For a while there, Vader the Wildcard was looking like he was about to follow the all too familiar and storied route of topping the Hennessy VS Class and then…well, nothing. His status as a certified MC has never been in doubt – you don’t emerge as number one of an Hennessy VS Class by being average after all – but many of the rappers that emerge through the competition often struggle to make the transition between battle rapping and making rap music Nigerians can enjoy. But it’s about to be a different story with Vader, there’s something different about his energy and the tides are shifting in his favour.
Born Franklyn Ikemefune, a young Vader was born and bred in the ancient city of Ibadan, Oyo state. Like is the case with many rappers, he discovered rap music in secondary school and upon trying his hands at it, realized he did have the skillset of lyrics and flows to be a rapper. By the time he was a University undergraduate, he was fully set on the goal of becoming one of the best rappers Nigeria had ever seen, and would strut his stuff at every show and rap battle he got wind of. Then 2017 happened and unlocked the next level for Vader.
He survived the many daunting rounds of the fourth Hennessy VS Class and came out as the winner. Of course, the usual pomp and pageantry of radio interviews and the promise of a record deal followed. But it never really happened for him immediately. There were positives that came with it, of course; an introduction into the industry life and the respect of rap heavyweights like Vector, who he has gone on to establish a relationship and work with, and MI Abaga. But by 2018, the noise of his previous year’s victory had quietened and he was given a reality check, which was very well encapsulated on his “Not Famous” single. It was clear that winning the competition guaranteed nothing and he would have to double down and put in the work if he wanted to actualise his goal of being one of the best. And that’s exactly what he did.
In 2019, with a renewed sense of purpose and the support of a better established WeTalkSound, one of Nigeria’s largest community of creatives, he put out a joint EP titled “Lagos in July” with TGM. The project, which was quite easily a storytelling masterclass, showed an improved Vader who now seemed to have found a much needed balance. He was still dropping bars quite alright, but his music became more relatable and suitable to the Nigerian audience. This was perhaps best exemplified on “Half Of A Mellow Son”, his entry on “Lofn 3”, WeTalkSound’s collaborative project in early 2020. It featured Vader doing a comic, Falz-esque kind of rap, still heavy with punchlines but a lot more audience-friendly. He followed this up with more of the same on “You Garru Be Kidding Me”, and with the positive reception followed, Vader the Wildcard found a new path, sort of.
On August 5 this year, he released “To Be Frank”, a 7 track project supported with the hit single “Seke”. Now fully settled into his new style of rap, he was able to display a laudable level of range, rapping over Afrobeats, Hip-Hop and Amapiano sounds. Features from fellow WeTalkSound artistes like Meji, Kemena, TiwaDara, TGM, and Nu Baby spiced things up very much and it is no wonder “To Be Frank” is already his most streamed project in less that a week of its release.
Vader the Wildcard is a phenomenal rapper, there has never been a doubt about that. Now with a better understanding of the game and discovery of the sound and style that best works for him, putting your money on him to rise to full stardom might very well be the wiser bet.