We have English-speaking rappers people often mistake for “hardcore rappers”, and Ibile United — an umbrella term for local Yoruba rappers. Although some of them mix some pidgin here and there, they’re not the same as rappers who strictly rap in Pidgin. Also, these pidgin rappers don’t enjoy as much attention as their counterparts expressing through other tongues.
This is a list of seven hard Hip-Hop artists who rap in Pidgin. You should be rinsing and repeating their work.
Erigga
Erigga, a.k.a. Paper Boi, is highly revered for spitting in Nigerian pidgin, telling relatable stories from the streets of Warri. When Erigga flows on soulful Hip-Hop beats and reflects on his life or talks about the ills of the music industry, he’s a different beast. Please start with the intro, Industry, and Death Bed on his Okorowanta album.
DanDizzy
DanDizzy,a Port-Harcourt-born artist, became famous for his impeccable freestyle ability.
Get a music box and play DanDizzy any instrumental, and he’s ready to go on and on. It’s interesting how he switches flows and makes bars out of anything in pure pidgin and PH slang.
His studio releases include Who Goes Der!, Denge Pose feat. BadBoyTimz and Yawa feat. Skales. DanDizzy sings, too, a lover at heart on Garni.
ODC
If soulful, Boombap and Lo-fi raps is your taste, ODC is the guy you turn to. His hard-knocking delivery and classic Hip-Hop samples, but the stories come from the gritty streets of Surulere.
ODC kicks knowledge, lifelines, hard punchlines, and puns that make you go “Ugh”. Yes, that’s how crazy he goes with the bars. He has The Illest series (three volumes) with South-African-based Nigerian producer MHP. They are a perfect pair because their styles are complimentary.
Abstraktt
If you see Abstraktt, you’ll think he’s never stepped foot on Lagos mainland or heard of Ikorodu. But when he drops his pidgin lamba, a big surprise hits you. Trap, drill, and afro-swing are his usual play stations.
Knowledge (of Ajebo Hustlers)
Knowledge weaves words together in pidgin and Port-Harcourt dialects, handing you vivid imagery of his socio-political thoughts, relationship issues, and his raunchy side. He’s also comical, which makes his raps more digestible. Most of his verses are on songs and projects like Kpos Lifestyle Volume 1 and Bad Boy Etiquette with his fellow Ajebo Hustler, Piego.
hyph!
hyph! has a mystical personality; there’s no face to the brand. hyph! just drops the music. He spills his mind on moody beats that sound comforting, especially after a weary day. hyph! has three tapes to his name — Bicycle Lane, blue+black and [h.i.M] on which he showcases his production skills and tells stories of his unemployment, the 2020 lockdown, cash chasing and lost faith.
His music is currently available on Soundcloud.
Reeplay
Straight out of Abuja, Reeplay has made a name for himself as one of the distinctive spitters in the federal capital’s music scene. Although he’s humourous, Reeplay raps in an aggressive way that amuses and keeps the listener engaged — every bar is either a claim or a brag or just a funny comparison of something. You want to hear what more he has to say. In songs like Comot for Sanko, Na Now, Not Sorry and Who Is Reeplay, he details his time in jail and the tough streets of the Buj.
Yo, ICYMI, our Burning Ram Fest is coming soon.
