The 10 Best Rappers In Nigeria 2022 [Updated List]
Who is the best rapper in Nigeria? Today’s article is focused on the top 10 best rappers in Nigeria stating their awards, reach, ability, fanbase, and influence. Rap music is an African thing so African does it better, just like we have other musical genre doing great in the Nigerian music industry so do we have rappers making Nigeria proud too.
Looking at the achievements of the best rappers in Nigeria you can tell it took time for each one of them to secure a spot on this list and certainly they must be considered successful in the Nigerian music industry.
We should never forget rappers like Mode 9, Dagrin, Eedris Abdulkareem, Tony Tetuila and many others who laid down a good foundation for most rappers you see today.
For the fact that rapping is now a thing in Nigeria being one of the major elements of music in Nigeria we now have many young Nigerians starting a career in rap and no doubt, they all are doing well.
Even though we have numerous rappers in Nigeria currently, not all of them are worthy to be on the list of the best rappers in Nigeria as this requires hard work and can only be attained over time, you can’t just start music within a month and become the best, it isn’t done overnight.
Nevertheless, this feat isn’t rocket science as any dedicated and hardworking artist can become one of the best as far as he or she didn’t back out, there is always a light at the end of the tunnel.
Our list of Nigerian best rappers consists of Nigerian top rappers in Nigeria of which most of them also made it on our list of the richest musicians in Nigeria.
Without taking much of your time let’s dive into the topic of the day which is the top 10 best rappers in Nigeria and they are arranged in no particular order.
The 10 Best Rappers In Nigeria – Updated
10. Erriga
Erriga is a controversial rapper and also one of the best rappers in Nigeria, in short, the list of the best rappers in Nigeria cannot be complete without mentioning him, he became famous after the release of his debut album titled “A Trip To The South” in 2017 and since then has become a force to reckon with in the Nigerian music industry.
Erigga was born and bred in Warri a city in Delta State, in the South Southern region of Nigeria. He is a rapper, singer and songwriter and he started his music career in early 2010 making it over a decade since he started.
As a renowned rapper Erigga fanbase is huge, this took him over a decade and fortunately it pays off, the song that actually brought him to the limelight is “Mo Street Gan” from his debut album “A Trip To The South.”
After this he released other songs like “Motivation ft. Victor AD” which received millions of views on YouTube, he also released another titled “Growth” in July 27, 2020, which came alongside his new official Twitter account @erigganewmoney.
9. Blaqbonez
Another top ratted rapper in Nigeria is Blaqbones with his real name Emeka Akumefule, he was born on the 29th of January 1996 and is an artist under the Chocolate City record label.
Blaqbonez is a graduate of Obafemi Awolowo University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Engineering. He started his music career at a very young age of 16 years and has been in a variety of talent show where his talent is being showcased.
Among 3000 rappers in Nigeria Balqbonez became No 1 in a Zombie Contest by Terry Tha Rapman and since then Balqbonez found his path in the Nigerian music industry.
His success in the contest made him a target for A-List rappers in the country as he got featured in Terry World Domination album where we also have Olamide, Spellz, Vector and also Mode 9.
His hard work paid off when he got profiled by the New York Times as one of the future of Nigerian music in 2019. He has numerous songs which have fetched him many awards.
8. Y-Cee
His real name is Oludemilade Martin Alejo and popularly known as Ycee, he is a Nigerian rapper, songwriter and influencer, he is also a force to reckon with in the Nigerian music industry.
He sings under the umbrella of Tinny Entertainment record label and has many songs to his name.
Due to his quality and unique style of rap he was able to capture the minds of his fans and other music lovers in Nigeria and this has gotten him many awards from the Nigerian Entertainment Awards, MTV Africa Music Awards and also the Headies Awards.
7. Reminisce
The Nigerian music industry has received a lot of PR from rappers like Reminisce, he has shaped the music industry with his own style of music which made him distinct.
Reminisce real name is Remilekun Abdulkalid Safaru, he mostly raps in Yoruba language which is his traditional dialect and he also raps in English. Whichever language he sings in gets your attention and makes you want to listen to more.
In 2012 Reminisce released his first album titled “Book of Rap Stories” and not quite long he dropped his second album titled “Alaga Ibile” which received a lot of views and sales in 2013 and in 2015 he dropped the third titled “Baba Hafusa”.
Ever since he started his music career he has been making waves in Nigeria and impact can be felt in the Nigerian music industry.
Reminisce has his shelves filled with numerous awards, as he became the first African Hip-Hop musician to debut on the Billboard Charts World Music this paved way for him to win awards both locally and internationally and he is one of the best rappers from Nigeria.
6. Ill Bliss
The CEO of Goretti Company Ill Bliss also known as Oga Boss is a rapper, songwriter and also businessman, he owns a talent managing company where the likes of Phyno and Chidinma were produced.
In 2009 Ill Bliss released his debut album which he titled “Dat IBO Boy”, this album took over the country and remain relevant for years, also in 2012 he released another titled “Oga Boss”, this one is also a banger.
He later released Power and Illygaty 7075, ever since the start of his career he has been one of the best choices for other top musicians in Nigeria and he has featured many top Nigerian artists.
Ill Bliss is an award-winning musician and has been nominated numerous times, some of the awards he won are; Sound City Music Video Awards, Southern Music Video Awards, NMVA Awards just to mention a few.
5. Phyno
The top 10 list of the best rappers in Nigeria will not be complete without mentioning Phyno, Chibuzor Nelson Azubuike with his stage name Phyno raps in Igbo Language, he also raps in English with a unique style which marvels a lot of music lovers.
Born on the 9th of October 1986 Phyno was able to scale up his music career by singing in his native dialect, with a flexible rap style which enables him to deliver in Pidgin, Igbo, and also in English.
He is currently under the record label “Penthouse” and has released a lot of songs of which some notable ones are; Alobam, Ghost Mode ft. Olamide, Fada Fada, Shutdown, Man of the Year, Ride for You ft. Davido, Finance Woman sq ft. Augment and many others.
Some of the awards won by Phyno includes; Rap Artist of the Year in 2014, Best Rap Single for Parcel in 2014, Best Rap Single Man of the Year and Best Collaboration (Ghost Mode ft. Olamide) in 2013 and others just to mention a few. Phyno is also ranked No 8 among the top best rappers in Africa.
4. Vector
Vector is one of the oldest rappers in Nigeria, he goes by the name Olanrewaju Ogunmefun with his stage name “Vector” also called “Vector Tha Viper,” he is also one of the best rappers from Nigeria and the role model of many upcoming rappers.
Vector is originally from Ogun State in the South Western Region of Nigeria, he is a professional rapper, singer and songwriter, he is also the owner of G.R.AP music which is a record label that has been the backbone of most artists in the country.
He is named the Eminem of Nigeria because of his flows, he raps effortlessly and can merge up rhymes in seconds. Vector is a talented rapper and a controversial one at it, he has dragged M.I Abaga to rap battles times without counts.
Vector is one of the most popular hip-hop artists in Nigeria and a successful rapper also, he released his debut character named “Kilode” in 2009 and a studio album dubbed “State of the Art” in 2010, both albums were the talk of the town then.
What makes Vector one of the best rappers in Nigeria was his dedication and hard work, this has won him a lot of awards from Dynamic Awards, Nigerian Entertainment Awards, Headies Awards, Nigerian Music Awards and has received numerous nominations.
3. Falz
Folarin Falana popularly known by his stage name Falz is the 3rd on the list of Nigeria’s best rappers, his style of rap is quite unique and this differentiates him from the rest. Any music released by Falz is always a banger and he was able to control a whole lot of fans with his influence.
Falz is a Nigerian rapper, singer, songwriter, actor and also lawyer, his musical career gained prominence in 2014 after releasing his debut album named “Waz Up Guy”.
He is a top-rated rapper in Nigeria and also in Africa as he was ranked the 7th best on the list of best rappers in Africa, he is a rapper filled with humor and produces the best contemporary sounds from the Nigerian traditional fused sounds.
He produces songs under his personal record label “Bahd Guys Records” and has since been a big wig in the business of music production since 2009.
As a top-rated rapper, he has featured other top-ranked Nigerian music artists and some of his popular songs are; Ello Bae, Soldier Ft. Simi, Bop Daddy, Squander, Foreign Ft. Simi, Wehdone Sir, Marry Me, One Trouser, e.t.c.
He is an award-winning rapper with many awards to his name, he has won; Viewers Choice Best New International Acts in 2016 by BET, Headies Awards in 2016, 2019 and also 2020, he also won the City People Awards for the Album of the Year: Storie That Touch in 2016.
2. M.I
How on earth are we going to list the best rapper in Nigeria without mentioning M.I Abaga? Born on the 4th of October 1981 in the Northern region of Nigeria M.I remains the all-time best rapper in Nigeria. His footsteps are what most rappers in Nigeria and in Africa walk-in presently.
He is no doubt the Undisputed Champion who has been the leading force in the Nigerian music industry since 2008 when he rose to prominence, his debut song titled “Crowd Mentality” was loved by most music lovers and his type of music is generally loved and not only loved by rap lovers.
M.I has released a lot of songs and even now when he hardly drop songs he is still held high as one of the best rappers in Nigeria of which his fans regard him as the best rapper in Nigeria.
His stage performance is top-notch and this always causes fans to make the loudest noise whenever he is called on stage, all his songs are hit this is enough to give you confidence that this legend still has a lot of juice in him.
M.I. is the C.E.O of Chocolate City Music which is one of the best record labels in Nigeria, he is also a multi-award-winning rapper with various awards and nominations.
1. Olamide
The most preferred indigenous rapper who has always rep the streets Olamide Adedeji popularly known as Olamide Baddo is currently the best rapper in Nigeria.
Olamide was born on the 5th of March 1989, he was also raised in Lagos State Nigeria, Bariga to be precise. Loved by all and his songs will always raise hairs on your skin.
Olamide is a talented rapper who loves to rap in his local dialect Yoruba, he also raps in English and Pidgin fluently and has been able to feature with other artists without stress.
Baddo command class, streetwise, and lyrically hot. He is so talented and filled with songs you will have no choice but to vibe to, his tank of music is so large to the extent he releases albums every year and he is the C.E.O and owner of YBNL Record Label which happens to be one of the best record labels in Nigeria.
He currently has 7 albums and still counting, he also has dropped a lot of singles which has in turn gotten him numerous awards, he has won the following awards; MTV Africa Music Awards, Channel O Awards, Nigerian Entertainment Awards, The Headies Awards, City People Entertainment Awards and many more just to mention a few.
FAQs
Who is the best rapper in Nigeria currently?
Olamide Adedeji popularly known as Olamide Baddo is currently the best rapper in Nigeria, he is the C.E.O of YBNL Record Label.
Conclusion
The fact that we have the following names on the list of the best rappers in Nigeria doesn’t mean others are not the best. We have only ranked them based on their general performance, awards won, nomination, influence in the country and other factors which distinguished them from the rest. The list still continues as we have others who are also one of the best rappers in the Nigerian music industry so we only have to list 10.
Nevertheless, your favorite rapper could be listed in the top 20 best rappers in Nigeria and we do recognize them all as the pride of Nigeria. If you love this post do not forget to hit the share buttons below to help us share on your various social media accounts.
Top 10 Best Rappers In Nigeria (Recap)
Below is the updated list of the topten best rappers in Nigeria today:
- Olamide
- M.I
- Falz
- Vector
- Phyno
- Ill Bliss
- Reminisce
- Y-Cee
- Blaqbonez
- Erriga
Read Also: Top 10 Best Rappers In Africa [Updated List]
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