Jude Abaga or “M.I” is a hip hop artists from Nigeria. He has won multiple awards including the MTV Africa Music Awards. He continues to be a strong voice of representation for African Hip Hop today, and makes his presence felt in the industry through lyrical songs that represent the culture and his background. You can hear the African descent in the music through the wide range of instruments, most notably the drums, and his accent.
I can see some similarities between his raps and hip hop in the U.S. In his song “Africa Rapper Number One” he claims to be the best rapper in Africa. This is something that can be seen throughout hip hop rappers referring to themselves as the best and then proceeding to try and prove why they are the best. Hip Hop can be very competitive, with M.C’S constantly releasing new music, and fans constantly ranking artists. This competitiveness is great for the music industry because it pushes rappers to produce their best work. The music can speak for itself, but often times rappers use examples, or similes for why they are the best. In the chorus of the song M.I. is referred to as a “microphone magician”. During his verse he says “I’m on top of the rest, ah Cassius clay what I do to the list” Phrases like this are often used to place a rapper above others. All artist should be confident in their ability, and think of themselves as the best in the game. But, if you’re going to claim it you have to be able to back it up. From what I heard M.I is one of the best MC’s from Africa and can claim to be the best after years in the industry.