YEAR OF THE ROOKIE, AGAIN?

With new artists like Kel, Illbliss, MI, Wande Coal, Bracket, Omawunmi, Sleek, Deebee having the charts all to themselves last year & consequently outshining the already established acts like P square, Styl plus, 9ice etc. One is inclined to think that this year might be no different as there are a lot of upcoming acts waiting on the sidelines to have the torch passed on to them. 9jahiphop will be taking a look at 10 of the most promising ones that might come out on top in 2010.

PLUS ONE - COMMERCIAL CLASS

Chances are high that the naija music scene might get bracket-ed again, not by the yori yori boys but by these talented brothers. When you are confronted by the talent of the boy group plus one, two thoughts come readily to your mind, 1. P square was probably thinking of them when they recorded “danger” and 2. This is surely the end of Styl Plus.With the SARS & Puffy T produced “tinkonko” (supported by a Clarence peters video) already taking them places they never imagined and the follow up single “yaa ya” bubbling beneath the surface, 2010 might just be their year.

MO CHEDDAH - THE FRANCHISE CELEBRITY

The first lady of knighthouse and undoubtedly the brightest female talent in the naija music industry successfully crafted one of the biggest hooks of 2009 on knighthouse’s first single “the finest” and didn’t stop there as she kept the fire burning with her singles “shampoo” & “if you want me”. Not one to rest on her laurels she released a free Christmas mixtape “true Christmas” for her growing fan base and her hard work didn’t go unnoticed as she graced the cover of the December edition of true love magazine. What sets her apart from the crowd is her versatility as she can croon with the best of them and at the same time deliver mind blowing rap lines. All eyes are on her as she prepares to release her eclectic debut.

DR SID - TURNING POINT

Compared to every other artist on this list, Dr Sid is a veteran. The dentist turned rapper started his career with Trybe records and cut his teeth under Eldee, Freestyle & Kaboom.. While his fellow label mates Del & Timi fell off along the road to stardom, Sid remained focused, stayed true to the game & kept on grinding until he finally succeeded in finagling a record deal out of Don jazzy and ever since has been playing a major part in the rise & rise of mohits records. Sid’s major strength lies in his ability to identify his weakness hence opting for the singing route on his debut LP after the lukewarm response to his singles “something about you”, “when this song comes on” & “pops something”. Knowing that this might be his last chance will definitely make him pull out all the stops to make his debut hot.

MAYE HUNTA - MAYEFESTATION

Maye Hunta burst on the scene late last year with the housegirl/master relationship dilemma song "ekaete" which has since found a home on the charts. As if that is not enough, the follow up single “owo faaji” is steadily gaining momentum after been released to radio stations nationwide and is getting major spins in clubs. If things go according to plan then Maye Hunta might have the number one album spot all to himself in the coming months.

TIMI DAKOLO – TIMI

Timi wouldn’t have been on this list if the organizers of idols West Africa had kept their promises. After winning the maiden edition in 2007, Timi sat back thinking his dreams were about to come true until 2009 when he finally realized that he had been a victim of corporate maga & then decided to take matters into his own hands. Hooking up with Cobhams was a fruitful venture that resulted in the release of two singles “heaven please” featuring MI & “I love you” featuring Jesse Jagz which has been receiving massive airplay & has set the stage for the release of his self titled debut album.

GENERAL PYPE – TBD

It is one thing to sound like Sean Paul, it’s another thing to release an album like “dutty rock” & be as successful as he is.  The self proclaimed 7 star general started his steady climb up the naija music ladder by notching up guest appearances on songs such as Sasha’s “strong thing”, MI’s “teaser”, Illbliss’s “blessing”, Sheyman’s  “showa”, Jahbless’s “street rules (remix)” & Bigiano’s “its over” just to mention a few and has further more solidified his hold on the music scene with the release of  two blazing singles “keep it cool” & “champion”. With the latter already topping radio & video charts nationwide, General Pype’s debut is already shaping up to be one of the biggest debuts of the year.

VECTOR - THE STATE OF SURPRISE

In Nigeria we have the state of harmony, the state of the living spring and 34 other states, so it is understandable when people are shocked at the mention of the state of surprise. Maybe it is the 37th state where vector hails from or the hip hop mindstate where he currently resides, we will find out soon enough as the young cat prepares to unleash his debut album on the unsuspecting public. The MC who has kept his buzz strong by appearing on Bigiano’s shayo (remix), Paul play’s smoking and J.martins’s good & bad (remix) has also leaked some songs from his upcoming album like “Kilode” (ft Emmsong), “warm n close” (ft Ade piper) & “I love Nigeria”. In addition, his freestyle on jimmy’s jumpoff & his DJ mighty mike exclusive certainly boosted his street credibility.

JESSE JAGZ – TBD

After successfully producing the album that propelled his brother (MI) to the pinnacle of the crowded naija rap game, Jesse Jagz swung into action immediately by jumping on tracks off MI’s “illegal music” mixtape and guest appearing on Djinee’s “overkilling (remix)”, Darey’s “style na style (remix)”, Timi dakolo’s “I love you” & Rooftop MC’s “sitting on the roof top”. Not one to let an opportunity pass him by, the J-town MC took full advantage of the chocolate city movement to drop “pump it up” & “jagga swagga” off his upcoming untitled debut project. When his album finally drops we will see just how far his brother’s fame and the vocoder have taken him.

YQ – TBD

When you think of YQ, think of Wande Coal before M2M (raw talent). YQ hit the mainstream in 09 courtesy of his cameos on songs like Knighthouse’s “ijinle pam pam”, Kel’s “turn by turn” Naeto C’s “duro” & 2 shotz’s “oyoyo”. The man renowned for crafting ingenious hooks also released 2 singles “I like girls”, "money can't buy me love" & “efimile” featuring Da grin off his upcoming debut album and the latter even got him a nomination in the last edition of hip hop world awards. With a solid foundation already laid for his career & with the right direction, YQ might just be naija’s next superstar.

 BEAZY - TBD

If you thought MI was good, wait till you listen to beazy. If the naija music scene was the NBA, then be would have been the draft pick of the year. With 2 critically acclaimed mixtapes under his belt, “the affidavit” & “get money, stay fly”, beazy's debut album is definitely something to look forward to. The London based MC makes your favorite MCs sound like amateurs. Armed with witty punch lines, sharp wordplay & fierce delivery, I guess it is safe to say beazy’s music is hip hop at its finest and he will be right up there with the best when his untitled debut album drops.

POISONED PEN 5

Who is durella planning to sell his sneakers to?

Does the G in terry g's name stand for gingah?

Which is funnier,ruggedman quitting music or ras kimono staging a comeback?

Are we going to forgot how weak an album tradition was just because 9ice dumped toni payne?

With Sleek, Omawunmi, Pype, Deebee, Illbliss, Kel, MI, Bracket & Oluwe all blowing up in 2009, isn't it safe to say it was the year of the rookies?

Am i the only one who thinks that st.janet is possessed and demonic?

Has the end finally come for styl plus?

When will naija artists start visiting prophet T.B Joshua for guidance?

Wouldn't it have been better if p square had said that Nigerian awards are no longer credible because they ain't winning anymore?

If lip synching/miming is banned in Nigeria, what will happen when naija artists perform on stage?

Will modenine keep showing his love for dan brown by titling his next album lyrical fortress?

If fatai rolling dollars live to be a 100 years of age, will he change his name to fatai somersaulting pounds?

Wouldn't we have been surprised if femi kuti had won a grammy for an album nobody listened to in Nigeria.

Could it have been the arrival of ikechukwu in mohits that made Dr sid switch lanes to the singing route?

Now that we have met kennis music's jaywon,is there any reason why we will want to meet him again?

Where is Marvellous benjy?

What happened to westside music?

Is Baba nee trying to kick 9ice while he is down by claiming that he stole his concepts & lyrics?

Will 9ice's versus album turn out to be a complete disaster?

What message was Banky W trying to send across with his soundcity blast cover?

WRITERS BLOCK

Why am I writing this, probably I have nothing else to write about again. Is it really possible to have nothing else to write about again? A friend of mine asked me some days ago that don’t I ever get writers block, I was like writers block ke?  Emi ko!!! It cannot happen, especially in this naija music industry.

With all these illegal beefs going on in the industry, it’s just a matter of time before someone gets shot; when it happens I will do a rest in peace write up, upload the slain artist’s songs and yap about it for some days. Any moment from now one of our major artists might get caught trafficking in drugs cos most of them are spending more than they are earning logically. Looking at the hottest trend of 2009, one is inclined to believe that it is only a matter of time before Tuface or D’banj gets kidnapped for ransom, if I was in their shoes, I will limit my trips down south or hire the egberi papa 1 of bayelsa as an escort.

If there is a writer’s block, shouldn’t there be readers block or bloggers block. So if a time comes when you can no longer comprehend what you are reading, you know you are having a readers block and for all you bloggers out there who have run out of ideas, don’t panic, it might just be a bloggers block. If a time comes when I have nothing else to blog about again then you can be rest assured that our artists have stopped making rubbish songs, our record label execs have outgrown their shady & nasty habits, our music videos have become perfect, there is no more beef, piracy has stopped and a lot of improbable & impossible things have happened like Femi Kuti winning a grammy. Femi-grammy, what do they have in common except that they rhyme.

Have you noticed how most naija artists lie in their interviews? Some will tell you they started playing the piano at the age of 6 (next thing they will tell you is how they walk on water) and I am sure you must have heard this before; “singing has always been my passion, so I left my job to do music” (don’t believe the hype; it was after they got fired). There is never a dull moment in naija hip hop. Just when you are trying to catch your breath, something else happens. Speaking of which, doesn’t the criticisms of st. janet come across as misogynistic? If it was a guy, I am sure it would have been totally acceptable because I can still remember that obesere’s gogo night & cossy orjiakor videos never got banned.

You see, I blog better when I am angry, so how far do I have to look before I find someone to piss me off? Do you know what pisses me off the most? Dickriders!!!, with the bullshit cats be doing, they must think I am stupid. Maybe I will let it slide, maybe I won't but one thing you can be sure of is that I won't lose. In fact I think I need a name that is more fearsome; maybe y'all should start calling me Ayxdawesome. Before that happens I will keep doing me and I expect you to keep doing you. 

TALK IS CHEAP 10

What is there to talk about this early in the year? A LOT!!!. naija artists are not lazy and they have been putting in work nonstop since the turn of the year.

MUSIC TALK
Duncan daniels sophomore album "shostopper" is now in stores.

Gospel singer Kefee just released the first single "no be sapele water" off her upcoming album "confession".

9ice just debuted 3 new singles "loni ni ft Da grin", safarawe ft MI" & "Atamatase ft Modenine" off his versus album.

Still on alapomeji, the ajayi brovaz also released a new single "irinja" featuring 9ice & snow.

Eldee also released a new single "you blow my mind".

Not to be outdone, Mc loph also released his new single "mama" featuring Flavour.

Jeremiah gyang also got back in the game with the release of his promo CD which includes “in love with you”, “kaunar allah (feat skales)” & “the only one”.

Omotola is at work on her sophomore album while Nkem Owoh is working on a gospel album.

VIDEO TALK
I haven't been watching many videos of recent but i saw a clip of something i hope is not D'banj's video for "fall in love".

I heard that 9ice has wrapped up the video for "gbamu gbamu" and it was directed by Akin Alabi.

OD will be releasing the video for his single "alujo" very soon.

Another video worth watching is "maga no need pay" which features Cobhams,Banky W,Rooftop mcs,Wordsmith,Omawunmi & MI.

I watched P square's "i love you" video and i wasn't impressed.those boys look jaded to me.

Sasha's video for the remix of "making money" featuring Naeto C & Sauce Kid is definitely a good look for her.

IN THE NEWS
I heard that Puffy T is working on an album which will be released later this year.

Comedian Jedi will also be releasing a gospel album.

On the anniversary of my first post,i will fade to black.For those who don't know what that means,y'all will find out soon.

MO'HITS CREW DENY N1.3 MILLION FRAUD ALLEGATION

Sunday Aare, head of the outfit that manages the Mo’hits crew has risen to the defence of D’banj & Wande Coal on allegations by Osy Agah, a promoter, that the duo defrauded him to the tune of 1.3 million naira by not performing at an event in Delta state.

Aare, said he was surprised that Agah, a close friend of his artistes, could go to the media to express his grievance as the matter could have been resolved amicably. According to him, the money in question was an honorarium for D’banj for coming to the event, while the promoter insisted that he had paid the duo to perform at events for him. Their absence, Agah claimed, cast a slur on his reputation as he had informed top government officials, including the governor and deputy governor of Delta state and several politicians, that D’banj & Wande would be in Warri for the event.

Aare however debunked allegations of 1.287 million fraud leveled against D’banj & Wande Coal after failing to perform at the wedding of the vice chairman, Delta state water ways security, Mr. Emani Aji, who recently got married. Aare said that the allegations has cost the group a lot and at the same time expressed his dissatisfaction with Agah. He admitted that Emani Aji was a friend of the house and that he invited both artistes to perform at his wedding. “it’s not like we charged him”, Aare insisted.

“I have told them that we will make it up to them. I really don’t know why they are rubbishing us in the media,” he said.

JEREMIAH GYANG RELEASES PROMO CD

5 years after the release of his debut album “nabaka”, j town singer Jeremiah Gyang is preparing to release sophomore album which is yet to be titled and in the spirit of the valentine season he has put out a free promo cd “the return of Jeremiah” which includes the new singles “in love with you”, “kaunar allah (feat skales)” & “the only one”.

NO CREDIBILITY IN NIGERIAN AWARDS - P SQUARE

Culled from Thisday

The name P-Square will definitely ring a bell anywhere music is being discussed in Africa . They have become one of the biggest music exports out of Africa . They started their career with nothing but talent, courage and the determination to succeed. Today, they have become one of the richest acts in Africa driving choice cars and living in posh apartments.  They have carved a niche for themselves through their soothing lyrical wit coupled with percussive beats. They spoke to SEUN APARA

They looked so simple and casual last Monday evening watching the on-going Africa Cup of Nations and at the same waiting for this reporter to arrive for their interview. After exchanging pleasantries and catching up on old times, we moved from the sitting room to the dinning to conduct this interview.

They have not actually spoken about the success of their latest album since it was released.  That was where the interview started from. “It is a successful album. We sold a million copies after eight days. That was fantastic. We performed almost everyday through out the month of December and the album is now everywhere in Africa .  We are getting ready for Invasion Africa season two”.

How did they receive the criticisms that followed the release of the album? “It’s bound to happen. We will tell you that we didn’t even receive much criticism on this one like the ‘Game Over’ album. It seems as if people are now used to our style of music. All they do now is to buy and listen”

“We came to realize that one of the problems we have right now in the industry is that people believe the songs that are played in the clubs are the hit songs and they lose focus of releasing songs with good contents. All we need to do is to do music and the society will choose their favourite. Some people now believe only in the instrumentals but music is more than that. The beats, the songs and the delivery should be perfect. When you have a better understanding of what music is, you will let it flow. ‘E No Easy’ was not recorded as a club song but is now one of the most played songs in the clubs. We advise that people should do good music”.

Lots of people refused to play ‘Danger’, one of the songs on their album in their various homes during the festive periods due to the lyrics. It’s however suprising that they felt the same way. “Even we P-Square felt the same. Nobody wants to see wahala (problem) or danger but that is not the concept of the song. At every point in life, one is bound to face danger. The song literarily explained what we went through in our career before we got to where we are now. It means that anybody that wants to enter our shoes too must see danger (laughs). Anyway, Danger was not the main song on the album but only an introduction to it.

They revealed what kept them going. “We believe it is the love for what we are doing and because we know what the people want. We have not changed and we don’t listen to people. We  tried to develop ourselves which has really helped us. The ‘Do Me’ track you listen to in Nigeria is different from the Do Me you will listen to in other countries. They tried to play it with their own house beats”.

What informed their decision to start performing live? “We believe that is the way music ought to be done. The truth about this issue is that we play with a live band most times outside Nigeria . Why are we not replicating it in our country? Why are they always making us to perform with CDs? We have stopped that anyway and there is no show you would catch P-Square performing in that act again. Even when the organizers cannot afford the equipments, we go there with ours. We believe it should be encouraged by all the artistes. It is time to start doing music. People need to hear something different from the CDs they listen to every time in their respective homes”.

The twin brothers also explained why they sampled Busta Rhyme’s video to shoot theirs.
“It’s very simple. One of the reasons was that we are tired of seeing some videos we see on air everyday. They all look the same. The same song-Danger was meant to feature Busta Rhyme before everything turned apart. We only tried to do an international video out of Africa and people enjoyed it.

“The new one too is very simple. We just want to do something different. We have done so many love videos in the past where a guy will be holding a lady’s hand and be singing for her. So in this case, we decided to do something simple without any complication for the artiste. Soit  is simply for people to enjoy the song”.
They explained how they feel being one of the most popular groups in Africa “We feel great and honoured. We are doing everything possible to maximize it because every artiste has a life span.

They can’t even count how many shows they play week in week out. “That is a very difficult question to answer. We play gigs like everyday. We know of the places we are going next week but we don’t know the ones that will follow. It’s very difficult for us to count.
“We are working on whole lots of stuff. People should expect the Invasion Africa Season Two. We are also working on Invasion Europe and America . At the same time, we are working on some other videos like Possibility and Break It. We are working on  lots of things actually. Due to our time table this year, we might not be able to achieve everything but we pray that God will help us.”

They also took their time to speak on insinuations that they have been boycotting awards organized in Nigeria or by Nigerians. “For P-Square, we are occupied. If what people think is that we are boycotting award ceremonies, it’s not completely true. You don’t expect us to return money for a concert we have been paid for because of an award. Another important thing is that we have created a name for ourselves.

 So other artistes need the awards more than us. Look at our shelves, they are full of awards. We don’t even have space for them anymore. We are sorry to say this but awards mean nothing to us again. Some will even call us that if we didn’t come, they will give it to someone else. We just felt other artistes need them more than we do. What we are saying is we can’t cancel our show for any award”
 “ It is true that we cancelled a show for MTV Africa Music Awards in 2008 but it will never happen again. We knew how much we lost for that single show”.

They refuted allegations that stopped because they didn’t win some categories as expected. ‘Let’s even face it. Everybody loves awards but does it put food on our table? Definitely not!  There are lots of stuff that happen behind all these awards that people do not know. When the sponsors give them money, they will go ahead and do whatever they like and be deceiving people. We know all these but for P-Square, we don’t need it”.

“There is no credibility in all the awards organized in Nigeria . I think they have to hear it from the horse’s mouth. They should be doing the awards for the upcoming acts and not for P-Square, 2Face and the rest. We don’t need it”.
Why the sudden change because they loved awards in the past? “Yes but not anymore. It got to a level that it became a headache. I don’t think R-Kelly won so many awards. We just advise they give it to the upcoming ones to ginger them up. We are old now (laughs)”.

What if they are nominated for Grammy? “That is the step. Not these ones. We will definitely go for Grammy”.
“We will definitely go for Grammy. We will cancel the show because it’s worth it. Would they still attend awards organized in Nigeria ? “2010 is a new decade and there are whole lots of things to be achieved. If we are free, we will attend. If we deserve it give it to us but if you we didn’t, give to the person that deserves it”.

“Maybe we have already made up our mind actually because there are whole lots to be achieved in the industry not awards. We don’t even have space for plaques anymore. Let them give it to those that need them. We are not saying awards are completely bad; they are good no matter how old you are. Some little kids from one school recently gave us an award and we love it. Even though it’s made of wood but we still appreciated it. But you know what; P-Square is much occupied. Award organizers are doing their awards to make money; we too should be doing our concerts to make money, Period”!

“It now looks as if they are sharing it. Many of them will come out and campaign for people’s votes but the votes were never declared for once. They enrich themselves through that means and they think we didn’t know (laughs)? If you invite an artiste for an award, you don’t have to beg him to come. Some people will go to the extent of begging us that if we didn’t come, the awards will not be fantastic.  My God! You don’t have to do that. If it has credibility, nobody will want to miss it. You will leave whatever you are doing to be there. We have been to international awards and we all enjoyed it. Another problem is everybody is doing awards. We too can wake up tomorrow and do P-Square Awards.

 You can imagine the number of awards in Nigeria every year. We just felt these things ought to be checked. The sharing we are talking about is awards A will give best song to his person while awards B will give same category to his own person. The same thing happens with all music awards in Nigeria . It calls for reasoning. One will start wondering if it’s not the same set of people that are voting for the categories. Everybody is just after their pockets. We think they should all come together and put a stop to it.

They also commented on the state of the music industry. “The most important thing right now is for us to do the right thing. Even though the leverage is still there for us and things are getting better by the day, so many things still have to be done because it’s not applicable to other acts. God made ours possible because we do  lots of shows especially outside the country. There should be a way to curb piracy and encourage royalty from airplay.

Even if we A-list acts try to enforce it, the upcoming ones will still offer them money to play their videos because they are very desperate. So many things are even wrong with the Nigerian system. We have not had a president for more than two months”.
“We are getting the fight wrong because we are doing it by ourselves. We need to involve the government. LASTMA has been able to curb traffic in Lagos and EFCC has been able to curb corruption. So let the government create a security outfit  like that for piracy. If our CDs are selling for N500, they can take N100.

EFCC are fighting corruption because they know that something will definitely come for them anytime they win. We still feel that the body should be under EFCC because it’s part of crime. We heard some people did hunger strike at a time. They demonstrated and later went to Abuja to collect some millions”.
“That is what we heard. Let’s assume we have been on hunger strike since then; we would have been dead by now. Nothing good came out of the hunger strike”.

The brothers are not planning to get married soon. “We will get married someday but we are not thinking about it right now. We will do that at the right time.
 But Peter is already a father? (Peter cuts in) There is nothing wrong with being a father but marriage is a different thing. And Paul has a fiancée in the University of Abuja? (Paul screamed) who told you I have a fiancée? You revealed her to me about two years ago?
Yes I did but I didn’t say she is my fiancée. She is my girlfriend and we are still dating. She is about graduating and after that she needs time to settle down and be independent. At the right time, we will all get married. I can’t imagine my wife telling me that I should stop removing my cloths on stage (laughs).

They also spoke about celebrity marriage break ups in Nigeria . “We think people got to know about these break ups because they are popular. There is divorce in every sector of the society. We musicians need to marry someone that is our friend. Someone that is used to us and understands us perfectly than marrying someone who barely know anything about us. It’s a very sensitive issue”.

They felt bad for their colleague- 9ice who recently broke up with his wife. “We felt very bad. We are good friends because he is a wonderful person. He was actually here and the only thing we could say is sorry. When we read it in the papers at first, we thought it was not true until we saw him and he confirmed it. He knows better actually because he is the one wearing the shoes. So who are we to comment? But we were pained when we heard.

STINGOMANIA SHOOTS 19 VIDEOS IN 10 DAYS!

One big challenge an upcoming artiste has to surmount in Nigeria after recording a good song is how to afford the average cost of 1.5 million naira for a music video. However stingomania records made an audacious move to solve the problem of high cost of making a video by shooting and producing 19 incredible music videos in barely 10 days.

Stingomania records made history between January 17 & 27 as they gathered the artists on their label together for a musical video production camp at an exclusive location in Lekki, Lagos state. Some of the music videos produced include videos for hits such as

Dudukoko, alepo. stingo girl, koto and reason for Trybson

Kolo and kainje for Aydu Amah

Love wan tin tin for EMX

2ice as nice for Baba Nee

Pay the money, overnight, in my life and ko ye mi o for Ovis Tee

Show your logo for Eazy Lizy

Shimpaka for whichlevelz

Wind e for Obesere

Ope Banwo, CEO of stingomania records speaking on the MVP camp said “solving the problem of the high cost of video production was a life or death problem for the record label. We had to choose between spending over 20 million naira on videos for our artists or watch the label go quietly into oblivion, both options we definitely could not afford, so we had to come up with the concept of the MVP camp.

EMX’s hit single love wan tin tin will be the first video to be released and will be released on youtube. The music video which costs less than 50,000 naira will hold viewers spellbound with its masterful combination of simplicity, audacity & creativity.

10 MOST ANTICIPATED ALBUMS OF 2010

KELLY HANSOME-NAMES OF NOISE MAKERS

When this album finally hits shelves nationwide, all eyes will be on kennis music’s last lifeline to see what he actually has to offer. With his infuriating diss track “igwe kom kom” where he took shots at Wande coal, Terry G & D’banj putting him under the spotlight, the onus is on him to deliver because failure to do so might mean the end of his career. Mr. maga is not resting on his oars just yet as he has already released “cool your temper”, which is probably the second single off his sophomore album.

DURELLA-THE GINGER IS CONSTANT

This is definitely an album that will be zangalicious. With the samklef produced “hustler” and the street banger “my life” already tearing up radio. Mushin’s finest looks like a sure bet already, and with the release of his sneaker line “2gbaski”, it is clear to see that the self proclaimed king of the zanga is out to handle his business. After numerous collabos in 2009, the advance warning winner has finally upped his game and might just have an ace up his sleeve as he seeks to eliminate the D’banj comparisons.

2SHOTZ-IAM WILLIAM

The legendary ex trybe records member’s fifth album is already a strong contender for album of the year with just 3 singles released from it. The first single “oyoyo” featuring YQ is presently one of the most requested songs on urban radio, while the MI collaboration “make some noise” is a true hip hop heads delight and an indication that 2shotz might be going back to his hardcore roots on this LP. The only Nigerian MC that has succeeded in finding the right balance between keeping it real & commercial success might just be dropping the biggest album of his career this year.

MI-MI2

Word on the streets is that MI can’t be defused because he is already blown. Truer words were never spoken as the chocolate city star has become a household name following the massive success of his debut album “talk about it” and as such cases usually turn out, everyone is patiently waiting on his follow up album which if rumors are to be believed is titled MI2. No official singles have been released from it yet but Mr. incredible will definitely be in the studio working hard to show that his debut was no fluke.

SASHA-SASHA SPEAKS

The title of her album might suggest that she has run out of ideas as that is the title of her column in hiphop world magazine, that doesn’t seem to be the case. Once you put her singles “making money” & “put it down” into the equation. You will realize that Sasha has a point to prove on her sophomore album. With competition at an all time high, she wouldn’t want to be caught slipping.

NAETO C-SUPER C SEASON

Add an –ing to the album title and you might have a new brand of maggi or indomie seasoning. Jokes aside Naeto C is not a rapper to be played with. At least we already know how much of a big deal he is. What we don’t know yet is how much of a big deal his sophomore set will be. With the release of the singles “ako mi ti poju” & “duro” featuring YQ from his forthcoming album, it will be too risky to underestimate him.

IKECHUKWU-THE ALLIANCE

With 3 songs namely “critical”, “its all on me” & “now is the time” already released, killz's mo hits debut might just be the album that defines the year. Everyone is looking forward to this one not because they are expecting some mind blowing lyrics or some def wordplay but we are all just curious to see how killz will fit into mo hits records. Frankly speaking, third time might just be the charm for Ikechukwu.

TUFACE IDIBIA-UNSTOPPABLE 2

On listening to his most recent song “implication”, it is clear to see that Tuface is trying desperately to right the wrongs of unstoppable. Tu baba is out to prove to the world that he has not lost his edge and that there is life after kennis music. Despite coming under fire for the R.kelly collabo that never was and with his hypertek record label not blowing up as anticipated, Tuface will still want to show his numerous fans how much of a better artiste he has become.

MODENINE-THE DA VINCI MODE

They say if you try and fail, you try again and keep on trying until you eventually get it right. Gone are the days when modey’s throne was unassailable. With the emergence of MI & a lot of other MCs on the scene, the self proclaimed lyricist’s lyricist has finally been forced out of his comfort zone & will have to show that he can hold his own in the face of the stiffest competition. With his Tuface collaboration “we dey vex” already on deck, the stage is now set for Modenine to re establish himself.

KNIGHTHOUSE-THE STREET SCRIPTURES VOLUME 1

If knighthouse's debut album was to be judged by the strength of their EP, then the street scriptures will be a classic. After storming the naija music scene last year with their highly infectious street banger “the finest” featuring Mo’cheddah, Sauce kid & Teeto, the hip hop collective have kept their grind on since by following up with the single “ijinle pam pam” featuring YQ, Othello, Kel & Eldee. This album will have a major impact on the naija hip hop scene because this is the first time a coalition of MCs will come together to make good music.

DEAR AYX - THE W EDITION

Due to the increase in number of mails i have been receiving, I have decided to create a new column where I will be answering fan mails and any question you might have for me.

Don't get the wrong idea though, I will only be answering questions pertaining and limited to the naija music industry. Don’t write me asking a question about Jay Z or Rihanna and don’t ask me some funny ass questions like….em…..my boyfriend is sleeping with my best friend, what should I do or I am in love with 2 guys & I am confused type of questions. I am not aunt whatever, those questions are for the columnists in your national dallies. So here are the questions I have picked for the first dear ayx.

NOTE - Sender’s email address will not be displayed.

Why is Terry da rapman not smiling?
-He is definitely not happy with his life. If you were as broke as he is,you wouldn't be smiling either. Poverty is not funny.

When will sunny neji have another hit?
-Sunny neji doesn't have a hit now and probably won't have any time soon because whenever he watches his chivita advert on TV, he thinks he already has a hit single.

Will 9ice's next album be better than tradition?
-9ice doesn't want to go back to repairing refrigerators, so you can be rest assured that his next album will be good.

What is the reason behind wande coal’s weight increase?
-Growing up in mushin, he had to eat whatever he could find to survive, so immediately he blew up and became rich, he started trying to make up for lost time by eating three times what he should be eating. You shouldn’t even be asking me this question,  ask durella. On a side note I heard wande’s next album will be titled mohits to mrbiggs.

Where is president Yaradua? is he dead or alive?
I don’t do politics. Infact I don’t even know what you are talking about.

Who are you?
-That is classified information. If I tell you, I will have to kill you.

WINNERS OF 9JAHIPHOP AWARDS

STREET SINGLE OF THE YEAR
Igboro ti daru-Klever jay/Eedris

BEST R&B SONG BY DUO OR GROUP
Yori yori-Bracket

BEST RAP SONG BY DUO OR GROUP
Da finest-Knighthouse/Sauce kid/Teeto

BEST COLLABO
Big boy-Eldee/Olu maintain/Banky W/Oladele

R&B SONG OF THE YEAR
Yori yori-Bracket

RAP SONG OF THE YEAR
Aiye po gan-Illbliss/Terry G

GOSPEL SONG OF THE YEAR
Morile-Bouqui

ALTERNATIVE SONG OF THE YEAR
Osondi owendi-MC loph

CLUB BANGER OF THE YEAR
Fokasibe-Dj zeez

SONG OF THE YEAR
Yori yori-Bracket

R&B ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Mushin to mohits-Wande coal

RAP ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Everything remains raw-Dat nigga raw

ALTERNATIVE ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Gift & grace-Timaya

GOSPEL ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Redefinition-Bouqui

ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Mushin to mohits-Wande coal

MIXTAPE OF THE YEAR
Illegal music-M.I

MUSIC VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Strong thing-Banky W

ALBUM COVER OF THE YEAR
Paradise-Lagbaja

BEST NEW ARTIST
M.I

PRODUCER OF THE YEAR
Don jazzy