2019 has been an amazing year for the Nigerian music scene and it’s likely that it will only get better. With albums expected from Wizkid (Made in Lagos), a second album from Davido which has been in the works for quite some time and also Burna Boy who recently teased on twitter about having another album ready, just after dropping undoubtedly the biggest album out of Africa this year. Nevertheless the song of the year might just elude the African superstars this year and fall on the shoulders of the two hottest rookies right now. 

Over a decade after their illustrious breakout, a cycle that saw Wizkid, Davido, Skales and Yung6ix burst into the limelight has now been slowly recreated with breakouts from young talented acts like, Rema, Fireboy, Joeboy, Oxlade and a lot more. It seems the Nigerian industry might just be at the cusp of another golden generation.

The song of the year topic has unprecedentedly seen the Nigerian heavyweight hitmakers somewhat sidelined for the younger, hungrier talents taking over the industry. Dumebi by Rema who is signed to Don Jazzy’s Mavin is a strong contender for the song of the year. Dumebi is an infectious, melodic and addictive song over an unorthodox Ozedikus beat(which was severally rejected by other top artists according to Rema). The song shows Rema’s unending fountain of flows and sweet melodies coupled with his youthful eagerness. Dumebi was an instant chart topper and it’s clearly a serious  contender for the song of the year award.

On the other side, Fireboy DML currently signed to Olamide’s YBNL put out a timeless, meaningful and thoughtful track called Jealous. The song is laced with a sweet voice edged into the background, duly followed by confident well poised lyrics accompanied by a soulful beat by Cracker Mallo. The song made major airwaves and is constantly playing on a radio or TV close by(literally check). It really has all the right elements to be crowned the song of the year and would be deserved too without a shadow of doubt. 

Other honorable mentions for the song of the year would be Burna’s Killin dem & Dangote, Kizz Daniel’s Madu, Wizkid and Larry Gaga’s low. Although it is expected that we’d see a winner between the two rookies which is ultimately impressive as they’re both fresh to the Nigerian industry and offer some hope to the upcoming artistes out of Nigeria. 

Who’s really the goat? 

There’s no doubt that these rappers are currently THE trinity of present day rap. While there will always be comparisons about who’s better or in this case the best of this generation, it goes without saying that they have all conquered rap and have a place assured for their contributions and influence in history forever. It might be hard to gauge all arguments and give a fair verdict, so I compared all three on the most important categories in my opinion. 

Lyricism 

Amongst these rappers there’s the recurring argument about who is the best lyricist. It simply comprises being clever with lines, alongside mesmerizing word play as well as a select choice of words. Kendrick Lamar obviously pops to mind first and is the winner in this category. With songs like the Heart Pt. 2.Rigormortis. LOYALTY featuring Rihanna. It’s easy to see why Kendrick tops this category 

Hit making 

I don’t have to finish writing this sentence for you to already guess who wins this. Multiple billboard records broken yearly. Most weeks at no. #1 on billboard charts in a calendar year ever.  Drizzy “Drake” is a natural hit maker who is able to churn out massive hits year after year and is no surprise winner of this category. Songs like Nice for what, Gods Plan, One dance and Controlla have all been massive impacts in the music industry over the last few years and it’s no shock as drake has perfected the art of churning out hits year after year 

Content 

Music is much more than just mashing words together, coming up with cool rhymes and making random melodies. What are you actually trying to say? What’s the message you are passing across to your listeners? What impact are you trying to leave when you’re gone? J Cole wins this category for being able to consistently deliver quality music overtime with clear meanings and purposeful stories and also a need to leave an impact to be remembered. Songs like 4 your eyez only, Lost ones, apparently show his ability to produce quality content to last for years to come 

Features 

As a rapper making great songs and putting out quality albums is nice. But you’ll be constantly  judged for your guest verses and how you perform on them. As the best you should have the ability to make your presence felt on any song and to be fair all three rappers are all fantastic rappers when featured but Drake has a track record of being colossal and pulling mammoth numbers on features at the same time combining well and in some cases making the track “his own”

Individuality 

In music being your own individual and the ability to create your own style without depending on other creatives to mould or generate your sound is incredible. J Cole had 3 albums go platinum without notable features. His individuality and character makes him such a distinguished rapper in comparison to the others. 

Creativity 

Being a top-tier rapper includes being able to constantly recreate yourself, bringing new ideas and thoughts to the table as well as being able to deliver it masterfully. Kendrick Lamar deserves to win this category for his ability to constantly redefine his music and bring a wealth of creativity to his art. Not just in his music but in his videos. Truly he is a breath of fresh air in the music industry 

Discography 

This is the toughest of all the categories in my opinion as all three of them have lined up solid a discography over the years with a number of classic albums in between. 

Sales 

All three rappers are multi-platinum selling artists with millions of records sold not only in America but also worldwide. Drake by some distance wins this category. Drakes has some absurd numbers pulling over a billion with “B” streams in 2018. His albums and singles break Spotify, Apple Music and billboard records regularly and this is no small feat. 

Awards 

While I personally feel that award shows are a hoax and do not always tell the whole story. It is still a worthy category to rank these rappers. These rappers have all been acknowledged for their numerous achievements but Kendrick Lamar’s Grammy haul in recent years with over 8 Grammys racked up, a Pulitzer Prize, makes him the winner in this category.

Socially conscious 

All these rappers have contributed immensely to their societies and have continued to give back to their community through music and their impact. However Kendrick Lamar might just pip this one as he’s so socially conscious and on a quest to lift the black man through his music. 

Kendrick wins the most categories in the sections overall. Although opinions might differ about who is currently the best. There is a general consensus that all 3 rappers have been immense in their impact in the rap industry nevertheless. 

Separating the art from the artist is a generic term used mostly in music when an artist is problematic or simply breaking the law and fans still believe their work shouldn’t be sidelined or abandoned because of their actions or in some rarer cases inactions.

In the light of recent revelations about how R Kelly treated the women he dated and slept with, it led to a major surge in his music numbers notably on Spotify. This is not the first time this trend has been noticed as other artists with problematic views or actions have also seen a spike in their music sales. Artists like Tekashi69, Kanye West, Nicki Minaj and Azealia Banks are notably notorious but these actions haven’t caused any tragic dips or fall offs in the careers just yet.

Truly there is no such thing as separating the art from the artist because by simply streaming/buying their music continually, attending their shows or buying their merch, you’re equipping them with more $$$ To encourage and support their problematic behaviors and habits.

Just maybe by dropping their numbers and paying less for their music and products we’d force them to change for the better. Or better still leave them ill equipped to finding ways to continue their less desirable actions