Can indigenous artists ever make it to the global stage?

Davido and Wizkid are two of Nigeria’s biggest names on the international scene who have successfully swung wide open the door upon which the likes of D’banj and 2Baba knocked.

While the likes of Tiwa Savage, Mr Eazi, Burna Boy, Patoranking are also enjoying a fair measure of recognition on the global stage.

It is a good time to be a fan of Nigerian music, but as we all know, Nigerian music did not get here overnight. 

ALSO READ: Why Nigerian music is getting foreign media attention

There was a time when rapping in a language outside English was a monstrosity and one that would earn you the ‘wack’ tag. But all that has been revised and the most successful Nigerian rappers in recent times all rap in their ‘mother tongue.’

It is 2019 and another indigenous rapper, Zlatan, is fast emerging as the latest revelation in the industry, with the likes of Davido and Burna Boy recognizing his impact and already scoring collaborations with him.

These indigenous acts have seen the dance styles they introduce year after year celebrated and replicated on major stages.

It has become cool for people to dance to ‘shaku shaku’ and neglect its origin or outrightly ascribe it to someone else, while also doing the Zanku and showing less excitement about telling the stories of the man behind it.

A lot of waters have been crossed in this journey, the sound has had to undergo major changes, the pace of the music has evolved, genre lines have been blurred and styles have had to be shed to arrive at this point.ADVERTISING

What the earlier named artists, however, all have in common is that their music is largely delivered in the English form, with a sprinkle of pidgin or local language infused in some of their lines.

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