Nigerian rapper Vector granted a recent interview to Enconium Magazine. In that interview he was asked how he would feel if he had the opportunity to meet Jay-Z. His response focused on outdoing Jay-Z in a freestyle rap session.
I too believe that Vector or any other young truly talented artist has the ability to outdo the best of the best names in hip-hop. I don’t believe one person is necessarily the “god” of a music genre where the young ones cannot outdo them. However, I am not sure why that is even a focus for Vector. Nigerian artists, can we aim higher? If Michael Jackson was alive and the same question was posed, to me it would be silly to say you want to outdo Michael Jackson. Not because perhaps you can’t, although the rest of the world would think you have lost your mind, but because the focus as a young talent should be about the business of music not outdoing a successful business mogul in a rap session. The ones you want to outdo have nothing to prove. You do and where you make your point is your ability to be just as enterprising and successful if not more successful than they are.
To me, for the Nigerian artist with such an opportunity, the focus should be on learning, networking and accumulating the skill set and insight on how to build and keep wealth much the same way Jay-Z has.
Who cares if you can or want to outdo a hip-hop icon? How does that really affect your pocket book beyond an ego session, of which the world will probably say he let you have your moment, anyway.
See the bigger picture. Nigerian artists, aim higher, please.
Cheers,
Uduak
“If you had a moment with Jay Z, what will you tell him?
I will really like to freestyle with him. I hear he doesn’t write in the studio and that’s cool but somewhere in my head I’m thinking we can outdo that guy. I’d like for him to see that hip-hop for Naija no be beans.”
Read the full interview on Enconium.
