From the days of Notorious B.I.G, 2pac, Dr. Dre, and Busta Rhymes, rap has always been a genre that established itself before mainstream music became in demand. It takes only the brave, lyrically sound, and philosophically-minded to make a name for themselves as a flagbearer of the genre.
Sadly, people have loosely thrown around the narrative that rap was dead. Can we blame them? I mean, even the “goated” Wizkid once asserted that rap was “dead and boring” to him.
While 2023 winds up, it’s a known fact that a lot can still happen even in the last quarter of the year, especially in the entertainment industry, and that’s why we present you with 5 rappers to pay attention to in 2023. These rappers are gradually changing the face of the game, so if you truly are a music lover, then you should be on the lookout.
1. MOEFASA
I’m sure you have heard “Balotelli”, the rap single that made headlines sometime in August 2023. That was Moefasa, letting the music scene know that someone huge was coming.
Through his lyrics, one could feel his thirst and hunger, diluted with love for his craft. Drill is slowly finding its way back into the hip-hop scene and we’re all here for it.
Aside from “Balotelli”, Moefasa has released delightful bangers dubbed, “Wetin Dey Sup”, “Summer Time”, and “E Get Why”, to mention a few. He currently has 4,132 monthly listeners on Spotify.
2. BKAY
Bkay did a thing when he dropped his cover of Burna Boy’s “Big 7”, off his most recent body of work, “I Told Them…”. Apart from his voice having some semblance to that of Canadian singer and rapper, Drake, BKay literally killed it. Many in fact argued that they preferred his version to the original.
One distinctive trait of BKay is his ability to make rap seem like a walk in the park. He’s such a minimalist, yet manages to blow minds in the most intriguing way.
BKay recently performed at the World Record For the Longest Recording Marathon in Lagos held by producer, Hitsound. Hopefully, he gets the recognition he deserves soon.
3. DROXX
24-year-old Nigerian singer and rapper, Droxx, released an EP, “Riot” in 2021. A joint project with his fellow rapper, Mo’ Gunz.
This project caught the eye of music lovers and earned him some recognition, especially with tracks like “Officer” and “Heathrow”. He is without a doubt of the leading faces in the front line of Drill music and one of the rappers to watch out for.
4. MO’GUNZ
Like Droxx, Mo’Gunz is one we also need to pay a substantial amount of attention to in 2023. His finesse and versatility should be studied. Consume one of his tracks, and he’ll leave you begging for more.
His collaboration with Droxx on the EP, “Riot”, and others further embodies his lyrical prowess.
Mo’Gunz’s most recent single, “Nrgy” has a dance all feel, a certified jam for the books.
5. DEELA
Adeola Oni, professionally known as Deela is a Nigerian female rapper, who grew up listening to rap music. The likes of Nicki Minaj, Naeto C, Lil Wayne, to mention a few.
She broke into the music scene in 2020 during the lockdown. In August 2021, she released her self-titled 5-track debut mixtape. She introduced herself to the world as not only a rapper but a Gen Z African woman.
Deela currently has 78,045 monthly listeners on Spotify and has released about 5 tracks in 2023 alone, she’s definitely one of the rappers to keep an eye out for.
6. 8TCH
8tch is an indigenous drill rapper who came into the limelight following the release of his rap single, “Wachu Saying”, which went viral and racked up numbers on digital charts. Prior to this spate of singles, he released an EP in 2021, titled, “Ceiling Conversations”.
The rapper was also recently one of the new-gen acts tapped by media agency Clout Africa for a freestyle session.
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