Veteran rapper Tobechukwu Ejiofor, known as Illbliss, has expressed regret over the transition of music stars Wizkid, Davido, and Burna Boy, who began their careers as rappers, to Afrobeats.
In an interview with Radio Now 95.3 FM, Illbliss reminisced about a time when rap music was thriving in Nigeria, before artists like Burna Boy, Wizkid, and Davido shifted their focus to singing.
He noted that this switch played a significant role in their rise to global fame.
Illbliss acknowledged that hip-hop music isn’t very profitable in Nigeria, pointing out that only a few rappers, including himself, have managed to achieve commercial success.
He stated, “We in the hip-hop community have lost many of our key artists, including Burna Boy, Wizkid, and Davido, who all started as rappers. They discovered the Afrobeats sound, which propelled them to global stardom.”
He further explained that hip-hop is a challenging genre to sell in Nigeria, noting that only a select few, like Vector, M.I., Reminisce, Olamide, Phyno, and himself, have been fortunate enough to find success. The list, he emphasized, is not long.
