Eedris Turayo Abdulkareem Ajenifuja is popularly known as Eedris Abdulkareem. He is a Nigerian hip hop artist and record producer. His father was from Osun State and his mother is from Ogun state. When he was 2 years old, his father died. Before he gained popularity, he was in a hip hop band “The Remedies” from 1997 to 2002. In 2002, he released his second solo album, Mr. Lecturer, which was his highest-selling album. In the song, he also addresses how male professors/lecturers solicited sex and money from college girls in exchange for good grades. He gained an immense amount of popularity following the release of the album.
Eedris Abdulkareem is known for rapping about controversial issues. In 2004, he released his third album titled “Jaga Jaga” which addresses the corruption and injustices in Nigeria. The album was banned from playing on radio by then President Olusegun Obasanjo, but it continued to play in clubs. I was proud to discover that Eedris is also the founder of the Eedris Abdulkareem Foundation, an organization that focuses on combating the spread of HIV/AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa. It shows how artists who rap and write music about social and political issues in Africa can also take action to address many of the disparities present in African countries.
In his recent song, Country Hard from the album “Nothing But The Truth,” he raps about high unemployment rates in Nigeria, calls Nigeria “the number one capital for poverty,” and raps a powerful message: “Nigerians are suffering and smiling. It’s time for Nigerians to wake up.” The music video is also very unique as it includes newspaper headlines about the social, political, economic, and poor leadership issues that plague Nigeria. I hope that he releases more music that moves people to take action.
Follow and listen to Eedris Abdulkareem’s music on the following platforms:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abdulkareemeedris/?hl=en
Twitter: https://twitter.com/EedrisOriginal?s=20
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4LzElX8gJiDB7zOUSsswgc?autoplay=true
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCw-S6rlpnNK5WTMnX1jPDJw
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/eedris-abdulkareem/101911760