Ola Dips aka ‘Omo Iya Aje’ has been on the radar for quite a while now releasing singles like “Life,body and soul”, “Ojo Ibukun”, “Let Dagrin down”, “Balogun”, ” Something Is Stinking” , amongst others.
The underground artiste has been feeling his buzz, so when this versatile rapper features on this joint with fellow Emcee Blaqbonez, it was no surprise that he dropped one of the hardest rap verses this year “South Africa Must Go”, I gave it an honest listen and spill my thoughts on his verse;
1. The verse is glorious, you could practically feel his pain right from the first lines, ‘see I be hip hop head, I can’t watch people do it wrong’… this song is exactly the way a young militant’s music should sound, you see a lot of people talking down on rappers and asking them to make commercial music on a daily, Oladips was frustrated with the norm and just poured his heart out on every bar sharing his struggles as a rapper in Nigeria.
2. It’s a refreshing verse, his rhyme scheme is quite hilarious and relatable, but at the same time packs a bit of engaging and honest lines, rap in Nigeria no longer inspires its listeners, we have seemingly gotten used to the recycled sounds and the attempt at ‘selling out’, when last did an MI or Ice Prince verse get you screaming? ‘Cos throughout the year, all these rappers don’t impress me/ I mean hip-hop wise, nobody else to learn from’…
3. Oladips asks salient questions that every upcoming emcee needs to answer before recording that next song, ‘but the question is; how many dance tracks AKA get? ati Cassper Nyovest, see the reason why me I dey vex’ and he sure has every reason to be vexed especially when you consider the fact that Cassper recently got the Dome sold out and a Presidential acknowledgement without a dance track.
4. Ode to Mode9, ‘…sugbon to ba je Modo, gbogbo yin mama shey hide and seek, anu Mode9 ma shemi tin ba re egbon ninu baggy/ ewo eni ti gbogbo awa new generation pe ni daddy’. Modo has been in the game from almost the inception when most of us began to listen to rap in Nigeria, mathematical Sege has been holding it down with numerous albums, endless awards and untouchable bars over the years, but by sticking to his style and doing rap the way he sees fit, he has seemingly gone unrewarded and not getting near half the props he deserves.
5. Note to Radio stations that are always quick to interview AKA and Cassper but will rarely play a Mode9 or Boogey joint, this song is for you or like Dips spat ‘e niba tun sobe, I make sure I give am blow for neck’.
6. This song in many ways reminds me of AQ’s ‘Distractions’ ft Vector, where for all of Q’s dope first verse, Vector stole the shine, on this joint Blaqbonez was also a lyrical beast and had a stellar performance but the grit and emotions Ola Dips poured out on his verse gets him the MVP here.
7. South Africa indeed must go, let’s support our rappers, we have more than enough of them to make us proud.
Written By Ehis Combs Ohunyon, a music lover who writes when in doubt, follow on twitter @ehiscombs