Igbo rap is a Nigerian style of

hip hop music Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music Music genre, genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African Americans, African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide r ...

that originated in the Igbo-dominated southeastern region of

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

and has become more popular since 2000. The style draws its main influences from Igbo traditional music and

African American music African-American music is a broad term covering a diverse range of musical genres largely developed by African Americans and their culture. Its origins are in musical forms that developed as a result of the enslavement of African Americans prio ...

. Aside other derived styles, it can be combined with

highlife Highlife is a Ghanaian music genre that originated along the coastal cities of present-day Ghana in the 19th century, during its Gold Coast (region), history as a colony of the British and through its trade routes in coastal areas. It encompasse ...

, R&B and afro-soul. Most artists and groups who perform Igbo rap usually deliver their lyrics in the

Igbo language Igbo ( , ; Standard Igbo: ''Ásụ̀sụ́ Ìgbò'' ) is the principal native language cluster of the Igbo people, an ethnicity in the Southeastern part of Nigeria. Igbo languages are spoken by a total of 31 million people. The number of Igbo ...

, although on some occasions, Igbo is blended with Pidgin English. Early pioneers in the scene include

Mr Raw Okechukwu Edwards Ukeje, better known as Mr Raw, is a Nigerian rapper and songwriter who was born and raised in Enugu (city), Enugu. A native of Abia State, he previously went by the stage name Dat Nigga Raw and is a pioneer of Igbo rap. Early ...

(formerly Dat N.I.G.G.A. Raw), Massai, Slowdog, MC Loph, Big Lo and 2Shotz. Today, many musical acts like

Phyno Chibuzo Nelson Azubuike (; born 9 October 1986), who is known professionally as Phyno, is a Nigerian rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer. Phyno was born and raised in Enugu State but is a native of Anambra State. He started his musi ...

, Ugoccie, BosaLin, Nuno Zigi, Zoro, Ifex G, Hype MC (who is the younger brother of

), K-Large (who is considered the fastest Igbo rapper) Jeriq, Chimason and Tidinz are considered Igbo rap artists..

References

Igbo rap Nigerian hip-hop Nigerian styles of music Hip-hop genres African hip-hop 2000s in music 21st-century music genres {{music-genre-stub

See also

References