Unequivocally one of the most iconic names in the game of Nigerian Hip-Hop, M.I Abaga is widely considered to be Africa’s biggest hip-hop artist and producer. Abaga has collected multiple accolades for his work including the MTV Africa Music Award for best Hip-Hop, and a myriad of The Headies awards. He was the CEO of Chocolate City Records from 2015-2019; Chocolate City is considered a pivotal part of the transformation of Africa’s Hip-Hop game.
One of his most popular tracks titled, “And Another Thing! Don’t be a groupie,” the rapper spits bars as a testament to himself and staying true to himself, while others around him have dissauded from the truth of Hip-Hop.
In the song, he raps a line that essentially derails the rappers for ‘selling out’ for fame and money:
But why am I expecting more
When half of APC were PDP before?
This line is not only lyrical magic, but in its specificity, it also provides context to the popular beliefs held by the people of Nigeria and the politics that come from it. Primarily, the track speaks about the breakages in bond between rappers and the art of Hip-Hop; M.I takes no hesitation to blatantly go off on his counterparts. However, through this line he poses a message that can be alluded to Nigeria’s political class. Structurally, The PDP, People’s Democratic Party, had once been a merge of the APC, or All People’s Congress.
As M.I Abaga raps, we are aware of his allegiance to spitting the truth in his raps. While the entirety of this track is a diss to the others who have allegedly “sold out,” Abaga includes political subliminals and witty lyrics as a testament to both himself and Hip-Hop.
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