Hip hop music genre has gained tremendous popularity in Nigeria since the mid 1990s when Weird M C brazed the trail with a hit single and video "Allen Avenue" which made waves in the city of Lagos. She was followed by Zackee Azdee who released some hip hop hits. A group of three young boys called "The Remedies" then came up with a hip hop hit single titled "Shade" which made wave in Lagos and the whole of South Eastern Nigeria. They actually popularised the use of local dialet to embellish hip hop music.
"The Plantashion Boyz" then entered the scene in the late 1990s and took hip hop music to the next level by incorporating even more local dialets and piegeon English and local slangs in thier songs, which appealed to the youths. Their debut album titled "Plantashion Boyz" was a hit. The hit track of the album was "Plantashion Boyz" which was actually a remix of Bonny M's 1980s hit "Plantation Boy"
At the dawn of the new millenium many other hip hop groups emerged and saturated the air waves with hip hop songs, which some journalists have termed "Niaja Music" These groups include a duo called the "P-Square" and the "Styl Plus".
By this time some members of the older hip hop groups have gone solo churning out hit songs. Idris Abdulkareem,a former member of the "Remedies" released a solo album 'Nigeria Jagajaga" which was successful. Tu Face,a former member of the "Plantashion Boyz" started a very successful solo career and recorded many hits including "African Queen" and "For Instance". He had a very versatile and up and doing promoter and record company, Kenis Music, who popularised him and made him an international figure, winning many international and local awards.
P-Square's 2007 album "Do Me" was s monster hit so also was Timaya, a Port Harcourt based hip hop artiste who took the Nigerian music scene by a storm with his debut album "True Story" The other hip hop artistes that are currently making waves in Nigeria include J Martins, D Banj, Nigga Raw, Duncan Mighty, Terry G, Brackets, Dee Bee, Olu Maintain, 9ice, D J Zeez, e t c.
