Mr Raw | |
---|---|
Birth name | Okechukwu Edwards Ukeje |
Also known as | Raw |
Born | November 1 1974 Enugu, Nigeria |
Genres | Igbo rap |
Occupation | rapper |
Years active | 2001–present |
Labels | Raw Deal |
Okechukwu Edwards Ukeje, better known as Mr Raw, is a Nigerian rapper and songwriter who was born and raised in Enugu. [1] A native of Abia State, he previously went by the stage name Dat Nigga Raw and is a pioneer of Igbo rap. [2]
Born and raised in Enugu, he gained prominence during the early 2000s rapping in the Igbo language and Pidgin English. [3]
Raw's debut studio album, Right & Wrong, was released on 7 August 2005. A second album Everything Remains Raw followed in 2007. His third studio album End of Discussion was released in October 2010. The album yielded the hit song "O! Chukwu" whose music video won Best Afro Hip Hop Video at the NMVA Awards that year. [4]
In 2010, Raw announced that he would change his name from "Dat Nigga Raw" (an acronym of "Dat Nigerian Guy Anakpo Raw" which means "that Nigerian guy called Raw") to "Mr. Raw", stating that the negative connotations associated to the word "nigga" resulted in his name being censored abroad and prevented people from purchasing his music online. [1] [5]
Raw has collaborated with numerous other musical artists including Flavour N'abania, Duncan Mighty, Phyno, Illbliss, 2Face, M-Josh, Hype MC, BosaLin and Slowdog. [5]
Ukeje is married, but has cited that he prefers to keep his family life private. In August 2021, he and his driver were hospitalised due to a car accident. [6]
Munachi Abii is a Nigerian rapper, singer, songwriter, model, actress and beauty pageant titleholder. She performs under the name Muna. She is the winner of Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria (MBGN) 2007. She is Igbo and hails from Imo state.
Dare Art Alade, popularly known as Darey, is a Nigerian multi-platinum Afro R&B singer, songwriter, record producer, philanthropist, humanitarian and entrepreneur. He is also the son of the African jazz musician and entertainer Art Alade and the creative director of Livespot360.
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Jesse Garba Abaga, known professionally as Jesse Jagz, is a Nigerian rapper, record producer, and songwriter. He signed a record deal with Chocolate City in 2010 and released his debut studio album Jag of All Tradez that same year. He voluntarily exited the Chocolate City deal in 2013 and announced the launch of his independent label, Jagz Nation. Jagz released his second studio album Jagz Nation, Vol. 1: Thy Nation Come in 2013; it included singles such as "Redemption", "Bad Girl", "Sex & Scotch" and "God on the Mic". His third studio album, Jagz Nation, Vol. 2: Royal Niger Company, was released in 2014. He returned to Chocolate City in 2015 but left the label again prior to releasing his fourth studio album Odysseus in 2017. In May 2020, he released a 5-track EP titled Garba.
Chinedu Okoli, better known by his stage name Flavour N'abania or simply Flavour, is a Nigerian singer. He began his musical career as a drummer for a local church. Flavour is popularly known across Africa and the world for his hit song "Nwa Baby ". He is currently signed to 2nite Entertainment.
"Sexy Mama" is a song recorded by Nigerian singer Iyanya featuring Wizkid for the former's second studio album, Desire (2013). It was issued to digital retailers as the album's fifth single on 6 February 2013, coinciding with the release of the parent album, through his label Made Men Music Group. Written by both of the two musicians, "Sexy Mama" was solely produced by D'Tunes. It is a dancehall and dance-inspired track that contains lyrics pertaining to a man's interest in a girl he met at a club.
"Mr Endowed" is a song by Nigerian singer D'banj, released on May 23, 2010. Produced by Don Jazzy, it was included in the track listing for Mr. Endowed, an album that was never released due to D'banj's exit from Mo' Hits Records. The song was reportedly recorded after D'banj signed a recording contract with Kanye West's GOOD Music. In an interview with April Woodard of BET, D'banj confirmed the rumours about the aforementioned contract.
"V.I.P" is a song by Nigerian rapper Ice Prince. It was released on April 24, 2013, by Chocolate City. The song was originally intended to be included on Ice Prince's second studio album, Fire of Zamani (2013), but was ultimately removed from the final track list due to reasons that haven't been made public. It peaked at number 26 on Afribiz's Top 100 chart. "V.I.P" debuted at number nine on MTV Base's Official Naija Top 10 chart for the week of July 6 through July 13, 2013, and entered the music countdown along with "Personally".
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Chibuzo Nelson Azubuike Ezege, who is known professionally as Phyno, is a Nigerian rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer. Phyno was born and raised in Enugu State but is a native of Anambra State. He started his music career as a producer in 2003 and primarily raps in Igbo. His debut studio album No Guts No Glory, which was released in March 2014, yielded the singles "Ghost Mode", "Man of the Year", "Parcel" and "O Set".
Igbo rap is a Nigerian style of hip hop music that originated in the Igbo-dominated southeastern region of Nigeria and has become more popular since 2000. The style draws its main influences from Igbo traditional music and African American music. Aside other derived styles, it can be combined with highlife, R&B and afro-soul. Most artists and groups who perform Igbo rap usually deliver their lyrics in the Igbo language, although on some occasions, Igbo is blended with Pidgin English.
Igbo highlife is a contemporary musical genre which combines highlife and Igbo traditional music. The genre is primarily guitar-based music, with a rare characteristic blend of horns and vocal rhythms. Igbo highlife lyrics are sung mostly in Igbo with occasional infusion of Pidgin English. One of the most influential composers and performers of the music is Chief Stephen Osita Osadebe whose career spanned over 40 years. Osadebe's discography comprises numerous popular songs including the 1984 hit "Osondi Owendi" which launched him on the world stage as a pioneer of the Igbo highlife genre.
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