AND THEN THERE WAS AMPLIFYD

When the history of naija hip hop is written in years to come,when we are all dead and gone.it will be written in two parts-naija hip hop before amplifyd & after amplifyd.i know a lot of you would be wondering right now who or what amplifyd is.let me break it down for you

Amplifyd is a Nigerian hip-hop group based in maryland,U.S and they are about to take over the Nigerian/African music industry.I am talking hostile takeover here,i mean on a whether you like am or you no like am basis.The group is made up of Biola pedro(B-easy),Muyiwa Olorunfemi(Myth) & Temie olley(DJ TnT).though very little is known about them in Nigeria,they have a massive fan base in yankee & they have been around for quite a long time.I really don't like giving props to naija artistes in diaspora cos i always feel like they have the upper hand over our home bred artistes.you know better production,packaging, e.t.c. but i have to make an exception here.iam not going to front amplifyd can only be described in one word(DOPE).

When you think of good music,think of amplifyd.A lot of people will remember them for their hit single "naija until i die" which featured Eldee or their NEA award winning song "Wetin man go do",but amplifyd have been dropping nothing but hits since 06.the story began with "ju idi" and since then they have kept the heat turned up with tracks like "shakara,tell dem,best friend,brand new day,who we are & naija girls".one look at the quantity & quality of hits they have amassed over the years and you will know that these guyz ain't playing.

With their sophomore album "GBEDUCATION" about to hit stores,its only a matter of time before they have the game on lockdown.Tracks like "Disco peperempe,i can't shout & babi babi" from the album are already getting major spins on radio stations nationwide while recently released tracks like "why(featuring Banky W)" & the highly anticipated "Big girls" which was inspired by the yoruba hit movie "JENIFA" and produced by ID cabasa are also expected to be on the album.

what makes amplifyd stand out is their work ethic, creativity,originality and uniqueness.

Click here to watch their video for I CAN"T SHOUT/WHY

Click here to join them on facebook and here on myspace

JUSTIFY MY THOUGHTS

Like a perfect gentleman,i would like to apologize to all those who felt offended by my top ten countdown.never knew my top ten will generate so much interest & controversy.i have been getting all sorts of mails and some people even went as far as cursing & raining abuses on me.no hard feelings,its all good.

For those who don't know,a blog is for expressing your views & that is what iam doing,if you are mad at that,go and start your own blog.

if you are mad that iam right,wish me wrong
if you are mad that iam on top,wish me gone
if you are mad that iam on the road,wish me home
but after your 3 wishes,blow it out ya head

A lot of people criticised my ratings.just so you know,the ratings was based on how successful an artist has been,how many hits he/she has,what impact he/she has made in the music industry.

i am so pro-Nigerian that i made sure that everyone on my top ten can spit/flow in either yoruba,hausa,igbo or pidgin.spitting in english is also an added advantage.so if you can find an artiste who meets all these standards & wasn't on my list.let me know

I believe any naija rapper worth his salt should be able to flow in his mother tongue.

ruggedman said it best on ruggedy baba
"wetin go make them know where you come from
na the fusion of grammar you slang in your mother tongue"

my top ten > Modenine,M.i,saucekid,ikechukwu,(fill in the gap).
if you take away everyone on my list from the rap industry,there will be nothing left(simple arithmetic).so until mode or m.i make a ruggedy baba or kini big deal type of song,they will never be mentioned in the same breath as ruggedman or naeto c.

some said i should have called it top 10 most successful/influential rappers in Nigeria.others said i should have called it top 10 indigenous rappers in Nigeria,but i chose to call it mic check-top 10 rappers in Nigeria and i owe no one an apology.

I am AYX & i rep 9ja to the fullest.what you have there is my top ten,hate it or love it.

MIC CHECK - THE REST OF IT.

THE REST OF IT.
This is where the story ends,artistes who are equally good but didn't make top 10

Cyrus da virus:The self proclaimed rap king of Benin is undeniably hot but he is just too hard for peeps out here."1000 naira" is his only single to have made a remarkable impact.

M.I:Mr incredible is truly incredible & on his album he said "iam not saying i am the best,iam just asking who is better".thank God he never said he was the best cos na for there fight for start.iam sorry to dissappoint jude but there are at least 10 mcs in the game better than him.Agreed he had a great album but the fact remains that he doesn't have a single hit.that is the only thing left to take him to the pinnacle.

Gino:Gino can actually flow but "no be God" never hit the mainstream.

Modenine:3 mixtapes,1 album(one amongst many),no mass appeal.when you are in 2009 & you start rapping like its the 80s,you are definitely gonna run into problems.mode has been firing blanks ever since he started & resorting to beef at this critical time of his career is not the best thing.

Alaye:There is no kind of temptation that will get this guy into the top 10.

Terry Da Rapman:Na beanz to enter top 10.

OD:Overdose ko,overdose ni.comot for road make we hear word.

Illbliss:Until his album drops we will give him enough space.

Dr Fresh:"Osho bam bam,heavyweight champion" ***shakes head***

Sauce Kid:"money long" was over hyped.nothing special.

Ikechukwu:Are you kidding me!

Alabai:3 hot cameos,1 single,no album!!!!!!!,(DUD)

Kel:great potential & 1 single is not enough.

Big lo:is big lo a rapper?

Da grin:Lord of ajasa's mini me,great potential,couple of singles,no album!!!!!

Blaise:Worth mentioning,hot cameos but unfortunately no album!!!!!

**Bouqui: **Rooftop mcs:

**-Bouqui & Rooftop mcs are really good at what they do but can't make top 10 cos they are gospel artistes & can't be compared.

NO 1 - 2 SHOTZ

1.
2 SHOTZ
NAME:William Orioha
ALBUM(S):PYRATED COPY,ORIGINAL COPY,COMMERCIAL AVENUE,MUSIC BIZNESS

CAMEOS:Oya-Da trybe
2 shotz from a nine-modenine
Abia anthem-Dat nigga raw
Drive me crazy(remix)-Styl plus
Lagos life-Del

HITS:Carry am go,odeshi,delicious,which levels,Shake the ground,make them talk,better way,fear fear,incase you never know,if you don't mind

PUNCHLINE:
"My yarns come from the street,
I placed them all on beats,
the more you buy i eat,
i stood for long,come sit" - Which levels

"Iam so abia,iam so proud,
i no dey hide anything,iam so loud,
so everybody clear road i dey come,
especially this people wey dey form." - Incase you never know

COMMENTS:2 shotz is the definition of a true hustler,this guy straight hustled his way to the top of the game.after graduating from Da trybe's rap school with honours,he kept on dropping hit after hit and ever since he has never looked back for once.2 shotz has an ear for good music and he keeps on breaking new artistes.he introduced the world to Big lo,9ice, kash 11 & most recently terry g.while some may not believe in the gospel of 2 shotz,his work speaks for him.just take a look at his CV,umunamu is running this rap ish.

NO 2 - EEDRIS ABDULKAREEM

2.
EEDRIS ABDULKAREEM
NAME:Eedris Abdulkareem
ALBUM(s):P.A.S.S,MR LECTURER,JAGA JAGA,LETTER TO MR PRESIDENT,THE KING IS BACK.

CAMEOS:Oyim-Mr kool
Looking for a wifey-Maintain
Sade-Remedies
Shakomo-Remedies
Belinda-Remedies
Igboro ti daru-klever jay
Idanobi-Sunny Neji

HITS:Wakawickee mcs,oko ashewo,player meji,come home,mr lecturer,live in yankee,jaga jaga,sagarin kano,mr lecturer 2,ololufemi,50 seconds show,letter to mr president,rema,last man standing,koleyewon.

PUNCHLINE:
"no food,no water,no cheddar
no brother,no sister,no mother
iam a bad boy soldier" - Last man standing

"Dollar ati pounds lawa tun fin soro,
awon girls awon chicks lawa tun fin jolo,
champagne,hennessey awon temi gan n koro,
ninu club awon girls won judi bolo bolo." - Igboro ti daru

COMMENTS:Is it me or is eedris now better than most of his peers,putting aside his catalogue,past success & controversies,eedris's flow is increasing in leaps & bounds. Nowadays the boy got a flow that you can drown in plus he makes better songs than all his counterparts.just listen to his verse on "igboro ti daru".give respect to whom respect is due.

NO 3 - DAT NIG.G.A RAW

3.
DAT NIG.G.A RAW
NAME:Okeje Okechukwu Edwards
ALBUM(s):RIGHT & WRONG,EVERTHING REMAINS RAW

CAMEOS:Nabania-Flavour

HITS:Obodo,my girl,abia anthem,ko gbadun,strong & mighty,Ara Ga Ngba Ndi Ara,shake una bodi,feel am,do am so,in love with an angel,my name

PUNCHLINE:
"any beat we catch,we dey kill am,
that's why any song we do,people dey feel am" - Feel am

"Sister,i am able & capable,
and i will always make sure there is food on your table,
even if i get soup & stew for freezer, i go still waka comot go buy you pizza." - In love with an angel

COMMENTS:For those of you who don't know,nigga raw just dropped a classic rap album.raw just keeps getting better with each album & with the release of "everything remains raw"he shows us why he should be up there with the best.but the best thing about this guy is that he keeps addressing topics his peers shy away from.i believe it's just a matter of time before raw steps up to the no 1 spot.

NO 4 - WEIRD MC

4.
WEIRD MC
NAME:Shola Idowu
ALBUM(s):SIMPLY WEIRD,AFTER DA STORM

CAMEOS:Bizzy body 2-P square

HITS:Allen avenue,ijoya,way we blow,ready to party,kampe


PUNCHLINE:
"Can i still rock da stage,
Can i leave da people in a daze,
I could make da crowd go hey,
I could leave with a track that'll make u dance for days" - Kampe

COMMENTS:Weird mc is the 1st & only female rapper to release a classic rap album in Nigeria.Words ain't enough to describe how hot her after the storm album was,simply put it was exceptional.in a country where the average artists stays on top for a maximum of 4-5 years the weird one has been around forever.to come out 10 yrs after her last hit & make a splash like she did is legendary.

NO 5 - ELDEE

5.
ELDEE
NAME:Lanre Dabiri
ALBUM(s):RETURN OF THE KING,BIG BOY

CAMEOS:Oya-Da trybe
Campus queen-Sound sultan
Skillz-Dare art alade
Plenty nonsense-Trybesmen
Shake bodi-Trybesmen
Asiko laye-Trybesmen
We rock the mic-Trybesmen

HITS:Watch me,i go yarn,iam leaving,champion,bosi gbangba,big boy.

PUNCHLINE:
"You couldn't beat me even if i was in cuffs & chains,
fuck around get run over by trucks & trains,
when you couldn't be on top who the fuck is to blame,
i put my dick in your ear & fuck your brains" - Watch me

COMMENTS:Eldee is arguably one of the best rappers to come out of Nigeria and should have done better than 5th position if not for the fact that on his sophomore album he sacrificed his lyrical prowess for commercial success.one will be hard pressed to find a rapper on the same level as eldee in Nigeria but to become the best you have to constantly be on your "A" game.can't always dwell on past glory.

OLUWE - THE FUTURE OF NAIJA HIP HOP

I don't always do this but it is not every time you hear a truly talented Nigerian artist.if you have not heard oluwe before i suggest you go grab a copy of his album "HAPPY DAY" if you can find it.

Oluwe is like 9ice on steroids(x3).i mean this guy is f*@king awesome.
Listening to his album is like an initiation,the way he brings you into his world without even trying is amazing.he blends apala with hip hop in ways never imagined.
from the first track he shows you he means business & he keeps on doing his thing without following any laid down protocol.dude is a beast on the mic.

Oluwe has got this raspy voice you are bound to fall in love with immediately you hear it,but before i tell you why i think he is the future let me explain to you how i came across this guy.2 or 3 months ago i was at a friend's place & was thumbing through his cd rack when he pulled out oluwe's album & told me to listen to it.i declined immediately cos i hate listening to upcoming artistes as most of them end up being copy cats with nothing to offer.fast forward to 3 weeks ago & i am at the barbershop getting my hair cut and as usual we are talking about everything from football to music when he asked me if i had listened to oluwe.it was at this point i realized i was hearing of oluwe from 2 people who i have great respect for cos of their taste in music.it's not like these guys listen to anything but good music.unfortunately i was in a hurry so i didn't get to listen to it until a week ago at the barbershop,and it was after one week of listening to my copy(i had to get mine) that i finally came to this conclusion.

From start to finish "happy day" is an excursion through the dark mind of Ajayi Olumide (oluwe).The bulk of the 12 track album is produced by samklef,while ad10 & shogun take charge of the rest.the album starts off smoothly with "oronyon" followed by "oluwe mawe"(where he glorifies sensi/ganja/mary j albeit secretly) but the song that takes away all the glory is "my home" where he shows his love for naija by imploring Nigerians in diaspora to come back home and he somehow succeeds in making you believe that Nigeria will be great.Most of his tracks like "pelebe,sare,mr apala & akololo" are heavily infused with metaphors and proverbs,so you will have to keep hitting the rewind button to stay in touch.in whatever way you look at it,oluwe succeeds in passing his message across.

In the midst of all the booty shaking & booty worship going on in the industry,oluwe is a breath of fresh air.what makes him stand out is his ability to make timeless music.he makes music that can be exported.it's music like this that generates cultlike following.

TOP 20 MUST HAVE NIGERIAN ALBUMS

Face to face - Tuface
True story - Timaya
Eji Owuro - Shola allynson
Get squared - P square
Hitsville - Paul play
Unchained - Sunny neji
After da storm - weird mc
Body and soul - Plantation boiz
Rundown - D banj
Nabaka - Jeremiah gyang
CV - Mo hits all stars
Asha - Asa
Fight to finish - Femi kuti
Chinwe ike - Resonance
King's praise - Folake umosen
Talk about it - MI
Free at last - Freestyle
Everything remains raw - Dat nig.g.a raw
Jangbalajugbu - Beautiful nubia
Soyoyo - Musiliu haruna ishola

MAKE IT HAPPEN:#10000 FOR YOU

I want to say a big thank you to everybody reading my blog,sorry to dissapoint you but there will be no countdown today.i know most of you were expecting no 5,but i have decided to make this more interesting.before i tell you what will happen let me post some quick replies to some mails i got.

Drtxhuke@mail.com- you are too arrogant.
- when you are as good as iam,its no longer arrogance

maxwell534@yahoo.com - you think you are the best.
- i don't think i am the best,i know i am the best.there is a big difference between thinking and knowing.

Now this is what will happen,i will resume posting mic check:top 10 in three days time.on good friday i will be giving out ten grand(#10000) to any one who can rightly guess my top 5 in the correct order.what you need to do is send me your top 5,name & email and if you are right you win #10000.let the games begin.see you on good friday

NB:i know #10000 small but that is all i can afford.

NO 6 - LORD OF AJASA

6.
LORD OF AJASA
NAME:Olusegun Olugbadura Osaniyi
ALBUM(s):IT'S TOO MUCH,SECOND TURNING BY THE RIGHT

CAMEOS:Welcome-Danny young
Rock da spot-Ruggedman
Aimo asiko-Sound Sultan

HITS:Otiya,esha lo bade,fenu so

PUNCHLINE:
"Le eko yi,mi o ni sin won lo,
bi omo ti won fi ijo fe,mi o ni woran lo"- Esha lo bade

"Maso pe mi o so fun e tele,
gbemu to wa ninu game yi ati nje be,
kani pe oya ni mi,ma ti kanle,
cos oya no dey farabale" - Le fenu so

COMMENTS:Ajasa is in a world of his own,spitting in yoruba language ain't easy but this guy is always doing it as if he is reciting ABC...Through some serious hard work he came onto the naija rap scene & created his own thing,now we have a lot of upcoming artistes trying to be like him.he is unarguably the king of yoruba rap & deserves everything he is getting at the moment including this.

NO 7 - RUGGEDMAN

7.
RUGGEDMAN
NAME:William Ugochukwu Stephen
ALBUM(s):THY ALBUM COME,RUGGEDY BABA

CAMEOS:Dance-Omotola
Rock with you-Faze
Fuji(remix)-Dare art alade
Koleyewon-Eedris
Konko jabele-Artquake
Abia anthem-Dat nigga raw
Nna men-2shotz

HITS:Ehen pt 1,peace or war,baraje,baraje(remix),ruggedy baba

PUNCHLINE:
"Do the right thing before water pass garri,
before gun turn to wetin every man dey wan carry" - Koleyewon

"I speak for shoemakers,i also speak for mechanics,
i speak for those wey hear some kind of rap and don't understand it,
i speak for those wey don vex so tey dem tear clothes,
and for those wey no fit talk unless oga door dey closed" - Peace or War

COMMENTS:The presence of ruggedy on this list is due to the fact that there is no one to fill his space & his last hit "ruggedy baba" was way too big to overlook.he spits effortlessly like he was born to do this.though his sophomore album was nothing to write home about as it had only one hit,he still remains one of the best out there & deserves a spot among the elites of naija rap.

NO 8 - FREESTYLE

8.
FREESTYLE

NAME:Mfon Essien

ALBUM(s):FREE AT LAST

CAMEOS:Ole-Tuface

Oya-Da trybe

Life is a party-Mr kool

Plenty nonsense-Trybesmen

Shake bodi-Trybesmen

Asiko laye-Trybesmen

We rock the mic-Trybesmen

If e no love you-Sunny Neji

HITS:Okay,Sip easy,celebrity,my year,omo ele

PUNCHLINE:

"I was born with a gift,

i left the ground floor and elevated like a lift,

iam solid like a rock stay on top of the cliff,

iam good at what i do,so competition is a myth, it doesn't exist." - Okay

"Get that money,then power,then respect,

the last 2 come when you are writing a check,

i spit slangs without writing them yet,

i'll die if i let you rock an audience when freestyle is in effect." - My year

COMMENTS:What differentiates free from every other rapper out there is his ferocious delivery,word play & song making skills.don't be fooled by his name,what free does is way more than freestyling.he is the only naija rapper who can drop bars in his native tongue,pidgin & english and still come correct on all fronts.winning the best rap album @ HHWA 2007 was no fluke.

NO 9 - SASHA

9.
SASHA
NAME:Yetunde Alabi
ALBUM(s):FIRST LADY

CAMEOS:Oya-Da trybe
Work it-Da trybe
Eko ile-Jazzman olofin
Omo ele-Freestyle
Too much-Dj jimmy jatt
Rock the party-Tony tetuila

HITS:Emi le gan,adara,only one,eti da mo

PUNCHLINE:
"A lot of people had their opinions,
took it in my stride and stuck to my onions,
they think they know who she would be,should be.
numbed by the pressure,see i really wanna be me" - Adara

COMMENTS:Sasha has been there done that & she has paid her dues,lets forget the fact that her debut wasn't as impressive as we expected.she is still one of the best out there repping naija to the fullest on the mic.while most of her peers just drop a single & fade away,sasha has kept her self relevant & deserves to be where she is.

NO 10 - NAETO C

10.
NAETO C
NAME:Naetochukwu Chikwe
ALBUM(s):YOU KNOW MY P

CAMEOS:Carry dey go-Dare art alade

HITS:U know my p,ashewo,one 4 me,kini big deal,gidi,superman

PUNCHLINE:
"Rough around the egdes,
no smoke without fire like benson & hegdes,
i got my green light to go so iam ghosting,
God forbid,iam the one you leave roasting. - Gidi

"Kilode my darling,
been gone for so long you starving,
i suggest you hold on cos we starting,
ain't no need to give me steez,no stalling,dulling." - Kini big deal

COMMENTS:Kini big deal is the only reason why naeto c is on this list,the song is a great song.flow tight,swagger right,delivery aight.naeto c is headed straight for the no 1 spot,the boy has got so much potential & for a debut album "you know my p" was okay though there is still room for improvement.When you look at naeto c you know that a silver spoon in the mouth can"t stop his flow

MIC CHECK:TOP 10 RAPPERS IN NIGERIA

MIC CHECK

Who is really the best rapper in nigeria?this is a hotly debated topic everywhere with everyone rooting for their favorite rappers.i have decided to bring all such arguments to an end by listing the top 10 rappers in nigeria based on their catalogue,longevity in the game and success.To become the best rapper in nigeria requires making hit records,being consistent and putting together a solid album. Ladies and gentlemen,i introduce to you the top 10 rappers in nigeria counting downwards

9NN-FAUX NEWS REPORT

From 9jahiphop news network,we bring to you the latest hiphop news in Nigeria

Representatives of UAC foods have moved quickly to dispel rumours of an endorsement deal between the conglomerate and ex maintain producer "big bamo".speaking to our correspondent,the P.R.O of the company stated that they were approached by big bamo who offered to endorse their products like gala,funtime cakes e.t.c for a steady supply of such products.the artiste who has grown frustrated in recent times after seeing his counterparts clinch multi million naira endorsement deals was eventually turned down by the company on the grounds that he didn't have the kind of fan base needed for such an endorsement.

What will a collabo between lagbaja & timaya sound like?we are about to find out as both artistes will be working together on the business tip.Lagbaja will be veering into the production of masks such as ski masks,ceremonial masks,traditional masks e.t.c while timaya will be in charge of marketing of the products to dem mama soldiers & his militant brothers due to the high demand for such items in the niger delta region.timaya has decided to donate the first 500 ski masks to his people to show his support & to promote the niger delta cause.the security community have been alerted and are closely monitoring the situation.

In unrelated news,don jazzy of the mo hits family has stated his intentions of travelling to sicily,Italy to see what chances he has of been actually made.

Nollywood actress Empress njamah now wishes to be officially known as the egberi mama 1 of bayelsa.

In view of recent accusations been thrown around by various artistes concerning the issue of copyright infringement & song stealing,A new law was put in place in a meeting of stake holders held at the ICC,Abuja with members of NCC & PMAN in attendance.the new law states that
"An artiste cannot claim his song has been stolen,if he never reported it missing in the first place"
"An artiste cannot claim his song has been stolen,if he still has said song in his possesion either as a demo tape or master copy"

Fresh off the success of his koko water brand,the koko master d'banj will be launching his own line of luxury shades & eye glasses which will be sold under the trade mark "Dray Banj" at the exclusive price of 200 naira each.production is scheduled to begin in may at a factory in Aba.

R&B crooner tuface idibia has teamed up with gold circle to release his own brand of condoms "2baba no baby" into the market,so his fans & everyone else can enter the place as they wish without any problems 9 months later or whenever.

In a sting operation carried out by men of the EFCC & SSS,kennis music new act kelly handsome was nabbed at an oceanic bank branch trying to cash a fraudulent western union money transfer.incriminating evidence found on him include fake driver licences,control numbers & some foreign currencies.However he has been released on bail & will be charged to court in due time.Speaking to the press after his release,mr kelly handsome claimed it was the work of the devil.