Since the creation of men, arguments about who or what is better, which mostly end in inconclusiveness, have been a major part of our existence and it is not going away anytime soon – or ever.
A major bone of contention in the Nigerian music scene is a supremacy battle on who holds the title as the greatest Nigerian rapper.
At TheNETng, we had two hip hop connoisseurs make strong arguments for and against why seasoned rapper, Modenine is the greatest to bless the mic from these parts.
READ: 14 years a genius – Why Modenine is still Nigerian god of rap
Highlighting some of Mode9’s best works in making a case for the rapper, Femi Falodun, a poet and Hip Hop head, described Mode9 as an ‘undisputed Nigerian rap god, as well as an African literary and art icon who deserves our collective praise, honour and respect.’
He boastfully added elsewhere, ‘Whatever he chooses to do post-Insulin, this man, Olusegun Babatunde, remains a Nigerian legend. In my opinion, Modenine deserves as much respect for his art as we currently give other Nigerians who have excelled in their chosen fields, such as the likes of Chimamanda in literature, John Mikel Obi in football and Kunle Afolayan in film.’
However, in a counter argument, Jide Taiwo, another hip hop enthusiast fired a stinging statement, ‘Modenine has fallen just short of achieving true greatness.’
Also READ: 17 years an underdog – Why Modenine is not the greatest
Jide Taiwo’s reasons?
Because Modenine is ‘making music that nobody actually demands or wants’ and, his ‘greatest undoing, and a gaping chink in his otherwise gleaming armour, is his inability – or worse blatant refusal – to adapt and evolve.’
Amid all of Jide Taiwo’s points, was a poignant punch that ‘we could juxtapose him with a certain M.I Abaga and this entire conversation will change.’
Also READ: Twitter’s best reactions to top 10 Nigerian rappers
Which is the actual point of this conversation.
We’ve come to that realisation that the age-long argument about who the best is will never go away, but just for the sake of it, we can’t help but throw M.I Abaga, Terry Tha Rapman, Sinzu, Jesse Jagz, Olamide, and even the late Dagrin into the mix.
WHO is really Nigeria’s greatest rapper?