₦airaland Forum

Afam, you're completely wrong.

Lagos is not a semi-Yoruba city. In fact, AfroCynic capped up this debate by saying:

"Lagos has other ethnicities but the soul of the city is Yoruba"

No one is trying to rub it in anyone's face . . . it's just what it is.

@topic

The reason is simple - You can't be called a star in the real sense of the word if you haven't brought Lagos to its knees or swept it off its feet with yo' talent.

Lagos' predominant language is Yoruba.

Do the maths . . . Again, it is what it is.

Thanks Rapj . . . my head is swelling . . .

I've seen some sturvs on NL that go to no issue. And the Mode vs. Rugged issue is one of them. I don't see the basis for comparison in both cats. To me, one just seems to emphasize more on lyrics and the other on delivery. Plus the fact that Rugged went mainstream does not translate to being wack. As long as he has not dumbed down on his skills, I'm cool with it.

That's why I said some posts ago that Rugged still has that delivery thingy going for him.

Also, the fact that Mode refuses to go mainstream does not mean wackness. Again, he's good on lyrics/wordplay. Mind you - I'm not even talkin' punchlines here. I mean lyrics of general substance. Between the two, I'm more of a fan of lyrics, not punchlines. My top 3 Mode tracks - "Contradiction", "My Skin Is Black" and "Fellow Nigerians"; have good lyrics, not punchlines . . .

Well . . . IMO, both cats are just doing pretty fair at what they do . . . on the Naija Rap Scene, they're both holding the dual ends of lyrics and delivery well - to maintain a balance . . . they're like six and half a dozen . . . though they need to get better.

@Java, Khanye, Rapj

You guys should sheath your swords . . .    otherwise I'll ban you . . .  

rapjunkie:
I accept your point but I didn't mean that it had to be 'gangsta'. What about ' cry' or 'things fall apart' or even 'talking to you'. Is that 'hardcore' rap? I don't think so.

Yeah, I agree on those songs you listed as not being 'hardcore'. But do you know you just listed 3 out of the several joints Mode has? By the time you check all his albums, you'll agree that 90-sumn % of his songs are 'hardcore'. And when an artiste keeps to a particular style 90-sumn % of the time, he tends to generally be labelled with that style.

Also, if Mode is hardcore rap then so is Rugged. whats the difference? Is it because Mode uses more punchlines he is now hardcore rap? His beats are not hardcore anything.

Of course Rugged goes hardcore too - when he wants to. Infact, his "Thy Album Come" had an overall hardcore sound. He's even got a natural voice for hardcore.

You know, this 'hardcore' thingy can be technical and difficult to define. I think some salient elements tend to make a song what it is - including hardcore or not. It's kinda the overall feel . . . Some artistes are generally regarded as hardcore acts but then they go 'mild' atimes. Biggie, Nas, Pac, Dr Dre, Ice Cube, DMX might be generally regarded as hardcore rappers but they went 'mild' on some joints. Biggie did "Ready To Die" but also did "Missing You" . . .

However, I think 'underground' is the major difference in both cats' overall styles. You would agree with me that Mode is underground. Rugged is mainstream. Or rather, he went mainstream. Not saying either style has any advantage over the other. It doesn't indicate wackness or dopeness. Just stating the obvious.

Punchlines? Nah. Punchlines are never the yardstick of Hardcore Rap.

I don't mind having debates on any issues but I can also dish insults which is what Khanye Twit and Russell- in- ya- ass- o seem to want from me

Let me be a peacemaker here . . .   ^{*Lalaboi should thank me for this*}

Sheath your sword and reconcile with Khanye et Russell . . . let's have a peaceful war.

Rapj, I don't think there's any hard and fast rule about Hardcore Rap. It doesn't have to be 'gangstar' if that's what you think. Aggression and confrontation - in both sound and lyrics, mostly make up what we call 'hardcore'.

Mode may not do it the way East Coast started or continued it - but I also agree what he's doing can be termed hardcore. Partly the confrontation/brags in his songs, atimes the noise, prolly the in-yo'-face feel in his songs or the no-song-chorus style he adopts might make his songs qualify as that. Several of his songs are like that but "Spazmodic" quickly comes to mind.

P-Queer "We run things, things don't run we . . . hook up in the club . . . with your busybody eh" What was that It's spelled C-R-A-P. CRAP.

Hear the remix feat Weird MC - "Here we go now . . . bla bla bla bla . . . Peter, Paul and Shola . . ." I guess when "weird" meets "queer", the result is always appalling . . .

And those dudes are always saying "Peter & Paul dem be one no be two" Tryna tell us that they're close twins Yeah right, they're 2 - one named Peter and the other named Paul!!! Also "Remember say dem get gbedu" - which gbedu Can wack be wacker than those lines CRAP.

P-Queer again. "Do me I do you, God no go vex" - if these boys don't take their crap elsewhere, God go vex for them!!! Spoiling our ears with crappy nursery school lines . . . Danboroba shege . . .

Hehehe, those lines are seconded Po Deep, especially that Fokasibe rubbish . . . "ori e o fokasibe" What tha hell is that

Also, "Bobby FC" - "bobby e . . . omoge Manchester, sha le wa United" Play on words for soccer fans Yeah right, CRAP

And soon some peops would start calling him a Hip Hop artiste. Some so-called Hip Hop artistes should be advised to sing fuji instead.

That "I Am Looking For A Wifey" song by Maintain is wack too - "I am looking for a wifey . . . abdul-malu e don marry" . . .

bouzymill:
i don't know which way you want to defendd that ish u just said, but anywayz this forum is turning into sumthing else. Hence, anyone can spit any shit he so desires,

Maybe I could also say MIMS' "This Is Why I'm Hot" makes more sense to me than Common's "I Used To Love H.E.R." . . .

Don't be surprised - it's a free world yo . . . and "freedom of expression" is my fundamental right . . .

@Wordsmith

Yep, I do agree with you that Mode's groupies are doing more of the ember-fanning - at least from what I've seen on NL. It's gone on for so long and Rugged's groupies just couldn't take it no more . . .   Stay cool man.

rapjunkie:
Rugged opened doors in naija hip hop while Mode has done absolutely nothing.

Rapj, before posting anything 'bout the Rugged/Mode feud, I always start by stating that I belong to neither divides. And at the expense of sounding like a broken record, I'm stating it again.

That said, I do not have any prob with your post from which I extracted the portion as quoted above. What I have a prob with is the quoted part. Especially the first 7 words.

Now, if you say Mode has done nutin for Naija hip hop, I'm cool with it. But saying "Rugged opened doors in naija hip hop", nah - that ain't true.

Apart from his initial efforts, Rugged properly burst on the scene in 2002, at a time when Naija Hip Hop was still suffering in the hands of dudes like Rasqie, Eedris, Ayangba Boiz, Maintain, etc. He came out and dissed all of them and presto, he had the game locked down. He was just a smart businessman. He did what he did for himself. He calculated well and it worked for him. Honestly, anyone could have done this. The rap scene in naija then was just at the precipice and was waiting for any lucky dude to come push it over . . .

Letz take the ongoing global meltdown as an example. Right now, people are scared of buying stocks. Now, if I choose this period to buy loads of stock and suddenly the market bounces back again, would anyone say I cured the crisis

The Naija Rap Scene woulda evolve into what it is today. Rugged or no Rugged. I admit that in 2002, rappers like Mode9, Freestyle, 2shotz, etc had been doing their thang. But then, maybe these dudes just felt that the wackness in the game was none of their business . . .

I admit Rugged had the balls to do what he did in 2002. But that he opened doors Or that he did it for the Naija Rap Scene Nah. He did it for himself. He had no 'naija rap scene' in his mind when he was doing it. Rugged is too smart, ambitious, and business-minded to save an industry.

In his mind's eye, all he saw were fame and money.

zhiggy:
Against all odds 2pac
Doggy's World - Snoop Doggy Dogg

These two are singles, not albums; the first from Don Killuminati: 7-day Theory and the second is properly called "Doggy Dogg World" from Doggystyle.

Good collection you've got there though.

@Wordsmith

Aiight man, I feel ya . . . I see your point is emphatically on the beef thingy . . . methinks it's uncalled for too . . . but can't just blame either side . . . the two of 'em musta contributed to tha whole drama . . . and methinks the fans on both divides are fannin' the embers of the battle . . . and just wanna see it become a full-blown war . . . that's unnecessary . . .

No probs . . . as for me, I'll rather just listen to both of 'em work the mic . . . I'm past that beef thingy too . . . and hey, on the PS album, I feel "My Skin Is Black" . . . Mode kinda upped his delivery on that joint . . . that's one of the best delivered verses I've heard from Mode . . . 'twas like dude had a sudden burst of energy . . . and served 'em verses real good . . . in a sing-song/ding-dong/ping-pong manner . . . if he continues like that, I'll have lil' or no prob with his delivery . . . "Nine" was cool too . . . I'm waiting for Rugged's album . . .

Last word - I hope the beef gets squashed . . . so we can all eat it up . . . like . . . erm . . . like kilishi.

Jaavaa!!! . . .

Hehehe . . . Java!!!

Aiight Java . . . here you come again . . .

aieromon:
i feel that anyone that posts Em or [b]50[/b]s albums as their all time favorite is just a hiphop baby.

Hehehe . . . will you also attack anyone that posts albums from these 2 Wait . . . they'll be comin' at ya soon . . .

I share yo' passion for 'Life After Death' 'neways . . . that also was a classic.

What

Did I hear you say they wanna follow the '50/Jah' pathway to make dough Nah, you couldn't have said that . . .

D'you'know what happened to Jah's career consequent upon his feud with 50 Not all beefs bring pay dude . . .

el_jonero:
I think Mode9 and Rugged are just trying to sell more records

Nah . . . I don't think so . . . give a reason if you got one.

kay_pumpin:
Bam,no one can railroad me into any shenanigan,i solo like isolo

Of course mode 9 falls into my all time great rappers in nigeria but i still insist the beef is making most of his tracks seem like someone trying too hard.
To the Maintain monetary value cum comparison to Rugged's claims,i still insist it is childish and watery.Let me break it down;
We all agree bragging about your wealth accumulation is not germane to the beef at hand,then why should Mode dignify Rugged's claim with a response and mention,and a ridiculuos one at that?

Deathblow as a track is not Mode's standard,a rapper that blessed me with contradiction(which i will rate in my top 10 track of all time regardless of genre) shouldn't be getting as illogical as this"u claim you rich and you skinny","u sack your dancers cos they refused to sleep with you",head warmer in the blazing sun" blah blah blah.IT IS WACK.Most of these artiste dons sun protecting shades even in the darkest of all banquet hall et al,does that makes them non-good artiste or stupid or non fashionistas?

Mode did better when he was fighting and battling those "invisible foes",but in this beef shindig,i must confess,he's not giving it his best shot.

I am happy you agree the other part is well illogical and dumb.

IMO,Mode is salt,Rugged's sugar,BOTH have their sweetening modus operandi and none can serve the purpose of each other.

I rest my case

This is one of the most on-point posts I've seen on NL on this issue . . .

I quite agree with ya on all points as above . . . I was enjoyin' Mode's subliminals against 'em 'invisible foes' . . . until he came direct . . . and I was like "damn"! . . . Mode was way too personal on that Deathblow track . . . too many personal disses . . . more or less based on angst . . . Mode threw his wittiness through the window . . . removed his shirt . . . and fought a street-fight . . .

Infact, Rugged must be a devil yo . . . he set a trap . . . told him to "come direct" . . . he did . . . and he missed . . .

Mode could have at least kept his temper under control. He shoulda been cool with da whole thang . . .

And I like the concluding part of your post most. That's what I've been telling all these die-hard fans on either divides of the debacle (Mode/Rugged) . . . plus I've noticed that most of these anti-Mode fans are judgin' his style based on just the Deathblow track . . . that's wrong . . . both artistes are incomparable . . . none of 'em is an overall better artiste than the other.

eldee:
@Bamsyle
Can't u sniff a good joke when you see one?
The timbs thing is just like the whole 'Jay-Z's a swagger jacker thing'
But seriously speaking, those timbs are more famous than Modenine
Do a review?? Thing is, you're mistaking me for sumone that gives a hoot bout this guy.

I ain't wavin' no magic stick here either . . . seriously I ain't trying to save this drama . . . I like humor  . . . plus I ain't a die-hard fan of no Naija MC . . . methinks the scene's still evolving . . . but hey, for objectivity's sake - you don't give a hoot 'bout a dude whose timbz you keep discussing

C'mon, why not talk about his music

BajaGold:
In the land of the blind, the one eyed man is king. Rugged came out at a time when there were loads of wack emcees. Back then you compared Rugged w Rasquie w eedris.

I truly believe if a new rapper came out today, IMO, with the same skillset as Rugged. . . He'll struggle. He's lucky he already has a fan base like dammiecool

Cos he'll be competing with MI, SauceKid, ikechukwu, Naeto C and all. . . . E go try gaan.

I don't quite agree with this . . .

I'm looking far beyond that era . . . I'm lookin' at 2008 . . . if "Thy Album Come" had been released last year, I'll still rate it above what the SauceKids, the Ikechukwus and the Naeto Cs of now are churning out . . . only MI might cut it for me . . . "Thy Album Come" was not a run-of-the-mill album by all standards . . .

Though I believe Rugged has lowered his ante since that album, he still has that delivery thingy . . .

eldee:
@Bamsyle
You really think Pac eva made a Top 3 album?
Funny thing is the only Pac album I'll listen to without skipping is his Greatest Hits CD

Well . . . my bad . . . though topic says "Greatest Album . . .", I spun it around to read "My Greatest Album[i]s[/i]".

Talkin' bout albums, I somewhat believe Biggie managed to make better albums than Pac . . . talkin' bout hits, I tend to believe Pac made more hits than Biggie (maybe cos Biggie's career was short-lived ) . . . talkin' bout general artistry, I rate both of 'em equally . . . they're ma top two rappers . . . one on tha hip side . . . the other on tha deep side . . .

Now, what made me love "All Eyez On Me" is dude had some manifold-ish up in that album . . . the reflective, the upbeat, name it . . . plus being the first ever double CD that spawned hits like "Ambitionz Az a Ridah", "Got My Mind Made Up", "Life Goes On", "Can't C Me", "Holla at Me", etc - C'mon, I gotta be deaf not to list it in ma top 3 . . .

That was Pac's defining album.

@Wordsmith

Like DBR noted, I was also expectin' some deep stuff from you - for a different reason though. Not cos of your opener but cos I respect yo' opinions. But trust me you lost me on this one. I know Java might irk you with his constant pro-Mode and anti-Rugged stance but let our analyses in this regard be as objective as can be.

I don't root for any of 'em. I've critic'ed both dudes on several occasions. Rugged is good on the delivery side and believe me, if you look past some sub-standard lines from Mode, this dude's got some good lyrics. What he spat on "Contradiction" is evidence of this. And I'm ratin' by 'Naija MCs standards . . .

On the beef thingy, I'm neutral on whether Rugged should reply or not . . . whichever way it goes, I'm cool . . . on Death Blow Pt 2, I agree some lines were either lame or way too personal (didn't bring out the wittiness of battle rap). But where you lost me was your last line -

"appears nuccas has only one pair. visits the nearest aboki for the nearest shining anytime there's some award".

Like you said to Java, that was also "personal" and subjective . . . coming from you.

@Eldee

I agree the 'cocoyam' line was weak. But don't you think you're takin' it too far the way you go on 'bout his footwear and sturvs? Letz approach this issue with an unbiased mind . . . do you really think Mode is bad all-round? I mean, flat Try 'n' look past their beef thingy . . . do a proper critique on both artistes. If you do, I'll understand you better . . . and then I'll know what to say.

@Javalove

Always stated that your all-out war against Rugged doesn't cut it for me. Rugged may need to enhance his lyrics but he ain't bad overall. If not for the beef side of thangs, I want to believe we won't be doing this . . . Look past the beef and tell me Rugged is flat wack . . . Dude's got delivery - he cuts the Naija version of Luda/Xzibit for me.

Sorry but gots to be a [i]three[/i]nity:

Ready To Die - Biggie

All Eyez On Me - 2pac

Illmatic - Nas

kay_pumpin:
U claim u r rich but u r still skinny

u claim u got money but maintain gat more money than you

Mode 9 (Deathblow)

Has to be the most stupid insinuation and lines from one of the best lyricist in nigeria

Kay, don't allow anyone to drag you into a personal vendetta . . .

I belong to neither divides (Rugged/Mode) so trust me I'm neutral on this one. Fact is both of 'em plus MI are ma fave Naija rappers.

Those lines are in two parts so I'll treat 'em one after the other. Lemme start with the second line. That line was carried outta context. What Mode said in full context there is as follows:

". . . Let me help you out you got a little money, MAINTAIN got more money than you aint that funny . . ."

What he meant here was - money ain't an issue. That Rugged's got more dough as he claims does not mean he's all-round better as an artiste cos even wack Maintain has money. That's why he concluded by sayin' "ain't that funny". To me, that wasn't lame . . .

On the first line . . . hmm . . . I must admit that wasn't good enough too . . .

@Muki

Wetin I fit do na? I nor fit help am . . . the request dey strange . . . why she wan marry pesin wey dey UK

I just stumbled on him on the net, I never hear hin songs . . . how I fit hear?

This other meaning?

Mukiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!!!

I come hia come laff again today . . .

I nor see ur post dat time when efribori dey sleep . . . by the time wey I see am, people don wake . . . today is anoda day . . . I go explain by 12 midnite if I nefa sleep by dat time . . .

Dis NLders nor go kill pesin sef . . . I see one advert for hia na na - "Help Me! I'm 23 And I Want To Marry A Nigerian Who Is In The U.K. Is This Real?"

Werin dey cause all dis kain paroles sef??

tosinaded@:
Guy go sleep jare!
Na ur dem go 1st analyse 4 here?
Wuts ur prob? Accept ur mistake and stop all this nonsense!

You call 'duh' at the end of yo' post analysis Are you that uneducated? That's one thing I've come to notice on NL - a lot of peops just make rude comments and say they're analysing . . .

Did you read my response to Eldee? Polite innit? But you? - you're a sorry case. That's what rude and autistic kids like you always take as replies.

@Eldee

Jokaynie produced "Baraje", not Nomoreloss.

tosinaded@:
Bamsyle wetin cause all that rubbish?

You must be going bonkers . . .

Which rubbish? I stated sumn and in your usual style, you decided to poke your large nose into it . . . you ended yo' post with 'duh' . . . so who started the rubbish

May that 'duh' multiply itself by a million and land on that your pawpaw-like head with a reverberatin' sound.

Ice as in blings. . .duh

And who brought your foul-smelling mouth into this

Some people are illiterates.

Entice = attraction. Ice= diamonds.
Who doesn't know diamonds attract people??
Half-baked graduates.

You must be standing on your head . . .

There are better metas/similies that'll readily blend with the word "entice" than blings . . . if you don't agree, skip ma posts and keep postin' yo' anti-Mode lines.

eldee:
Haba, I respect you too much to believe you're doing this
You know you were wrong on that one, just accept correction
_{Besides Rugged has billions of other crap lines for you to choose from}

Hehehe, I know. And really I know that blings are called 'ice'. But I was just wondering if the word 'entice' does really qualify for blings . . . "attract" - fine, blings attract . . . entice connotes sumn deeper like tempting, alluring . . . a guy could find a pretty woman enticing, a hungred could find food enticing . . . personally, I find blings attractive, not enticing . . .

It's rap anyways . . . and you're expected to rhyme . . . so it's permissible. Anyways, no need to waste time on this, I accept . . . 

Dejiariyo, why bother Anyone with average intelligence already knows that . . .

@topic

"Like ice we entice at first sight" - Rock Da Spot

- Ruggedman

Now I like Rugged's delivery but when I heard this line I was like damn - does ice entice?

tosinaded@:
The whole lorile song by xproject is crap

Very crappy . . .

Also, that stupid Banky W song "Ebutte Meta" - rubbish . . .

Infact, loads of songs from Naija nowadays are simply crap laced over good production/beats.

@Lalaboi

Sure Eedris is the King here . . .

"My father used to tell me that dreams come true . . . that's true . . . but if ya don't work you gon' end up in the Zoo like the Zulu" - Wackawickee MCs

Eedris Abdulkareem

What's the relationship between "Zoo" and "Zulu" Operation "Rhyme By Force"

BTW, he's the only rapper I know of who sees the affinity between the words "dudu" and "fufu" . . .  

Are we still debating this? Again, I say - Blaise