The Nigerian music industry is a level playing field for artists of different genres creating amazing works of art. However, there are some artists who mesmerized our ears with their sounds and vocals and sadly disappeared from the scene, leaving us longing to hear them again, get entertained, and travel to places only their music […]
2 years ago
The Nigerian music industry is a level playing field for artists of different genres creating amazing works of art. However, there are some artists who mesmerized our ears with their sounds and vocals and sadly disappeared from the scene, leaving us longing to hear them again, get entertained, and travel to places only their music could take us.
While artists like D’banj, Don Jazzy, Wande Coal, Banky W, and others have been prominent on the scene for more than a decade, others have dropped from the radar.
In this article, we talk about six artists that we need back on the scene.
Humblesmith
Before Ekenedirichukwu Ijemba, popularly known by his stage name Humblesmith burst into the Nigerian music industry with Osinachi, he had ventured into entertainment as an actor, and appeared in a movie; Hypertension which had the legendary Sam Loco Efe. Music however had the better part of him, so he returned to Delta State to focus on music. He got signed by DG Records, and in 2012, he left Delta for Lagos, where he recorded his debut single Chairmoo in 2014, and Osinachi in 2015. Osinachi topped the charts, and collaborations with Davido and Phyno made the song an instant anthem on the lips of Nigerians.
The song earned him a nomination for the Best New Act category at the 2016 edition of the Nigeria Entertainment Awards and the Hottest Single category. In April 2016, he featured Flavour N’abania in Jukwese, which enjoyed great airplay around the country. A $2,000 prize money was also announced for the winner of the #JukweseChallenge.
Before Humblesmith’s disappearance from the scene, his debut album, Osinachi, featured industry heavyweights like Davido, Patoranking, Phyno, Harrysong, Olamide, and Tiwa Savage. Humblesmith was last heard in 2020, with Kosi, which means God’s grace.
Naeto C
Naeto C dominated the Nigerian music industry with his two biggest hip-hop hit songs; Ten over Ten and 5 and 6.
Naeto C started his musical career by working within the Storm Records family with artists like Sasha, Dare Art-Alade, GT the Guitarman, Disconnect, Saro-Wiwa, and Nkiru. He went on to record more than 60 songs with the artists. With his experience working with Ikechukwu, Sasha, D’banj, and others, Naeto C broke records lyrically and production-wise with the Fela-inspired Lagos City Hustla and Sitting on Top
Naeto C’s You Know My P was released in May 2008, and it was one of the biggest albums of that decade. Naeto C had more than 50 songs and awards to his name before he took a hiatus to further his education.
Sasha P
Before Tiwa Savage became the queen of the Nigerian music industry, Sasha P was the First Lady of Nigerian Hip Hop. She began her musical career with eLDee’s Trybe Records, and became a prominent female rapper in Nigeria after the release of her debut album, First Lady, under her record label, Storm Records. She was nominated for various awards in Nigeria and abroad, and in 2009, she won the Best Female Artist award in the UK at the Women in Entertainment Awards for her first hit single, Adara.
Sasha P was 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 artiste to win the Best Female Award at MTV Africa Music Awards (MAMA). Sasha P told us how bad of a girl she was with her 2012 hit, Bad Girl P.
After dominating the industry for years, Sasha P took a break from the industry in 2013 to focus on her fashion business.
Sasha P, this is 2023, most Gen Zs don’t know you, light up the scene and show them who the boss is, abeg!
Maleek Berry
Maleek Berry had the girls drooling when he broke into the industry in 2012 and he held sway over the Nigerian music industry with hit songs like Kontrol, On Fire, Bend It, Doing U, and Flashy
The British-Nigerian record producer and recording artist got nominated as Music Producer of the Year at the 2014 Nigeria Entertainment Awards.
Maleek Berry has worked with prominent artists such as Wizkid, Davido, Runtown and Iyanya. In 2017, he was nominated in the Best Male category of the annual MOBO Awards.
We last heard Maleek Berry’s voice and lyrics on his album Isolation Room in 2020, and we can’t wait to have him back.
Ice Prince
Panshak Henry Zamani known by his stage name Ice Prince, rose to fame with the release of Oleku, in 2011. Oleku, which is one of Nigeria’s most remixed songs of all time is the lead single from his debut album Everybody Loves Ice Prince. He was loved! In 2013, Ice Prince released Fire of Zamani, his second studio album which had hit songs like Aboki, More, Gimme Dat and I Swear.
He held the position until he left the label in 2016. At the peak of his career, he collaborated with top African talents like Navio of Uganda, Khaligraph Jones of Kenya, AKA of South Africa, Sarkodie of Ghana, and others. He won the 2012 BET Album of the Year with Everybody Loves Ice Prince, 2013 BET Best International Act: Africa, and Best Hip-Hop Artiste of the Year, among other numerous awards.
We haven’t heard much from Ice Prince since his exit from Chocolate City in 2015.
Oritse Femi
Bursting into the Nigerian music industry with Fela’s Double Wahala, Oritse Femi had the industry tingling with his hit singles like Flog Politician, Money na Time, Mercies of the Lord, Body & Soul, and Sexy Ladies.
Before he shot into the limelight, Oritse Femi was part of a musical group in Ajegunle, where he grew up, known as The Junglist. In 2006, after The Junglist Boys broke up post a disagreement, Oritse Femi hit the ground with the release of Elewon and Flog Politician, which quickly warmed his way into the hearts of reggae music lovers.
However, a few months after the breakup, Chibudo, with the stage name “Chi-Junglist” released a diss record to Oritse Femi’s successful Flog Politician, which was a street anthem in Ajegunle. Chi-Junglist accused Oritse Femi of being a cheat and said that it was he who deserved to be flogged, not politicians. Chi’s beef track got no response from Oritse Femi. His first solo single Flog Politician was released prior to the 2007 general elections. According to him, he was inspired to release the song because of the level of corruption in Nigeria. He released his third album Elewon which means to ‘chase them’. He wanted to use his music to chase corrupt politicians out of office.
In 2014, he released Sexy Ladies featuring Davido, and that was the last we heard of him.
