8 Songs That Shaped Nigerian Hip Hop

No doubt, Hip-hop in Nigeria has grown from a small movement to a huge industry. The likes of MI and Mode 9 have endeared Hip-Hop to millions of music lovers. But what songs shaped hip hop in Nigeria? The guys at Jaguda.com recently released a list of songs they think shaped Nigerian hip hop. Do you agree with them? if you don’t, please compile your own list and send it to the email address at the bottom of this page.
1. Eedris Abdulkareem – Jaga-Jaga
Eedris shot into major prominence with this song, and the masses liked this one because in his lyrics he spoke about the corruption that was happening then. This song was big, even to the point that the president at that time, had to reply him (Not a diss reply track per say, but president Obasanjo did take some shots). This song is one of the greatest hip hop songs a Nigerian has made about Nigeria.
2. Lord of Ajasa – Oti Ya

This was one of the songs that proved that Yoruba rap could flourish in Nigeria, and could stand alone as a genre within the hip hop scene in Nigeria. This song will go down as one of the major inspirations for indigenous rap, and a major inspiration for Yoruba speaking rappers. Lord of Ajasa paved the way for Yoruba rappers
3. Ruggedman – Ehen
Ruggedman popularized “beefing” in the industry when he took shots at people he thought were “wack” at that time. Lots of rappers were not spared by Ruggedman. The likes of Eedris and duo Maintain were called out. He didn’t like what he saw, and he wasn’t afraid to let people know what he thought, even putting his career on the line in the process.
4. Nigga Raw – Obodo
Nigga Raw could be credited for paving the way for eastern rappers. The perfect infusion of English and the Igbo language made Obodo an instant hit in the east and all around the country. This song opened the door for eastern rappers and made Igbo boys believe they could rap in Igbo language.
5. Sasha –Emi Le Gan
Sasha came into the hip hop scene in the country at a time when it was heavily dominated by male artistes. Although she was quite an unknown by the time she dropped this song, this song shaped Nigerian hip hop by showing other female rappers that they could make it in Nigerian Hip hop. Her later singles solidified her place as Nigeria’s hip hop queen, or first lady as she’s popularly called.
6. Mode 9 –Cry
This song is one of the songs that established Mode 9’s place as a major hip hop heavy weight. A title he hasn’t relinquished since. Although Modo had done other notable songs, this song is notably one of Modo’s biggest songs, if not his biggest. This song was number one on Channel O’s top ten count down for weeks, and won 3 channel O awards.
7. MI –Safe
On this song, MI singlehandedly made it known that a rapper could drop hard hitting lyrics, and still make the song a hit commercially. This song brought about a new dimension to hip hop in Nigeria, and in our own opinion, one of MI’s greatest hits.
8. Ice Prince – Oleku
If a list was ever compiled of Nigeria’s biggest rap songs, in my opinion, Ice prince’s Oleku should be top of that list. It can also be said that this song established commercial Nigerian Hip hop. From the song itself, to the countless remixes it got, to the massive airplay it got, in Nigeria, Africa and indeed the world, No rap song from Nigeria has come close to the bar set by this song. This song is the most remixed Nigerian rap song ever, and some of the remixes went big too! pluzextra.ml Remember that it was the remix of Oleku that brought rapper Yungsix to the limelight