SASHA P
First Lady of Nigerian HipHop, Sasha P, is one of the OGs before IG. As the first-ever Nigerian female artist to perform at the 20th anniversary of the World Music Awards in October 2008 and the first Nigerian female artist to win the Best Female Award at MTV Africa Music Awards (MAMA). Her moniker, “First Lady” is well deserved.
Starting her career with Trybe Records (also Da Trybe) in 2001, she was shot into the limelight of the Nigerian music industry. She was also a part of the collective’s compilation “The Big Picture” featuring the hit track “Oya” alongside Blaise and other artists. She would go on to release “Emi Le Gan” under the record label.
Later signed on to Storm Records with Naeto C and Ikechukwu, she released the album, “First Lady” in 2008. It contained hit tracks like “Only One” with Naeto C and “Adara”. She won the 2009 “Best Female Artist” award in the UK at the Women in Entertainment Awards for “Adara” and earned double nominations for Best Female Video and Best Cinematography for “Only One” at the SoundCity Video Music Awards in 2009. Her other hit songs include “Gidi Babe” (2009) and “Bad Girl P” (2012). Even though she’s taken a break from the industry since 2013, Sasha remains a role model for artists in the industry.
MO’CHEDDAH
Mo’cheddah, coined from her name Modupe, is a Nigerian rapper, singer and fashion designer. Garnering fame at the young age of 15 for her melodious hook on Sauce Kid’s (now Sinzu) “Won Beri”, Mo’ was on the path to stardom. She then released the sensational “Franchise Celebrity”, her debut album a year later in 2010. It featured the smash hits “If You Want Me” and “Ko Maa Roll” and was released under Knighthouse Entertainment. Before going on a music hiatus in 2015, she had established her record label, Cheddah Music. She won the Best New Artiste at the 2010 MAMA and Channel O Awards as the Best Female Video for the song “If You Want Me”. Her other hit singles include the Mosa-produced “Survive” and “Let Me Love You”, “Bad” featuring Olamide, her personal favourite, “Destinabamri” with Phyno, the list goes on.
KEL
A Clarence Peters’ signee under his record label, Capital Hill Music, Kel was bursting with talent then, and still is. The Nigerian rapper had her name on everyone’s lips with “Waa Wa Alright”, “Too Fine” featuring Alaye and May D, and “Give it to Me” featuring W4. She also received a double nomination from the Headies Award for “Waa Wa Alright”. After her debut album, “The Investment” in 2009, she went on a music hiatus following management issues with her record label. The album saw collaborations with artists such as Wizkid, Illbliss, MayD, Waje, Ice Prince, M.I, Durella, Jesse Jagz and Darey.
Kel’s return to the hip-hop scene included hosting the “One Mic Naija” show (February 2014), releasing the free verse series (2016), and the 90’s classic hip-hop style single, “Act Like You Do” in the same year. She was featured on Clay’s “Destiny” (2017). In 2019, she released a 5-track EP produced by Big Foot titled “Vita. Amare. Libidine”; a seamless fusion of hip-hop, afro-pop and R&B. The feel-good trap record “Credit Alerts” released in 2020 is her latest single. She won the award for Best Female Artist at MAMA in 2009.
KEMISTRY
The legendary DJ Jimmy Jatt’s debut album, “The Definition” featured a track for the books called “Too Much”. The four-minute 49-second remix had four of Nigeria’s leading female rappers in 2008: Blaise, Sasha P, BOUQUI and Kemistry. Before then, Kemi ‘Kemistry’ Olisemeka had put out the hit single with Terry G, “Shake” and released its video as early as 2006. This marked her first video in the game and had cameos from upcoming acts at the time like D.Banj, Darey, Naeto C, Zeal, Big Lo, and Elajoe. Her other jams include “Alujo” and “Ijo Ti Ya”, her 2010 single dedicated to the 50th anniversary of Nigeria’s Independence; the video shot at a Nigerian parade in New York.
The Nigerian rapper who was a part of the IJGB crew, also worked as an OAP and a model. She was one of the voices that rocked the Nigerian airwaves of Raypower, Brilla FM, Rhythm FM and Inspiration FM between 2003 and 2009 when she left the country. Her music was celebrated on platforms like MTV Base Africa, Channel O, Souncity and so on. With a couple of singles and features, Kemistry rocked our stages with bars for days.
BOUQUI
The tongue-twister chorus of “Morile” had me and my friends in a chokehold the year 2009. BOUQUI’s pen game and delivery were nothing like we’d ever heard. It’s no surprise that she started her career in the ‘90s as a part of the girl group, G-vibes. Her solo career began in 1999 and so did her stage name, B.O.U.Q.U.I which is an acronym for “Born Once More Unto A Quickened And Unparalleled Image”. In 2007, she released her self-titled debut album which had the hot tracks: “Molejo”, “Vanity” and “Get it Started”. The album was featured on charts in the UK and her single “Get it Started” made her the first Nigerian-based artist to debut at number one on the backyard beats segment of the World Chart Show, hosted by PJ Butta. It was nominated for Best Rap Album at the Headies (2007), and Revelation of The Year at Hip Hop World. It also won the much coveted award for Best Female Act at AMEN Awards, 2007.
The release of her sophomore album, “Redefinition” in 2009, cemented her as a force in the industry. With the singles, “Morile” and “Take You Away”, the album was a sonic buffet. It was mixed in the UK by JJC Skillz and Mix Master Jay for her record label, Bouqui’s Place Entertainment. It also birthed the Redefinition Tour which took her to different cities in the US and Canada as well as the Redefinition Campus Storm which had her tour campuses across Nigeria. Her alma mater, Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) had a massive turnout with a total of 15,000 people in attendance. She has numerous collaborations with American rapper, Da’ T.R.U.T.H, in addition to various Nigerian artists. The runners-up of her Unstoppable Rap Competition in 2015, Angeloh and Limoblaze respectively, would become pioneers of a new wave of contemporary gospel music, Afro-gospel.
Bouqui won the award for Best Mainstream Video for “Take You Away” at the Nigerian Music Video Awards (NMVA) in 2010. She also won awards for the Best Female Act and Best Video in the 2009 Women in Entertainment and Arts Awards in the UK. She paved the way for not only women in the industry but also Christian rappers.
These women without a doubt, have left an indelible mark on the sands of time. They have achieved so much in the industry despite facing misogyny and sexism, using their platforms to shed light on these issues. They inspire a new generation of female rappers – like Candy Bleakz, SGawd, Phlow, Lifesize Teddy etc. – to continue to keep ablaze this torch that’s already burning.
