The Nigerian pop music industry is a long way from where it started. we have made a lot of progress and improvements. Artists – both male and female – populate the scene now. It was not the case some fifteen to twenty years back. so much has changed and these benefits we enjoy are as a result of pioneer artists who took the pain to make music for us in spite of the obvious challenges at the time.
In the spirit of #TBT (Throw Back Thursday), we have selected 5 Nigerian artists who made music for us. The artists who made us sing along, who made us dance. Let us remember them and the works they do.
Styl-Plus
Styl-Plus was an Abuja-based music group that was founded in the late 1990s and existed up till the early 2010s. Styl-Plus was a household name, the heart throb of all Nigerians. They gave us beautiful love songs that equaled those in Blues and RnB and yet felt like ours. Some of their most popular songs are “Olufunmi”, “Hadiza”, “Imagine That”, “Iya Basira”, among many others.
Naeto-C
Also known as the only MC with an MSc, Naeto-C gave us rap songs we liked to cut the air with. His songs often were accompanied by a catchy hook. Shortly after he got married over 5 years ago, we stopped hearing from him musically. Some of his songs are “Ten Over Ten”, “5 and 6”, “E No Mean Say”, etc.
Tony Tetuila
If we don’t know Tony Tetula for any other song, at least we remember him for “My Car”, a funny song released in the early 2000s chronicling his ordeal on a Nigerian road. Tony was most famous for the use of humor and storytelling in his songs.
9ice
Most famous for his hit track, “Gongo Asan”, 9ice was one of the very first Fuji-pop artists Nigeria ever had. He also blessed us with “Wedding Day”, “No Be Mistake” and “Street Credibility” where he featured 2face. 9ice remains a respected artist in the industry.
Weird MC
At a time when there were a scanty number of female artists in the Nigerian scene, Weird MC had a necessary and influential career. A rapper, she was also known as “the Raptainer”. One of her most popular songs till date remains “Ijoya”.