Being M.I must be hard right now.
It must be hard to have all of that talent and be bogged down by the dynamics of Nigerian music. It can’t be easy going from being a great rapper to barely surviving as a mediocre manager. It must be hard to let label politics dictate relationships. It must be difficult starting your career with an ideology, only to jump ship mid-flight while charting a course for the exact crowd mentality you once ridiculed with glee few years ago.
These three sides to M.I should paint a better picture.
M.I: The Hustler.
“If there’s ever been a rap this fly/ yo it had to be done by another M.I”
The arrival of Jude ‘M.I’ Abaga in the Nigerian music scene delivered two lessons; first, nothing sells better than a new sound. Second, every other rapper before M.I had been doing it wrong. Nigeria had literally seen nothing like M.I. He awoke Nigeria from a deep coma that was secondary to all the clusterfuckery and stuffy indigenous hip-hop we had to deal with at the time. He set an unmatchable tone and pace that ensured every other rapper before him faded into the background. His debut and sophomore albums tested the boundaries of home-grown Nigerian hip-hop. The Illegal music LPs further affirmed his deft skill and ability to deliver hip-hop in its purest form despite industry dynamics.
Now I’m two-stepping in the club with my team/and we ain’t even having fun yet
To the despair of his predecessors, M.I did not only bring a new sound into the industry, the short black boy did not arrive unaccompanied. Countless established careers today passed through the doors of M.I to success. M.I was quickly dubbed the saviour of Nigerian music, a title he wore proudly like a badge of honour.
M.I: The Fallen angel.
Cos cat sabi fish/ that nor mean say e be cat fish
After four LPs that included two critically acclaimed albums and mixtapes, M.I appears to have burnt all of the music out of himself.
His troubles started with the release of the first single off his Chairman album in 2013. After setting up a brilliant social media campaign, M.I released a mediocre single with an accompanying mediocre video. The reception for the song was so terrible the rapper mostly went silent for the rest of year. The next few months got even more turbulent. The original Choc Boy team fell apart and the label lost Brymo and Jesse Jagz. Although the full details are sketchy, one thing is for sure. M.I who had single-handedly brought these two guys into the label, was forced by label politics to hang them out to dry.
The eventual release of M.I’s Chairman album regained him some respect, as did the return of Jesse Jagz to the Choc Boiz fold. But this did not do much for M’s career. His music has become so commercial, the weight of his old glory should be bearing down on him. The J-town rapper has sold his soul for corporate endorsements. He has also failed as Choc Boi Nation’s president.
M.I has not only failed to uphold a great quality of music, he has also failed his label members. Since M.I became president of Choc Boi Nation, he has been unable to successfully push the careers of any of his new signings Milli, Koker and Dice Allies. Ice Prince has been allowed to roam free by releasing inconsequential singles back to back. The label’s brilliant 2015 compilation album was also cheaply peddled to another corporate machinery, Nigerian Breweries.
How are the mighty fallen?
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