4-11 7 & RAP SHEET

OMOSEXY BACK!

Four years after she debuted in the music scene with ‘Gba’, star actress Omotola (Jalade Ekeinde) also known as Omo Sexy is said to be putting final touch on her sophomore album. The album which she plans to release independently, is been mastered in the US and though yet untitled, she’s already talking deals with international record companies and agencies showing interest in the project.

Though still in the acting business, it doesn’t quite seem like the diva is planning to quit music any time soon. Word has it that Omotola, who is also UN Ambassador for World Food Programme, is making plans to shoot a slew of about 10 videos for her forthcoming album, first of the series to hit the screens will be ‘Feel Alright’ a single from the album currently enjoying rave reviews.

KnightHouse Presents Street Scriptures vol. 1

The creative mind squad of Aderogba Arimoro, Lanre Oladimeji, and Temitope Gomez, KnightHouse is geared and ready to step the game up another notch with the introduction of a compilation album titled 'Street Scriptures Volume 1', which according to them is the first installment in a series of musical servings to come from their kitchen.

The Street Scriptures

Vol. 1

presents some of the finest of Naija Hip-hop in series of collaborations featuring established rap heavyweights, steaming up-comers and some of the strongest underground contenders. Their aim with this release is to bring out the most definitive hip-hop album ever made, from the underground ciphers to the club banger

s, celebrating true hip-hop music and its culture.

2 singles off the album; 'Purple' featuring M.I, Nyore and Mo'Cheddah and 'Hate' featuring illbliss, Othello and Aye'sha, were released online and on radio in late 2008. And now with videos for 'Purple' and a few other cuts like 'Drama'(which featured music video geek Clarence Peters rappin

g for the first time) and 'Finest', Street Scriptures Vol. 1 has been primed to explode on the scene and the CDs likely to hit the streets by May ending or June.

The roll call on the album is a long list; it features names like Mode 9, illbliss, Terry Tha Rapman, Othello, M.I, Kel, Blaise, Sauce Kid, Nyore, Mo'Cheddah, Teeto C-Mos, Teckzilla {Str8buttah}, Rooftop MCs, 4th Rebublic, Clarence Peters, Ikechukwu, Naeto C, The Kalifate, Loose Kaynon, KB {Trybesmen}, XYZ {Str8buttah}, Tha Suspect, Roguewave, T-Rex, Bigtyme, Mike Majik, just to mention a few.

2008 was a good year for the Nigeria music industry, and particularly Rap music. Within its 52 weeks, we witnessed Naija rap joints rock the entire scene, rappers score mainstream hits and win awards internationally and locally. A number of rap CD’s made it to the streets, and 2 out of these albums rounded up ‘08 and buzzed into the new year.

Paradigm Shift

REDEYE MUZIK

PRODUCTION: Kraft, X-0, Knight House, Jesse Jags, Was Beats and Others

While we might wonder what it is exactly Modenine has done for Hip-hop, he says on track “hip-hop is getting negative press/ that’s why I rake to clear up the mess”. As expected Mr. Nine brings indomitable rhyme prowess to the table with officially second LP, Paradigm Shift. Gets crooning assistance from pretty boy singer Banky W on Talking to you, starts a bon-fire with spit fire Reggae Dance-hall cats Mallam Spicey, Oso Sensei, and Rocksteady on track Fiyah Burn also teams up with Sound Sultan on Green Passport remix. The overall album features Mode brashly spitting battle rap verses with deep punchlines on mostly boom bap-ish instrumentals. Might not cut across very much in the music mainstream(though playing the rivalry card, as he openly threw verbal jabs at Ruggedman gained him some

attention there), and just may be should have obeyed the less is more principle, but a definite good listen for serious rap heads.

Talk About It

CHOCOLATE CITY ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY

Talk About It

PRODUCTION: Jude(MI) and Jesse(Jags) Abaga, Kraft

MI comes off with witty lyricism, hardcore in a mellow way, not rock-bottom deep but far from superficial. On this album, he managed to veil the rap form’s toughness in a more appealing cloak of melody and radio friendly song-craft both as emcee and producer. Features guest appearances from musical comrades like Reggae dance-hall soldier Pype on Teaser, on Blaze got puff puff pass-ish with Jesse Jags, Ice Prince & Blaise, though instead of actual narcotics, their quad-team got high on their own verses, got up and coming singer YQ on Area and also Gospel-Rock singer Eben on the praise worship Jehovah. Summing it up, MI’s Talk About It is a very entertaining piece for anyone who would care to listen. And to garner more attention and respect, in February he put out a mixtape titled “ILLEGAL MUZIK” lacing rhymes on tracks like D’banj’s “MO Gbona Feli Feli” and Lil Wayne’s “A Milli”. On that tip, has earned himself some critical acclaim in the rap circles and also the rapper-of-the-moment status in the entire Naija music scene .

Rap albums for 2009:

Ikechukwu’s Life and Times Of Killz vol. 1

iLLBLiSS’ Dat Ibo Boy LP,

Kalifate ’s Re-Ink-A-Nation

Elajoe’s Elajoe ’s MicWorx

Rooftop MCs ’ Drunken Masters

KnightHouse ’ Street Scriptures vol. 1

Kel ’s The Investment

Terry Tha Rapman’s Boys Are Not Smiling

Rugged man( Hopefully, with better joints than O Bangin’ si mi leti), Sauce Kid,…Gino ???...Will eLDee ever drop a rap album again?????

Even rap albums we don’t know about yet, mostly likely will surface sometime this year. But whether or not they do, this year is looking better for Rap. Rappers getting more awards and nominations, rap music getting more and more spins on radio and in the clubs, more fly rap videos, rappers touring and doing more gigs, and hopefully someday soon we’ll see real rappers headline major shows especially the ones tagged ‘Hip-Hop’ HL