in general, I don't think he is ever going to be that kind of artist. I listened to his Occupy The Throne mixtape, and i still feel this way.



Another notable person is Terry Tha Rapman, but i think he needs to put in more work. I was actually rooting for him for the title of the best rapper in Nigeria, but his latest single (I Like Your Style), I saw that he hadn't found that balance; the song was a cheap attempt to make a commercial song...he crossed too much to the other side. I still give the crown to M.I. "M" has been able to deliver song after song, album after album with that balance, and until someone comes along that is competent and well rounded enough, he would continue to wear that crown. Some would say Naeto C deserves to have that crown...or maybe Vector.



First of all, I think Vector is brilliant rapper. From his lyrics, you can see that he is actually very intelligent. His wordplay is cool...nice punchlines...super cool double enterdres, but I can't get over that voice. He sounds too much like Jay-Z. In fact, he stole Jay's whole style, and that alone disqualifies him. As for Naeto, he has two very big qualities that work well for him; he knows how to pick hot beats and make lace them with catchy hooks, and he knows how to ride those beats, but his lyrics are not super enough.



Sauce Kid on the hand is not just serious enough. He would have been that perfect blend if he put in more work. Ghino is another rapper worth mentioning. He also has that perfect blend. But I think he also needs to put in more work. But I have always liked him, and he never disappoints on tracks. And as for the females, I would start paying attention to them when they stop sounding like Eve or Nicki Minaj.

Nigerian Musicians Rumoured to be Members of Illuminati...It's Not What You Think

Illuminati is a secret society that no one can prove exist, and people recently alledged top musicians like Jay-Z, Kanye West, Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Rick Ross, and A$ap Rocky of being members. People have postulated all sorts, from saying they control the world, to mixing their doctrines with that of Freemasons'. What is known a fact is that, around 4 centuries ago, there was a society of men (not so secret), characterised by men of science, who called them selves the Illuminated ones- these bunch were interested in enlightenment of mankind. But, around 3 centuries ago, or their about, they were hunted down one by one and killed, deemed heretics. This killings were done by a very powerful religious sect of the time which rebelled against any type of change.




I hope i have not lost you there? I just wanted to lay down the fundalmentals before i treat the matter at hand. Now, let's go on. There have been series of videos and articles put up on the internet which disect the different lives of artists like Jay-Z and Beyonce...and especially Kanye West; these documentaries show "supposed" hard evidence that they do belong to the Illuminati. If people did a little research, they would discover that all these supposed evil signs and symbols are only "signs and symbols" from ancient Egyptian religions/beliefs which have been around longer than most religions.




 As soon as the deal between D Banj/Don Jazzy got sealed last year (2011) with Kanye West's G.O.O.D Music label., rumors started flying around that they had both joined the supposed secret cult, The Illuminati. And, after D Banj and Don Jazzy broke off their long time business relationship late last year, many people said it was because Don Jazzy didn't want to join the Illuminati. I find these allegations very funny and mediocre.




D Banj, P Square, Goldie, Whiz Kid and Charlie Boy are some of the Nigerian celebrities that have been rumored to be members of this mythical cult- "The Illuminati". What is funny to me is the fact that the one thing most of these individuals have in common is success. Right now, it is almost like any unexplanable success is attributed to the artists alledgedly joining the Illuminati. What the people porpoting this theories believe is that these artists are devil worshipers, and that "the devil" wants to take over the world through them. They say these artists have sold their souls to the devil for fame and fortue. Well, maybe i would believe in stuff like that if i didn't research on such individuals past, and see how much they suffered and strived, and persisted before they became successful. Maybe i would believe in such if the artist in question just sat on their asses (like most people that justify their unambitious lifestyles to not wanting to join a secret society) all day, and fame and money came their way.




Now, i am guessing people are saying- "what about the statement Kanye West made at a particular concert about selling his soul to the devil?" He was only being figurative; he obviously didn't mean that literaly. What he was implying was that he made the kind of music that the people wanted to hear...he made pop (popular type music) and not the regular type of root hip hop music. A lot of people use that phrase a lot, but they sure don't mean they had a meeting with "the devil". So, back to the Nigerian angle of things. D Banj is the most crucified in this matter, because he recently signed to Kanye's label. And there is a picture of him flying around, which has him wearing a "tri dog tag"...a chain with a pyramid like pendant. Just for the information of people, that chain wasn't made specifically for D Banj; it is one of the chains that Nigerian Jeweller, Chris Aires makes, and sells between $3,500- $10,000. So, does it mean anyone that buys that type of chain from Aires is a member of the Illuminati? Or those it mean Chris Aires is "the devil" personal contractor? If a group of people like to associate themselves, or get fascinated by old Egyptian gods and their symbols, that has nothing to do with evil or the devil. It is just funny that these same people that are termed evil are the biggest givers to charity.




And there is the recent connection of P Square's mom's death to that of an illuminati blood sacrifice. Well, Nigerians have always been known to feed off fairy tales like this, so it didn't surprise me when people started buying into such analogies. I remember listenning to BBC news one night with my dad, and they were focusing on a part of Kenya (East Africa), where locals ganged up to kill anyone that appeared to them to be too successful. It's because of a mentality like this, which is common in most parts of Africa that people would believe anything that is put together to support why they are not successful...and why there is some form off evil deeds behind every success stories. It shocked me when I had a conversation with a couple of my co-students at Masters level last year, and i discovered they also had such mentality.




A couple of years ago, i decided to read the whole Bible, from front to back. I read it, not because my Pastor instructed me too, but because i really wanted to have a deeper & personal understanding of my religion. Somewhere in the first four books, i came accross a verse that goes something like this- "and i would bless the heathen (non believers) with the blessing promised to you, as long as they follow the rules i laid down that you have decided not to follow." Of cos, it wasn't written like that, but i want you to get the message of what God was trying to say. I made the mistake of not writing the verse down, and i have asked a lot of Bible scholars about it recently, but no one seem to know where it is. I guess i would have to take time out to read the whole Bible again. But, what i am trying to say is that, this explains why some non believers are successful. People believe all these "Illuminati" stories because they think anyone that is successful without religion has to be a devil worshiper, but this verse overules that. I really wish i had the Bible verse, but i am sure someone out there knows where it is said in the bible.

Nigerian Artist React To Government's Fuel Subsidy Removal

A couple of Nigerian artist have joined the Nigerian masses to protest  against the Federal Government for the recent removal of fuel subsidy. The President of the country, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan took the action on the first day of the year, and it saw the cost of petrol go from 65 Naira, to 150 Naira.

A lot of artists (musicians and actors) heavily supported the campaign of the current presidet; making jingles and songs about him before he got elected. Some of them have condemmed his actions  and say they regret voting fopr him, but ofcos they can't return the money they were paid for the service. More or less like they sold their birth rights. The few that didn't partake in supporting G.E.J's campaign like Banky W, Seun Kuti (The Late Fela Kuti's son), Whiz Kid, Sound Sultan, Rugged Man, Dede, JJC, M.I and Jesse Jagz, have in one way or the other used their status positively in support of the suffering masses. Some like Banky W and Seun Kuti have even physically joined in the protest as seen in the pic below.


No one knows where all these catastrophy would lead to. Before the issue of the removal of the fuel subsidy, there had already been  months of unrest in the country with a faction of islamic people in the North that are are against western influence in the country had been blowing up spots. On christmas day, they blew up a a church while a service was going on. Let us just pray things cool out before too much destruction is done.