Apr 7/05
419 state of mind
A Benn loxo listener, Joe, wrote me an e-mail today from Sri Lanka including a request for some more Nigerian hiphop.
I grabbed a few tracks by Mode 9 off africanhiphop.com the other day. A couple of them are pretty good, including the one I’ll post today.
Mode 9 was an Abuja-area rapper on Payback Tyme records who’s apparently moved to Lagos now. Who knows if he’s still producing any music, but anyone who can pull off a lyric like “slaughtering fools, like a bunch of crazy Toaregs,” gets my respect. Listen to the end to see if you can understand any of the brokan, Nigeria’s unofficial language.
The second track I’m posting is actually a video by Terry Tha Rapman – sorry about the Windows Media format. Mode 9 and Terry The Rapman were both part of the Abuja rap crew, SWATROOT.
This thing is seriously funny. My favourite line has to be, “who needs Calvin Klein when you got Coco Klein?” as he’s sifting through a classic West African street market.
ps- has anyone else been to Abuja? I find it pretty funny that a city so stale (à la Brasilia) could produce a rap scene.
Mode 9
Terry Tha Rapman – I am a Nigerian
what do u mean by “stale”. i find that quite derogatory. please note that we Abuja based peeps are not backword in Hip hop. Hip hop lives in Abuja man!
Any city that needs to build fake African villages for the Queen of England to visit has to be a little hurting.
I’ve been there twice now for about a month total and didn’t find much of a “scene” to speak of, nor many good restaurants or bars. Compared to other West African cities it’s pretty squeaky clean and locked-down by police.
I am always ready to be corrected, though. Please feel free to convince me otherwise through music, etc…
fuck you all use ur fuckin time for better things guy are out there making kool money so dont waste ur time
well i guess the village stuff was real corny http://www.gisters.com/gossips/designer_village.htm . but despite that Abuja rocks if i must tell you. it just depends on where you look. having some cash, being mobile and having the right fun loving friends/guides might help you out.
Trae – true. Abuja has potential, and I met many nice people there.
It’s just that I spent my longest trip in Abuja during the All Africa Games and witnessed some nasty police action. Then I was there for the Queen visit.. so I didn’t get a “real” trip to Abuja in there, but only saw it at it’s worst.
But don’t get me wrong – I’d rather live there than Lagos anyday!
[...] Damn life sucks. All this depression is leading me to a 419 state of mind. Like Modenine said there’s gotta be four hundred and nineteen ways to come up with the right (money making) scheme. It’s that bad man that I’m scared for my relationship…or is it friendship. I know I’m the shit (ha-ha) and my girl likes me and all that, but man I fear she could bail if she gets a better offer. You know, Nigerian girls and all that marriage and financial stable boyfriend shit. Love sure doesn’t exist in their dictionary. I guess I better strike before I’m struck. Like Terry Tha Rapman in his song “I’m a Nigerian”: [...]