Like every other year-end ritual in the Hip-Hop community, the debate on who has the best rap song, album, verse, feature, and so on must fly. Admittedly, in 2023, our Nigerian rappers came out gun-blazing, with tip-top aiming, wanting to dead the arrant “Rap is dead” conversation which resulted in a viral online war during Q4 of 2022.
The magnanimity of our beloved rappers in feeding their core fans and enriching the Nigerian Hip-Hop community in 2023 will forever be cherished. To that, we at Media Naija say “Kudos! Thank you. More bars to your creative artillery.”
But like every sport, Hip-Hop is competitive, hence, we have decided to join that conversation. The topic? The hardest rap verses in 2023 (with Nigeria in view). Our list is based on rawness, delivery, cadence, bars (or punchline), and quotables. Commercial success is a plus.
The list will be in the classic countdown fashion. Let’s begin!
5. ODUMODUBLVCK in Where Dem Dey
If Nigerian Hip-Hop in 2023 were to have a torchbearer, ODUMODUBLVCK would gently march us to victory. Straight to his verse on Laime’s Where Dem Dey, OD burst through the door with ferocious anger.
Boasting on his unbelievable accessibility to contraband substances without repercussions, ‘MODU tells tales of the Nigerian version of a UK Roadman. His raw delivery invoked fear and relatability in the hearts of listeners; so much he got antagonised for promoting illicit drug use through his lyrics.
Quotables:
“I tell am gimme Benylin, it fell on deaf ears / Dem go bring Expectorant, the thing dey burst head”
“Kylian Mbappe, na me equalize every goal / As I waka through the city of Paris, na aujourd’hui / . . . / My friend, will you marry me? (No) / Okpo don dey halla o, I no go follow for their P”
4. OluwaMillar in Agbalagbi
If “ticking the right boxes” were a person, OluwaMillar should be a strong contender for such one for his immaculate wordy service in Agbalagbi.
The song is 99% sung in Yoruba with the remaining 1% inflection coming via English language. OluwaMillar’s mastery of his mother tongue would even give his tribal brothers a bit of a problem following along. Yes, his bold flow and intense picturesque lyrics blended in creating the brilliant Agbalagbi song.
Another worthy mention is the violin strings that strike an interesting chord in the intro of the song before the daring drill beat overtakes the production.
Quotables:
“Àgbàlágbì ju àgbàlágbà lọ”
“Bóju yín fọ́, Ṣétí ẹ̀yin wèrè wọ̀nyìí tún di ni?”
“Rap mi n shank mi, man mi / I dey keep am on, like 5 wey snooze offside trap”
3. Blaqbonez in Breaking The Yoke Of Love
Simply put, Breaking The Yoke Of Love is one of 2023’s most beautifully crafted songs. From the orchestra to the soul-bearing description of love in the hook to Blaq’s hedonistic impressions—everything jelled.
It is not new to hear Blaqbonez describe romantic love as fickle. However, in this song, he drilled the final nail to the coffin, bringing his ‘f–k love’ phase to a majestic end. Also commendable is how the perfect execution of Breaking The Yoke Of Love opened the portal to intelligible rap conversations both at home and abroad. A 10/10 record!
Quotables:
“F–k Cinderella / F–k Beauty and the beast / F–k all they made me believe / Life ain’t no fairy tale, life ain’t no Adam and Eve / They ain’t no soul mates”
“In a whole planet of seven billion people / Somebody told me that one is enough / That’s crazy”
“All my life mehn I’ve seen so much evil / If dem tell you the truth e go weak you / Like Portable said ‘Dem go rip you’”
2. Zlatan in Omo Ologo
On December 24, Zlatan tweeted “I will forever preach against poverty” but we already got the full gist on Omo Ologo released on March 10.
Almost every line in the song is a quotable. Zlatan’s endearing cadence, his storytelling, the glorious bars, and his introspective demeanor contributed to Omo Ologo being one of the most successful rap singles of 2023. Truly when you see Zlatan, “o rọmọ ologo.”
Quotables:
“Symbol of hope / For their eye e be like soap”
“Till the second coming of Jesus Christ, I go dey give them / Mo t’ajero from Monday till Friday, jaiye ni weekend”
“Stack the money up, stack the money up owo lo shey igboro (Kilowi?) / Rale fun mummy, ra fun daddy, maje k’owo s’ojoro (Kilosọ?)”
1. EESKAY & MOJO AF in No Excuses
You know a song is top-tier when all parties deliver hard-hitting verses. In No Excuses, EESKAY and MOJO AF were on a mission to body each other. The result? Not only one of the best rap songs of 2023 but also a strong contender for collaboration of the year.
No Excuses has both rappers sharing their thoughts on why they are among the top crops of rappers which they delivered through vindictive swagger.
Quotables:
“Before boys started pushing this p / Me and my guys we been taking a pee / I don’t fall flat / Every time I get pressed my guns always been ready to pee” – EESKAY
“Oke nì natural habitat / Yeezy no be just normal Addidas /Even when feliz no dey navidad / Aye mi ni natural lavida-loca” – MOJO AF
“The way they go do man / He would wish he locked up / Six feet deep, it was a very long shot / Man barely got any options” – EESKAY
“Ogo mi natural ati swag, na the fact / Blowing natural sativa / Energy po, enemy mo / Ko ma ni si aye ni cemetery mo”– MOJO AF
In due diligence, we have to list out honourable mentions:
- PDSTRN in Get It All
- Olamide in Street Jam
- ODUMODUBLVCK in DECLAN RICE
- A-Q in Family
- Reminisce, Ycee & Rhook Castle in E.N.K.R