The Difference Among the Best, the Biggest and the Greatest Rapper
The debate regarding who the best rapper in Nigeria is is as old as the culture itself. Followers of the Hip-Hop culture in the country are often at war while trying to project and protect the musical superiority of their faves over other lyricists.
The debate has given birth to the coinage “best rapper in Nigeria; a coinage that has never birthed anything other than sentiments and unhealthy rivalries.
Truly, there is no best rapper in Nigeria. What I can consider are the titles of the greatest rapper and of the biggest rapper respectively.
No good Rapper is better than another good rapper. Our judgments of musical or lyrical superiority are laced with biases and prejudices.
Take for instance, a socio-conscious Hip-Hop disciple who would rate Falz, Mr. Raw, Vector, and A-Q ahead of MI, Illblis, Olamide, and Reminisce, while a hardcore fan will root for Modenine, Boogey, A-Q, and Barrylane.
Do the above judgments make some better than others? The answer is both yes and no because our best rappers are exclusively those whose crafts resonate with our souls, choices, aesthetics, and standards.
On that note, I have considered two adjectives as the most ideal titles worthy of a rapper: GREATEST and BIGGEST. Yes, there are greatest rappers and there are biggest rappers, but for who the best are, I have left that for the gods.
Who is the Biggest Rapper?
In the entertainment parlance, the word “Biggest” is used interchangeably with “most popular “ and “ most successful “.
Going by the definition above, one can boldly say that the biggest rappers in Nigeria are the rappers whose popularity overshadows others.
They are rappers who are exceptionally successful; the ones with multiple awards, intimidating numbers across streaming platforms; the ones with avalanche of endorsement deals, the ones with chart-topping songs, and finally, the trending ones with contemporary relevance.
Those ones might not be as lyrically built as some of the underdogs, but they are the Gees with hits and bangers.
As a Nigerian, if you place Olamide, Phyno, MI, Odumodublvck, and Blaqbonez as the current five biggest rappers in the country, you are not wrong.
Who is the Greatest Rapper?
The greatest rappers are the ones who have contributed to the growth of the culture than others.
These are the lyricists with numerous lyrically endowed discographies.
Their years in the game outweigh that of others and their worth are obviously seen in the number of successful rappers they have brought into the game.
The greatest rappers mostly rap for the culture and not for the accolades. They’ve lived all their lives promoting the culture and empowering the younger generations.
Qualities of the greatest rappers are longevity, prolificacy, and impact on both the culture and the enthusiasts.
In Nigeria, the top five greatest rappers are MI, Modenine, Illbliss, Vector, and Ruggedman.
Notably, if a rapper is found in the two categories above, we can boldly say he is the BEST or one of the best.
What is your opinion? Let’s talk about it in the comment section.