In celebration of the Green-White-and-Green’s independence day, We’ve gathered some proudly Nigerian rap songs to help you get into the patriot spirit. From
Igho’s ‘Naija Boyz,’ to ‘Gbao’ by JJC and The 419 Squad. These songs celebrates what it truly means to be Nigerian. Check them out in the link below.

https://www.creative-hiphop.com/2021/10/8-proudly-naija-hip-hop-songs-for.html

In a recent interview with Vouge UK, Wizkid talked about the success of his new album Made In Lagos and the world finally embracing Afrobeats.

It feels good. It feels good to be young and actually seeing the world appreciate the music, which is definitely something I’ve always been passionate about – having the world listen to Afrobeats music just like every other genre. I wanted them to love that music. There’s so much talent in Africa, and I feel like the world needs to hear that. From producers to photographers to filmmakers to actors to musicians, there’s so many amazing talents. There’s more to come from Africa.”

In the same interview he opened up about his plans of branching into other facets of entertainment, working with Burna Boy and not being interested in competition. You can read the full interview here: https://www.creative-hiphop.com/2021/09/wizkid-still-has-more-songs-with-burna-boy.html

In a recent interview with Vouge UK, Wizkid talked about the success of his new album Made In Lagos and the world finally embracing Afrobeats.

It feels good. It feels good to be young and actually seeing the world appreciate the music, which is definitely something I’ve always been passionate about – having the world listen to Afrobeats music just like every other genre. I wanted them to love that music. There’s so much talent in Africa, and I feel like the world needs to hear that. From producers to photographers to filmmakers to actors to musicians, there’s so many amazing talents. There’s more to come from Africa.”

In the same interview he opened up about his plans of branching into other facets of entertainment, working with Burna Boy and not being interested in competition. You can read the full interview here: https://www.creative-hiphop.com/2021/09/wizkid-still-has-more-songs-with-burna-boy.html

Lil Wayne, Nipsey Hussle, Tyler, The Creator and more. These American rappers have African parents

Details: https://www.creative-hiphop.com/2021/08/10-american-rappers-with-african-roots.html

Lil Wayne, Nipsey Hussle, Tyler, The Creator and more. These American rappers have African parents

Details: https://www.creative-hiphop.com/2021/08/10-american-rappers-with-african-roots.html

These are the 10 most popular African hip hop artists on Spotify this year.

On March 4 this year, Spotify extended its reach in Africa to 38 African countries. The Swedish audio streaming and media app was previously only available in Algeria, Egypt, Morocco, South Africa and Tunisia.

Spotify’s expansion into more African countries means African stars now have a comprehensive data on how well their music is doing. The platform’s popular songs section and monthly listeners count is an important metric to track your progress and see if your audience and song’s popularity is growing from month to month.

How Spotify Listeners vs. Streams are counted.
Spotify streams are how many times your song is played past the 30 second mark, while Spotify listeners are the unique users who have played your song past the 30 second mark.

Confused? Okay let’s try again.

Spotify only counts a listener as a listener one time but will count multiple streams from that listener if they continue to stream your music past the 30 second mark.

To simply put it; Spotify only counts listeners once, if they have streamed any of your songs in the past 28 days. So if they stream the song multiple times, it still only counts as 1 listener.



If a listener does not continue to listen to any of your music after 28 days they are no longer counted as a monthly listener.

Spotify revealed they chose 28 days because it is the lowest amount of days that a calendar month can have.

With the semantics out of the way, let’s return to why you’re here.

This list contains the most-streamed African hip hop artists on the audio streaming platform as of July 2021. When last checked on July 15, Somali born-rapper K’naan has the most monthly listeners on Spotify with almost 3 million, followed by fast rising Ghanaian star Kwesi Arthur with over 600,000 monthly listeners. Newcomer Blxckie also makes the top ten.

See the full top ten here: https://www.creative-hiphop.com/2021/07/most-popular-african-hip-hop-artists-on-spotify.html?_thumbnail_id=15729

These are the 10 most popular African hip hop artists on Spotify this year.

On March 4 this year, Spotify extended its reach in Africa to 38 African countries. The Swedish audio streaming and media app was previously only available in Algeria, Egypt, Morocco, South Africa and Tunisia.

Spotify’s expansion into more African countries means African stars now have a comprehensive data on how well their music is doing. The platform’s popular songs section and monthly listeners count is an important metric to track your progress and see if your audience and song’s popularity is growing from month to month.

How Spotify Listeners vs. Streams are counted.
Spotify streams are how many times your song is played past the 30 second mark, while Spotify listeners are the unique users who have played your song past the 30 second mark.

Confused? Okay let’s try again.

Spotify only counts a listener as a listener one time but will count multiple streams from that listener if they continue to stream your music past the 30 second mark.

To simply put it; Spotify only counts listeners once, if they have streamed any of your songs in the past 28 days. So if they stream the song multiple times, it still only counts as 1 listener.



If a listener does not continue to listen to any of your music after 28 days they are no longer counted as a monthly listener.

Spotify revealed they chose 28 days because it is the lowest amount of days that a calendar month can have.

With the semantics out of the way, let’s return to why you’re here.

This list contains the most-streamed African hip hop artists on the audio streaming platform as of July 2021. When last checked on July 15, Somali born-rapper K’naan has the most monthly listeners on Spotify with almost 3 million, followed by fast rising Ghanaian star Kwesi Arthur with over 600,000 monthly listeners. Newcomer Blxckie also makes the top ten.

See the full top ten here: https://www.creative-hiphop.com/2021/07/most-popular-african-hip-hop-artists-on-spotify.html?_thumbnail_id=15729

The legendary rapper believes African Rappers Are More Innovative Than American Rappers.

Full story: https://www.creative-hiphop.com/2021/07/chuck-d-says-hip-hop-in-africa-has-surpassed-that-of-the-usa.html

For the Rap Culture admirers, there's no better platform in HipHop for discovering innovative lyrical talent and getting to know the wide varieties of rapping styles than becoming familiar with the ancient HipHop tradition of Rap Battles.



The Rapper and future Mc building up reputation, annouces and solidifies his presence in the HipHop community by constantly battling other Rappers to dislodge any doubts of his abilities.

Rap Battles have a long history in the HipHop culture and a lot of the greats today started their careers on the battlefield. A classic example is Eminem, who was discovered by Dr. Dre after he came second place in a Rap Battle and who today is a living legend in the HipHop community.

However there is a rising trend of misinterpretations of what Rap Battles should be in recent times. It is quite unfortunate that what you see now is young rappers squaring up against each other expecting them to deliver only for them to engage themselves in rhyming insulting words at each other in a way I must confess is pathetically not entertaining. I worry that this misconception is on its way to becoming a norm and it should be nipped in the bud as it creates more problems for the HipHop community of which I'll outline in this article.


Simply said, Rap Battles are often written for the purpose of impressing people with technically inventive rapping, according to Wikipedia. In my in-depth view, I see Rap Battles as the foundation schools of the HipHop community where Rappers gain experience and build their abilities while competing with fellow "classmates" for the top spot which in this case has nothing to do with an A+. We're talking legendary status. Think of it as one of HipHop culture's "educational system" and link it to the global accepted fact that a poorly constructed educational system ends up breeding incompetent mediocrity as in the case of the our culture, Rappers who have no value to offer to the Community.

The problems we have in the community today have traceable roots and one of them is the decline in the quality of rappers in mainstream HipHop today which can be traced to how poorly Rap Battles are being orchestrated.

A battle situation where the rappers in participation, offer a bunch of insults that rhyme and demean each other on the platform with no goal in mind other than starting an imaginary beef should be frowned upon.


It doesn't leave your colleague wanting to become a better Rapper and improve on his abilities because you knocked him out with a multi-syllable when he gets home, neither does it leave the listener spoken words of wisdom to take home and reflect on after the battle. Nothing learnt, nothing achieved. How then should Rap Battles be orchestrated? Here are some very basic steps to get anyone starting on the right track.

1. In a Rap Battle, participants should educate each other on various topics while putting their storytelling abilities to the test. Enlighten the audience with spoken words of wisdom, be smart in your use of wordplay and soon you'll have them attending your Battles with notepads in their hands while hanging on to your every word. In return for your hardwork they'll go on to be the source of your buzz. You're someone to be taken seriously and not just a source of comic relief.

More a available here https://www.creative-hiphop.com/2016/10/reconstructing-dynamics-of-rap-battles_22.html

Creative-HipHop highlights some of the best African hip hop songs of 2021 (so far). Songs from this list were released between January 2, 2021-June 20, 2021.

You can read on it here: https://www.creative-hiphop.com/2021/06/best-african-hip-hop-songs-of-2021.html or watch a highlight video below.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFF1Y5CCFR8

I’m not making reference to Twitter followers or instagram followers now, at least not the whole of it. Your total number of followers on social media does not equate your true core fanbase.

Your core fanbase as an artist probably might just be 20% of your total followership on social media but guess what, those are the fans that turn up for shows and buy your merchandise at events. That being said a true fan is more valuable to you than 1000 followers waiting for you to make the wrong move so that they can be the first to tweet about it.

It’s important to identify and nurture your true fans at the inception of your career. Think about Beyoncé and her beehive of fans. They adore, know and follow everything about her and that is because she has nurtured them to do so from the very beginning. They don’t go on Wikipedia when they need a fact about her because they know Beyoncé.

I have broken down some practical ways on how to grow your fan base as an artist. The process involves three steps: Identify, Nurture and Convert (INC).

Our goal is building our followership into a paying and supportive fanbase. Let’s dive in.

Read more here https:///3ActjFY

I’m not making reference to Twitter followers or instagram followers now, at least not the whole of it. Your total number of followers on social media does not equate your true core fanbase.

Your core fanbase as an artist probably might just be 20% of your total followership on social media but guess what, those are the fans that turn up for shows and buy your merchandise at events. That being said a true fan is more valuable to you than 1000 followers waiting for you to make the wrong move so that they can be the first to tweet about it.

It’s important to identify and nurture your true fans at the inception of your career. Think about Beyoncé and her beehive of fans. They adore, know and follow everything about her and that is because she has nurtured them to do so from the very beginning. They don’t go on Wikipedia when they need a fact about her because they know Beyoncé.

I have broken down some practical ways on how to grow your fan base as an artist. The process involves three steps: Identify, Nurture and Convert (INC).

Our goal is building our followership into a paying and supportive fanbase. Let’s dive in.

Read more here https:///3ActjFY

I’m not making reference to Twitter followers or instagram followers now, at least not the whole of it. Your total number of followers on social media does not equate your true core fanbase.

Your core fanbase as an artist probably might just be 20% of your total followership on social media but guess what, those are the fans that turn up for shows and buy your merchandise at events. That being said a true fan is more valuable to you than 1000 followers waiting for you to make the wrong move so that they can be the first to tweet about it.

It’s important to identify and nurture your true fans at the inception of your career. Think about Beyoncé and her beehive of fans. They adore, know and follow everything about her and that is because she has nurtured them to do so from the very beginning. They don’t go on Wikipedia when they need a fact about her because they know Beyoncé.

I have broken down some practical ways on how to grow your fan base as an artist. The process involves three steps: Identify, Nurture and Convert (INC).

Our goal is building our followership into a paying and supportive fanbase. Let’s dive in.

Read more here https:///3ActjFY

11 African Rappers That Got Murdered On Their Own Track.



If we are allowed to examine the circumstances surrounding rap beefs thoroughly you will agree with me that most rap beefs were masterminded by fans. Ego is also a factor, but fans are the true instigators. Just check the blogs, comments or forums. Fans are constantly pitting artists against each other for sheer entertainment. It’s even more prominent now with the advent of the internet. Every day on social media you see people ask questions such as: “who’s the better rapper?” or “who had the better verse?” just to get reactions.

We’re used to rappers claiming superiority over their peers on wax, it’s a harmless sport. Fans take it a step further by claiming their favorite is a better rapper/artiste than yours. Everyone gets riled up, and egos unfortunately get bruised. Artists eventually catch wind of the mostly negative comments and then run with it. [Case study: Nicki Minaj vs Cardi B].

Next thing you know. Both artists are beefing.

Rappers combining talents on a track is one of the bedrocks of hip hop. It’s like Superman teaming up with Iron Man to take down Thanos, or Kobe Bryant (Rest In Peace) signing with the 90’s Bulls for a one off game, to play with Jordan and Pippen. it’s unfathomable. Hip hop Collaborations give us a chance to see some of our favorites together on records, but sometimes as fans we can’t help but pick sides. We often listen with the sole intention of starting debates on who we think said what or we presume got “bodied.” Rappers are very much aware of these debates as well and are listening keenly to what is being said about them.

Hip hop is built around masochism and rappers will choose to out rap you if the opportunity presents itself. You don’t want your competition stealing your spotlight, but at the same time, you also don’t want them cashing in on a lackluster verse either. It’s a conundrum that I am glad I don’t have to worry about. That’s for the hip-hop artists to figure out and for us fans to enjoy.
These are some cases in African hip hop where I think African rappers got murdered on their own shit.

**L-Tido Feat. K.O. “We Rollin”**

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATF22M4-Z0w
**Album**: All Or Nothing
**Producer**: N/A
**Year*: 2011
*Murderer*: K.O.

South African rappers L-Tido and K.O traded punches for weeks on *We Rollin*, a bar-fest of a track that showcased the duo’s impeccable pen game. As dope as L-Tido’s verses were, the rapper still played second fiddle to K.O
For what it’s worth I don’t consider it an outright K.O. Tido fought hard with some hard punches in his second verse, but it still wasn’t enough to prevent him from ending with the L.

Full story: (https://www.creative-hiphop.com/2021/05/african-rappers-killed-on-their-own-track.html)

These African rappers got murdered on their own track. We will remember them.


If we are allowed to examine the circumstances surrounding rap beefs thoroughly you will agree with me that most rap beefs were masterminded by fans. Ego is also a factor, but fans are the true instigators. Just check the blogs, comments or forums. Fans are constantly pitting artists against each other for sheer entertainment. It’s even more prominent now with the advent of the internet. Every day on social media you see people ask questions such as: “who’s the better rapper?” or “who had the better verse?” just to get reactions.

We’re used to rappers claiming superiority over their peers on wax, it’s a harmless sport. Fans take it a step further by claiming their favorite is a better rapper/artiste than yours. Everyone gets riled up, and egos unfortunately get bruised. Artists eventually catch wind of the mostly negative comments and then run with it. [Case study: Nicki Minaj vs Cardi B].

Next thing you know. Both artists are beefing.

Rappers combining talents on a track is one of the bedrocks of hip hop. It’s like Superman teaming up with Iron Man to take down Thanos, or Kobe Bryant (Rest In Peace) signing with the 90’s Bulls for a one off game, to play with Jordan and Pippen. it’s unfathomable. Hip hop Collaborations give us a chance to see some of our favorites together on records, but sometimes as fans we can’t help but pick sides. We often listen with the sole intention of starting debates on who we think said what or we presume got “bodied.” Rappers are very much aware of these debates as well and are listening keenly to what is being said about them.

Hip hop is built around masochism and rappers will choose to out rap you if the opportunity presents itself. You don’t want your competition stealing your spotlight, but at the same time, you also don’t want them cashing in on a lackluster verse either. It’s a conundrum that I am glad I don’t have to worry about. That’s for the hip-hop artists to figure out and for us fans to enjoy.

As part of my ongoing dedication to documenting African hip hop history, I have decided to highlight some cases in African hip hop where I think African rappers got murdered on their own shit.

Full story: https://www.creative-hiphop.com/2021/05/african-rappers-killed-on-their-own-track.html

I dropped fine art in JSS3 because I was better than my art teacher.”

Chuka talks a big game and he has the capabilities to back it up. With over a decade’s experience from working extensively with several top Nigerian artists and brands including Fidelity Bank, Mouka, Knorr, Royco, Lipton, Guinness, Malta Guinness, GTAssur/AXA Mansard, Wrigley’s, Oando, P&G, Interswitch, Verve, Quickteller, Golden Penny, Wakanow, Johnnie Walker, Pepsi, Star, Heineken, Maggi and many more. Chuka “Xavier” Obi has stealthily played a leading role in defining how entertainment/art is consumed in Nigeria. Some of his involvement includes writing the popular MTN Saka “I Don Port” ad as well as a few other notable ones. He’s not your mate in this business. ‬
‪When I reached out to the Lagos based creator, illustrator and father, to talk about his overall vibe and the significance behind the landmarks on Burna Boy’s Twice As Tall album cover, I could barely have a moment with him because he’s a busy bee. As a result our interview dragged longer than we both would’ve liked. When he finally had a moment, the information unpacked more than made up for the delay.‬

Nigerian superstar, ‪Burna Boy released his fifth studio album Twice As Tall on Friday, Aug. 14. Executive produced by music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs, the follow-up to 2019’s Grammy-nominated African Giant featured appearances by Sauti Sol, Naughty By Nature, Chris Martin of Cold Play and more, as well as additional production from Timbaland and Anderson .Paak. Whilst the album rightfully received plaudits for its duality, Pan-Africanism and Socio-political rhetorics. The album’s artwork packed a lot of artistic details that we couldn’t wait to unravel. ‬

A cover is pivotal to the total packaging of a commercially released audio product, or album. It’s usually the first thing you notice before picking up or listening to an album by your favorite band or musician. Album art can be meaningful or not, depending on the artist. An album cover can also help shape the way an album is viewed, it may also add to how an audience forms an opinion of an artist or band.
Album covers are a good way of visually presenting the music, which is why more artists are starting to get involved in the creative process. It’s not just a fine piece or art, but a marketing tool that can also become a collectors item. Burna Boy is a perfectionist, who takes pride in his work and I like to think everyone working with him knows what is expected of them. ‬When the foreign company originally saddled with the responsibility of creating the album’s cover and comic book failed to deliver in terms of relatability, Xavier was contacted to help supervise the artistic process. But it soon translated to something bigger. ‬
‪“They had issues with the American company that had been initially contracted to create his album cover and comic book (they were not cutting it as far as quality and understating of the Burna/Nigeria context), I got a call from Burna’s sister.”
“The cover angles were already pretty much agreed, but the meanings behind it weren’t. So I built a vision of Burna standing head and shoulders above the things that speak to African heights, from natural phenomena like the Kilimanjaro to ancient wisdom like the pyramids and Timbuktu university, all in his past, as strides forward to create the new monumental landmarks.‬”
‬
‪The comic book “The Secret Flame,” which accompanied the album’s release and to a lesser extent – the artwork encapsulates Burna’s larger than life personality, his love for African relics and his admiration for super heroes. During the course of our interview with Chuka Obi we got to understand the significance of each famous landmark on the cover. ‬

The full interview is available here for anyone interested https://www.creative-hiphop.com/2020/08/interview-meet-chuka-obi-creative.html

A lot has changed in African hip hop in the last ten years. The right conversations are being had and African hip hop history is now in focus. Within the space of about five years or more, I have highlighted and started discussions around the Greatest African Rappers Of All Time, The Best Female Rappers In Africa, The Top 50 Rappers in Africa, Top Tier collaborations between North America and African rappers, just to name a few. There’s still so much I haven’t unloaded, but we’re getting there.

Conversations of this spectrum rarely takes place on the continent so it’s up to us to start these discussions and ensure African hip hop history is well documented for future references. The blueprint is being laid for future generations to build on and it’s only a matter of time before African hip hop takes it’s true position as the continent’s most influential genre.

As always my lists are not set in stone, it’s strictly based on unbiased opinion. You are free to debate it (respectfully), and proffer more knowledge. I am an open book.
The most influential rappers are those that have been able to inspire a new generation of rappers and shift the culture in a momentous way with trends. Rap prowess and popularity never equates influence that’s why you hear names like Young Thug, Gucci Mane and A$AP Rocky being considered influential, while a renowned lyricist like Biggie rarely gets a nod.

These are some of the most influential African rappers of all time in my GOATED opinion. In rap, originality is key and these artists have or had that at some point in their careers. See the full list here: https://www.creative-hiphop.com/2021/04/most-influential-african-rappers.html

[url]A lot has changed in African hip hop in the last ten years. The right conversations are being had and African hip hop history is now in focus. Within the space of about five years or more, I have highlighted and started discussions around the Greatest African Rappers Of All Time, The Best Female Rappers In Africa, The Top 50 Rappers in Africa, Top Tier collaborations between North America and African rappers, just to name a few. There’s still so much I haven’t unloaded, but we’re getting there.

Conversations of this spectrum rarely takes place on the continent so it’s up to us to start these discussions and ensure African hip hop history is well documented for future references. The blueprint is being laid for future generations to build on and it’s only a matter of time before African hip hop takes it’s true position as the continent’s most influential genre.

As always my lists are not set in stone, it’s strictly based on unbiased opinion. You are free to debate it (respectfully), and proffer more knowledge. I am an open book.
The most influential rappers are those that have been able to inspire a new generation of rappers and shift the culture in a momentous way with trends. Rap prowess and popularity never equates influence that’s why you hear names like Young Thug, Gucci Mane and A$AP Rocky being considered influential, while a renowned lyricist like Biggie rarely gets a nod.

These are some of the most influential African rappers of all time in my GOATED opinion. In rap, originality is key and these artists have or had that at some point in their careers. See the full list here: https://www.creative-hiphop.com/2021/04/most-influential-african-rappers.html

[img][/img]Hip hop remains a male dominated sport despite the emergence of new female rappers. One of the reasons hip hop will continue to remain male dominated is the lack of SERIOUS female talents in the genre. None of which can ever hold their own for more than two minutes. The continent (Africa) has also had its own share of women rappers but in habitual fashion, they're never able to sustain it long enough to gain a cult following.

with that said I think the best female rappers in Africa are, in no particular order:

Phlow (Nigeria)
Nadia Nakai (South Africa)
Eno Barony (Ghana)
you can read a more comprehensive list and breakdown here: https:///3ud6uPz