EDITORIAL
Ladipoe Complains About The Perception of His Success
Ladipoe
The self-acclaimed rap messiah took to his Twitter page to bare his feelings on the media’s perception of his success. He finds offensive, the view that he’s “just being accepted into the mainstream” with the success of his chart topping song, “Feeling”. See the tweet below:
Every interview in the past 2 weeks they’ve asked me what’s it like to be accepted into the mainstream. I hate that question. My fanbase is my mainstream. So please please if you’re with me educate the new people just arriving. They think it just started yesterday
— LADIPOE (@LadiPoe) May 25, 2021
An ardent fan of the rapper affirmed with a tweet below:
https://twitter.com/berrnard_/status/1397131590447271936?s=19
Since it seems as though music pundits and the general audience perceive Ladipoe as somewhat of a breakthrough artists, the argument that ‘classic’ hip hop is a religated genre in Nigeria gains more credence!
Rap music hasn’t always been the most demanded genre by Nigerian music lovers. We had the days when the likes of Eedris Abdulkareem and Rugged Man made relatable rap songs that became anthems in the country and had a strong fanbase that could rival their singing counterparts. Today, much of what may be called rap in Nigeria has no exact semblance to the traditional form of the genre which evolved from the ghettos New York. The general Nigerian audience are hooked to the type of indigenous hip hop Olamide, Naira Marley, and Zlantan Ibile makes because of it’s catchy rhythm and simple Yoruba lyrics. Their sub genre of hip hop was named “Street Hop” to tell it apart from Ladipoe’s more traditional rap form.
In all of this, do you think Ladipoe’s success with the track “Feeling” could pave the way for other rappers with his style of rap? Or is he just another proof of the might of Mavin’s promotion machinery?
Drop your thoughts on the comment section!
