{"id":86,"date":"2009-08-14T17:26:49","date_gmt":"2009-08-14T15:26:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/africanhiphop.com\/wp\/?p=86"},"modified":"2019-10-14T16:35:59","modified_gmt":"2019-10-14T16:35:59","slug":"naija-nigerian-80s-rap-on-vinyl","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/africanhiphop.com\/naija-nigerian-80s-rap-on-vinyl\/","title":{"rendered":"Nigerian rap: the first decade (1981 – 1991), a mix exposing the roots of hip hop in Nigeria"},"content":{"rendered":"

The first hip-hop record to achieve widespread popularity in Nigeria was \u201cRapper\u2019s Delight\u201d by The Sugarhill Gang, in 1979. Thirty years later, hip-hop is the premier pop music of Nigeria, dominating radio play as well as the sales charts, feted in megabudget videos, glossy magazines and glitzy award shows. When the average Nigerian kid decides to get into the music biz, the first impulse is not to grab a guitar or a talking drum, but to pick up a microphone.<\/p>\n

It was a long way from there to here, though. For years, the earliest attempts at homegrown rap were ridiculed, resisted or downright reviled by the mainstream. And in some cases, perhaps, rightfully so: they were often awkward, overly imitative, fatuous. But they also laid the foundation for the 2Faces, the 9ices, the D\u2019Banjes, Ruggedmans, Modenines and the rest of today\u2019s Naija hip-hop superstars. So here\u2019s our salute to some of the groundbreakers in the first decade of Nigerian hip-hop.<\/p>\n

For personal use (listening on your pod device) you may also download the mp3 (size: 118 mb) by right-clicking here<\/a> (‘save as…’). When linking to the podcast please link to this page<\/a>, not the sound file.<\/p>\n

\"Ronnie\"<\/a>
\n1. Ronnie \u2013 \u201cThe Way I Feel Rap\u201d (1981)<\/strong>
\n\u201cRonnie\u201d was Ron Ekundayo, a highly popular Lagos nightclub DJ, television presenter and on-air personality on the very hip 97.6 Radio Nigeria 2. Inspired by the success of music superstar Kris Okotie, Ekundayo decided to add \u201crecording artist\u201d to his burgeoning resume in 1981. The album The Way I Feel featured mostly Okotie-esque pop and dance tunes, but the title track was a bold and unprecedented stab at the new disco rappin\u2019 trend. Ronnie never recorded a follow-up to The Way I Feel, but his place in history is secure as the man who made the first rap record in Nigeria (and, very possibly, in Africa).<\/p>\n

\"Dizzy<\/a><\/strong>
\n2. Dizzy K. \u2013 \u201cSaturday Night Raps\u201d (1982)<\/strong>
\nTeenaged \u201cDizzy\u201d Kunle Falola was regarded as little more than another Michael Jackson imitator when he first arrived on the scene in 1982, but over the course of the 80s he would release some of the most ingeniously funky records ever to come out of Nigeria. He was also an early adopter in the rap race, with this disco-ready offering from his debut LP Excuse Me Baby.<\/p>\n

\"dili\"<\/a><\/strong>
\n3. Dili I. Jukson \u2013 \u201cRapp and Checkout Music\u201d (c. 1985)
\n<\/strong>Like most of the early Nigerian rappers, Dili I. Jukson\u2019s rhyme style prioritizes cadence over content but his laidback flow is enough to set the party off on this Beat Street-influenced joint.<\/p>\n

\"Mams<\/a>
\n4. Mams & Hart \u2013 \u201cPump\u201d (1982)<\/strong>
\nGloria Hart was an American singer who lived and worked in Nigeria in the early 80s, touring with Nigerian pop star Onyeka Onwenu and coaching other artists on vocal techniques. Mambo Kristo was a session drummer who played on several Nigerian records during the same period. In 1982, they got together to record an album of glossy disco numbers, with Gloria kicking a few rapid-fire party rhymes on “Pump.” Not exactly a rap record, but a pointer of things to come…<\/p>\n

\"Oby
\n<\/a>5. Oby Onyioha \u2013 \u201cBreak It\u201d (1984)<\/strong>
\nIn 1981, canary-voiced singer Oby Onyioha sent shockwaves through the Nigerian music industry with I Want To Feel Your Love\u2014a glossy pop and disco LP helmed by producer Lemmy Jackson. When Onyioha and Jackson reteamed three years later for Break It, the album didn\u2019t fare too well with the mainstream audience but the emerging hip-hop community embraced the title track and its music video, which tipped its hat to breakdancing and sneaker culture.<\/p>\n

\"Lexy<\/a>
\n6. Rapmaster Lexy Mella \u2013 \u201cOn The Air Rap\u201d (1985)<\/strong>
\nLexy Mella confidently anointed himself \u201cRapmaster\u201d on the cover of his debut LP even though he didn\u2019t rap very much (or very well) on the record. He did, however, sport a pretty convincing \u201chip-hop\u201d image, complete with jheri curl and JPS gear (as in \u201cJohn Player Special\u201d\u2014 the John Player cigarette brand became synonymous with hip-hop during the era due to the company\u2019s sponsorship of an annual, national breakdance competition).<\/p>\n

\"doeths\"<\/a>
\n7. Super Doeths \u2013 \u201cSuper Doeths\u201d (1985) <\/strong>
\nThe duo Super Doeths described their sound as \u201cAfro-funk,\u201d but showed a keen interest in the burgeoning hip-hop scene, quoting Whodini\u2019 \u201cFive Minutes of Funk\u201d and namechecking Run-DMC in the \u201cSucker MCs\u201d-inspired eponymous theme song. Produced by legendary rock guitarist Felix \u201cFeladey\u201d Odey.<\/p>\n

\"Kingsley<\/a>
\n8. Kingsley Bucknor \u2013 \u201cYou Gotta Keep On Luvin\u2019 Me (Hot Extended Re-Mix Version)\u201d (1985)<\/strong>
\nBucknor\u2019s forte was really slick boogie music rather than hip-hop. Still, there was still enough crossover between the two scenes in \u201885 to make this one a surefire floor rocker for the b-boys.<\/p>\n

\"IC<\/a>
\n9. I.C. Rock \u2013 \u201cAdvice\/Oge Chi Ka Nma\u201d (1985) <\/strong>
\nDespite the popularity of social commentary records like Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five\u2019s \u201cThe Message,\u201d most Nigerians viewed rap mostly as mindless party chanting. The stern moral imperaitives of I.C. Rock\u2019s \u201cAdvice,\u201d segueing into the Igbo language \u201cOge Chi Ka Nma\u201d (translating as \u201cGod\u2019s time is the best time\u201d) in a way represents a nod towards more \u201cconscious\u201d rap.
\n
\n\"Mc<\/a>
\n10. McDormett \u2013 \u201cLet\u2019s Hear the Funk\u201d (1986)<\/strong>
\nThis offering from singer Ernest McDormett Ofonedu indicates the mid-decade trend towards digital production sounds and the increasing association of \u201cfunk\u201d with a more machine-like sonic qualities. The emphasis would drift further and further from live musicians and more towards the craft of the producer and the use of the studio as a musical instrument in itself.<\/p>\n

\"Mike<\/a>
\n11. Mike Umoh \u2013 \u201cDo It\u201d (c. 1985)<\/strong>
\nMike Umoh was the drummer in popular soft rocker Bongos Ikwue\u2019s Groovies band in the 1970s before embarking upon a solo career. His biggest hit was the 1981 discolypso smash \u201cEarly in the Morning\u201d but he also tried his hand at reggae, funk, pop, gospel and here, rapping. Most of his rhymes seem to be plagiarized but he makes up for the lack of lyrical originality with an abundance of exuberance!<\/p>\n

\"Timi<\/a>
\n12. Timi Gawi \u201c3\u201d \u2013 \u201cBoxing Rapping Show\u201d (c. 1984)<\/strong>
\nPop singer Timi Gawi \u201c3\u201d\u2019s rhymes are straight outta nursery school, he doesn\u2019t have much of anything one might describe as a \u201cflow,\u201d and it\u2019s not easy to figure out the connection between boxing and rapping in this show. Perhaps Timi\u2019s concept of rap here derives less from hip-hop than from Muhammed Ali\u2019s rhymed toasts and boasts?
\n
\"Rick<\/a>
\n13. Rick Asikpo \u2013 \u201cBeat Jam\u201d (1986) <\/strong>
\nRichard Asikpo started his career while a student in Houston, Texas, fronting the funk band Afro-Fusion (which featured guitarist Charlie Singleton, who would soon find fame with Cameo). Upon returning to Nigeria, he continued to ply his distinctive synth-infused funk. \u201cJam\u201d was a groove-in-progress that he revisited over the course of three albums, giving it a hip-hop twist on this final installment.<\/p>\n

\"judy\"<\/a>
\n14. Judy Nackix \u2013 \u201cIf I Have the Time\u201d (c. 1986)
\n<\/strong>By the beginning of the second half of the 80s, boogie funk was out; electro-funk and freestyle were in. The mysterious singer known as Judy Nackix blended electro sounds with Igbo folk melodies on his sole LP Wants Some Body, and threw in a gruff rap \u201cfor the new generation\u2026 for the new generation\u2026 for the new generation and the youth of today!\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Tagbas\"<\/a>
\n15. Gee Tagbas \u2013 \u201cRap Dazz\u201d (1986)<\/strong>
\nThe breakdance craze was fading too, but Gee Tagbas\u2019s \u201cRap Dazz\u201d throws up one last hurrah for the b-boys. Gee\u2019s rapping isn\u2019t particularly coherent but works as an effective rhythmic complement to the dark electro groove.
\n
\"Mustapha<\/a>
\n16. Mustapha Amego \u2013 \u201cLagos\u201d (1990)<\/strong>
\nMustapha Amego was the host of Sunday Rendezvous, the Soul Train-esque TV show that was de rigueur viewing for the new generation of Nigerian hip-hop and R&B fans in the late 1980s. \u201cLagos\u201d features backing vocals by Alex Ibeh a.k.a. \u201cMr. Kool\u201d of Sound on Sound*.
\n
\"MC<\/a>
\n17. MC Skidd-O \u2013 \u201cMessage\u201d (1992)<\/strong>
\n\u201cMC Skidd-O\u201d appears to be an incarnation of Skid Ikemefuna, original host of Sunday Rendezvous and its more popular offshoot, The Kessingsheen Hit Show. In a previous life, Skid played guitar in the 1970s rock band Grotto; these days he is a successful businessman and gospel music artist.
\n
\"Emphasis\"<\/a>
\n18. Emphasis \u2013 \u201cWhich One You Dey\u201d (1991) <\/strong>
\nIn our mind, \u201cWhich One You Dey?\u201d by Emphasis\u2014a trio composed of rappers Terry and Mouth MC and singer Junior\u2014represented homegrown Nigerian hip-hop finally finding its own voice. Unlike most of their predecessors, Emphasis didn\u2019t rely on barely-rhymed doggerel aping the rhythms and cadences of American old-school rap records, but instead presented a lucid narrative complete with plot, characterization and humor, delivered with a relaxed flow in pidgin English\u2014the true language of Nigeria\u2019s streets.<\/p>\n

Up-and-coming young producer Kingsley Ogoro\u2019s laidback afrosynthfunk enhanced the indigenous vibe. The 1991 \u201cmaxi-single\u201d Big Deal! would be Emphasis\u2019s sole release, but it set the template for all the Nigerian rap that came after it. (Ogoro went on to become one of the most highly regarded filmmakers in the Nigerian movie industry.)<\/p>\n

\"soundonsound\"<\/a>
\n19. Sound on Sound \u2013 \u201cI\u2019m African\u201d (1988) <\/strong>
\nSound on Sound was a group composed of Nigerian vocalists Mr. Kool, Ebony Laoye and Monica Omorodion, and Americans Troy \u201cJedi\u201d Williams and Ron \u201cScratch\u201d McBean. Sound on Sound\u2019s 1988 LP Africa From Scratch (featuring the single \u201cI\u2019m African\u201d) was, without a doubt, the first full-fledged rap album produced in Nigeria. And while at the time of its release a lot of us thought frontman Scratch was a mediocre MC who probably moved to Nigeria because he was too corny to make it in the States, we later learned that he\u2019s actually unimpeachably credible, having played a pivotal role in the history of hip-hop before he came to Africa.<\/p>\n

McBean\u2014then known as \u201cRon the Mad Master Mixer\u201d\u2014originally formed Sound on Sound as a New Jersey DJ crew in the late 1970s. When Sugarhill Records boss Sylvia Robinson became intrigued by the growing hip-hop phenomenon and decided to put together a rap group to make a record, it was McBean who recommended that the record be built on Chic\u2019s \u201cGood Times\u201d and who helped assemble the group, supervising the auditions of Guy \u201cMaster Gee\u201d O\u2019Brien and Henry \u201cBig Bank Hank\u201d Jackson.<\/p>\n

The third slot in the Gang was filled by McBean\u2019s cousin Michael \u201cWonder Mike\u201d Wright, who was previously an MC in Sound on Sound. Sound on Sound Productions released a couple of singles in 1980, the best-remembered being \u201cThe Incredible Hump,\u201d on Salsoul Records, but when they never really took off, McBean took off for Nigeria and formed a new incarnation of Sound on Sound.<\/p>\n

We\u2019d like to think that had we known of McBean\u2019s incredible pedigree at the time, we might have given him a little more respect. But in \u201888, his style just sounded too elementary, too quaint, too old school for ears that were currently devouring Rakim, Chuck D and Slick Rick. In retrospect, it\u2019s ironic to think that one of the facilitators of hip-hop as a recorded genre in America would also end up being one of the pioneers of its entrenchment on the African continent, so much props due to DJ Ron!<\/p>\n

Text: Uchenna Ikonne \/ pics & audio: Uchenna Ikonne & Juma4 \/ copyright 2009<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In this special edition of the African hip hop radio show we take it back to 1980’s Nigeria, an era during which quite some local rap was recorded, often outside of the context of hip hop culture. Together with Uchenna Ikonne, who runs the popular old school Naija music blog With Comb & Razor and who is a big collector of all groovy music to come out of Nigeria in the past three decades, we look at Nigerian rap released on vinyl records between 1981 and 1991. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":291803,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32,24],"tags":[36,93,97,152,178,299,310,348],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/africanhiphop.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/africanhiphop.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/africanhiphop.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/africanhiphop.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/africanhiphop.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=86"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/africanhiphop.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":299401,"href":"https:\/\/africanhiphop.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86\/revisions\/299401"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/africanhiphop.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/291803"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/africanhiphop.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=86"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/africanhiphop.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=86"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/africanhiphop.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=86"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}