Giving that hip hop has not solidified its position in Nigeria, there are several materials that flew by a lot of people and its always interesting to see the faces light up with amazement when such missed gems are brought back. One of such is this video you are checking out here right now.

2007 was the year and three artists with close ties came together to imprint this visual in our minds and hearts. Teck-Zilla of Str8Buttah, XYZ of the same clique and Venomous of Micworx all drop heavyweight bars on this track called The Anthem and the video is what you see. Eventhough it is grimy, still the video is easy on the eyes. Oshodi is the culprint responsible for this video. One secret about him if you do not know is that he is RQB or RCube of Str8Buttah. Them boys don't play. 

 I hope you feel the nostalgia.

I don't know much about this dude called McSkill ThaPreacha but i remember some months back when he spammed my twitter mentions with links to his mixtape. I was furious and i thought to myself if this guy felt doing this will get me to pay attention to him. But came boredom one day and the tape was staring me in the face. Ah well, lets hear it. I almost beat myself up for taking so long to hear such a great material.

Now, it isnt the best thing to happen in the realm of mixtapes but it isn't a weak effort too. Hopefully, his desire for lyrics and flows won't die soon, and impatience won't take him in the direction where most greedy artists pass through.

Get Dope Or Die Wack credits Stormatique as the producer, this doesn't mean every beat on there is original but the selection blends well with the emcee.

Do you think McSkill ThaPreacha is dope or wack? Share your thoughts people.

Sgt. Grief!

Download Get Dope Or Die Wack

Rapper/ Singer/ Poet Ayodele usually known as The Nigerian Nightmare comes at us with this issue that has been the bedrock of the woes in the country. Coming out of Flint, Michigan this dude has been at it for a minute and I am really hoping he keeps at spoken word seeing has he knows his onions.

Debates continue to go on about the Niger-Delta area of Nigeria and the cost of oil discovery. But in all these, how come a nation so rich is still so poor? Well, Ayodele has something to say so listen, observe and overstand.

I'm taking y'all back in the days when these two brothers started out in the game. They have stuck to their 'Holy Core' as they termed it and i am mighty glad about that. Rooftop MCs remains one of the remaining duo/group artists to survive the long haul in this industry where solo pursuit is the goal of everyone.

The 'boys on the building' dropped this song on us back in the day when Music Africa was the source for videos and everyone that loved hip hop got goose bumps. The G-lynx produced track remains a favorite and the yoruba lyrics was just perfect backed with an even classier flow. but as it has been shelved in the category where classics are hidden, i decided to dig it out for you and you and you to bob your heads to. Enjoy.

One of the most hardworking man in the hip hop game in this region of ours is none other than Modenine. This guy churns out mixtapes like girls diligent with make up. Modo is probably the only rapper in Nigeria that can boast of mixtape releases as long as my arm.

Occupy The Throne (OTT) is the latest mixtape to drop from the "lyrical monfasa". This is the first offering to come off the record deal signed with Monarch Music, his new home.  Guest appearances include Pherowshuz, Terry Tha Rapman, Elbama, Dtruce, M-Trill and Boogey. I listened to this tape and in truth, Mode still has the lyrical package that gave him the position of numero uno emcee in Nigeria. He has definitely not fallen off and his rhyme package still comes correct. The flows and rap style got different twists throughout the tape and that is refreshing.

OTT borrows heavily from the Jay-Z and Kanye West Album Watch The Throne in terms of instrumentals and musical direction but i would call OTT a hip hop parody of the Rocafella material. This is a mixtape and that mustn't be forgotten when listening to this. You cannot deal with it as an album, in fact you aint allowed to do that. It is well above average and rather than sway your minds, i'll leave you to give your take on this tape. Do leave a comment.

Last words: Man rap is mad low, thanks to drake/ and if you dont like that like jump in a lake.

Sgt. Grief!

Get OTT Here

Its been a while since we heard from the Peaceville family and of the cats affiliated to that group who has been ghost on us for a long minute is the man himself formerly of the group Underground Dwellers called Jabbarad. This man is one of the folks that have stayed true to the game but it beats me when they drop a gem now and they are nowhere to be found in the next 'X' years.

This video is the visual for the bonus track Bundled Locust on Jabbarad's mixtape titled Headz On Deck which he finally dropped last month and it features Enigma of Str8Buttah and Spellbound. Directed by Oshodi of the Capital Dreams outfit, this visual came to the screens about 2 years ago which makes it proper to reintroduce the video to you. I'll say one thing about the video...it is gritty!

Peaceville in the house!

Sgt. Grief!

While i wait for people to send me material, i shall do away with what has been given to me. So, if you are good at paying lip service to sending in stuff, keep at it. The long and short of this is just to let y'all know i haven't been paid to hype Str8Buttah. they have just been efficient enough to send in more than enough information to go a lifetime and i shall continue to cut pieces of the chunk they made available.

On this note, i introduce you to Deckzavier a.k.a. Deck the Nexus. One-sixth of the Buttah team he is but also doubles as a cover art designer  and triples as a producer. On the production subject, deck offers to us his beat tape The Professor's Abstract Thesis EP. Call him crazy but when you give the tape a listen, you will understand why it bears the name given.

It is interesting to actually listen to a documentary on beat. The consciousness of the tape takes you into a 'fight the power' zone. Deck really uses the samples and the kicks to hit the nerve and prick the mind. I guess its best to let you listen to his instrumental thesis and acquire some knowledge.

There is something about rap groups and the digit 6. What do Killarmy, Khalifate and Str8Buttah all have in common? Each group is 6 men strong. The latter of the mentioned is where the spotlight shines on right now.

It is difficult to say the name Str8Buttah doesn't ring a bell even if they are not getting the comedy money like other artists. The awards and accolades have come but the platinum billing is what has been left out of the pack. This is not because the guys aren't putting in work but rather the environment cannot handle what they bring to the table.

When i say bring to the table, i am talking about that raw essence in sound; from the lyrics to the instrumentals you need to know they take no losses and keep it as real as they come. This is exactly what two of the collective have done.

Deckzavier a.k.a. Deck the Nexus and The invisible Enigma a.k.a. Enigma L. Fox both tag team to bring you The Professor & The Pugilist EP. Ordinarily, the name is enough to throw you in the direction where the tape dances towards but when you push the play button the ride gets even much more exhilarating.

Deck produces two of the tracks on here, Teck-Zilla who is also a member of the collective drops a beat on there and gems are borrowed from Khrysis of the Justus League and Nicolay of the Foreign Exchange. Bigfoot, the Micworx general also lends his craft on here too.

Deckzavier lets his alter ego deck the nexus do the rapping while Enigma does the lyrical spitting  he is known for and i'll put the combo simply as fire and fuel combining to bring more heat. 

You wanna know what time it is? Go get a watch!

There is an upsurge in the list of beat miners lately but the number of actual hip hop producers is alarming if you get the privilege to check the underground scene. With this information in hand, i shall dig into this scenery and fiend for all these producers who are hidden by the mainstream and even check to know if there is any need to pay them any mind.

One of such individuals is XYZ, one-sixth of the Str8Buttah collective. Unlike most producers in the country, this brethren decided to showcase his abilities by giving to us a beat tape not new but not common practice. This guy raps but this time, its the samples and the kicks with the snares doing the talking. The tape is called Xperimentz and it is an instrumental mixtape. You definitely cannot miss the boom bap on this one.

This isn't to hype the man but to show you what you have passed up. Opinions are welcomed!

To all you who have no idea how thriving the spoken word scene is in the underground, this is to give you a teaser of what you haqve been missing. \i can only sat the nation isn't ready yet for this art which is reason why it is still hidden. But even though it is out of the sights, it is bubbling under and a volcanic eruption is not far off. Enjoy this piece and share your thoughts.

Sgt. Grief!

When it comes to hip hop, I fiend for the complete element; the total package and I'm elated when someone brings that to the table. This is what I make of this video. Brotha Leee who is the director according to sources is the same as Buddah who happens to be a studio engineer and part time rapper. Maybe this is why his interpretation of the video speaks hip hop. No unnecessary flashlights, skin showing missing, just storytelling in a simplistic but classy way.

I guess B-Elect challenged him with his delivery of the music and the pressure was on to deliver a complementary video. I guess this is what J-Rawls was saying about 'the hip hop affect'. I shall bore you no more. Enjoy the images and share ypour thoughts.

Is this a battle? Sure it is but the battle was already won by the dude on the right cos to me the dude on the left brought confidence and nothing else to the table. This is what rappers need to know when they think they got heat. Just cos you can spit don't make it enough. If your elements aint complete, you'll be seen as nothing but a big joke like the homeboy on the left. He was left right where he stood. Whether its written or not, the guy on the right brought his ammo to the battle and he didn't shoot blanks.

Guns dont make you tough, put up your fist and let's see how long you last.

Gino might not be consistent as a rapper but it is very pertinent to say that this video was one of the very few that pioneered the redefinition of music videos in Nigeria. It was in a league of its own as at the time it dropped and Wudi Awa deserves accolades for giving to hip hop in Nigeria this beautiful material. You know you can't front on Gino as a rapper but you can't also front on the fact that he opened doors for people too. In case you didn't notice, C-mion is the rapper in the intro scene.

Peace, love and cornbread.

J-berg might be new to the mainstream but this cat has been bubbling under for a while now. Props must go to him for sticking to the original manuscript with the serious pressure to put up a disclaimer and 'sell out'. Nothing but nuff respect to this hombre who set it off with The Big Chill mixtape that didn't hit the big time but got a lotta rave reviews.

Now, Slow Motion is his next step and i must commend J-berg for putting the right foot out. So if you think this guy is moving too slow then think again because you might be the one stagnant while he does all the moving.

One time for the man XYZ who has continued to show his beat making prowess. I got jealous that i couldn't get a hold of the beat personally, eventhough i have nothing to do with it.

If you are truly hip hop, then this is the one for you; conscious and lyrical. This is the combo i like.