Tochukwu Ojogwu, better known by his stage name Odumodublvck, is a well-known rapper who has stated that Nigerians do not value the hip-hop genre or the artists who perform it.
In a recent interview with the CTRL Room, the vocalist of ‘Declan Rice’ recalled the time when he was a struggling artist and the organizers of award ceremonies did not grant him seats at the ceremonies.
In addition to this, he related how he declined the recommendation of his team to collaborate with the afrobeats singer Davido in order to increase his fame.
He explained that he was more drawn to UK grime musicians whose musical style was more in line with his objectives.
According to Odumodublvck, “In 2019, someone [in my team] suggested that we should travel to Lagos in order to see Davido. On the other hand, I found myself wondering, “What will Davido do for me?” Even if Davido were to take me to America and put me on stage while I rapped my stuff, his followers still wouldn’t understand because they are fans of afrobeats.’
“But these guys—Teezee, BOJ, and Sholz—are the pipeline to the market in the United Kingdom. And those are the guys on the international scene to whom I sound the most similar. Therefore, there is no reason for me not to take that path in order to go wherever it is that I intend to arrive.
I told myself that I didn’t need Davido for anything else anymore. Permit me to follow those whose goals coincide with my own. And that was how we all of a sudden got together, and now we’re all here. Despite the many challenges, number one in the nation. Tell them that they are obligated to respect whatever it is. Because we attended an award show where we weren’t even allowed to sit down and we didn’t have tickets. In Nigeria, hip-hop is not given the respect it deserves. They don’t regard us with any esteem.
However, the rapper said that he agreed with Wizkid’s contentious assertion that “hip-hop is gone,” and he emphasized that “I was incredibly delighted about Wizkid’s comments… It was over for hip-hop.”