Top 6 Nigerian Artistes Who Have Lost Relevance

The popular phrase ‘how are the mighty fallen’ seems like the only appropriate way to label a certain group of Nigerian artistes who have fallen off the path of greatness that they once towed.

Once they were beaming with lots of tremendous prospects and promises but have not lived up to their full potential and unfortunately had a rapid decline in public appeal.

At some point these guys were up there in their glory days, in fact they were even tipped to become the standard for the industry in some years to come. But contrary to all the good ratings they were accorded, and serious good will,  the reality is that they’re not as good as they hype.

These few artistes listed are those that come readily to mind when you think of how much some artistes have fallen out of favour.

1. Korede Bello

Nigerian singer Korede Bello and member of the Don Jazzy-led Mavin Records used to be one of the most loved young emerging artistes in the music industry. In fact since his infamous wink in ‘Dorobucci’, Korede Bello showed signs he was here to stay, young and full of promises. From ‘Dorobucci’ to ‘Adaobi’ he gained massive support from the fans especially the ladies. His biggest break to date being ‘God Win’ was an instant monster hit, winning him the Headies ‘song of the year’ in 2015. After the heroics of ‘God Win’, other hits like ‘Romantic’ and ‘Do Like That’ the Afro wearing singer slumped per his ability to stay relevant with banging tunes. Korede Bello self titled album has to be one of the worst debut albums in the history of debut albums.

2. Lil Kesh

Born Keshniro Ololade, Nigerian music star Lil Kesh would be another artiste who has suffered a steep decline in star power. The former YBNL rapper and protege to Olamide was a street sensation with some of the biggest street hits 2 – 3 years ago. A ‘Next Rated’ nominee and another young star full of prospects, recently Lil Kesh has disappointed his followership and core fans as his growth has stagnated. Except for a few collaborations he has been featured in which have kept his head above water, most of his songs post-YBNL have been met with stalemate.

3. Vector

One of Nigeria’s finest gems when it comes to rap used to be Vector. Since his official debut his music efforts have always been greeted with wide acceptance up to his sophomore ‘Second Coming’ album. Post-YSG Vector has disappointed the rap faithful in Nigeria and all those who thought big things for him. His highly anticipated third studio album ‘Lafiaji’ was obviously a flop as the project did not fly, neither did it change the rap game a bit. These days nobody really looks up to VEC as a role model as it concerns rap. Do you know Vector released an EP some weeks back titled ‘The Rap Dialogue’?  Surprisingly some of his fans aren’t aware of the rapper’s moves again; he lost them all.

4. Jesse Jagz

Talented? Yes! Lack of talent has never been the problem with Jesse Jagz. It may have to be his inconsistency or laissez-faire ethic to work. Everyone seems to rate Jesse Jagz but apparently the rapper has failed several times to ride and rise on the sheer hype he enjoys from fans. It’s genius to remember Jesse Jagz was the producer behind some of the biggest hip hop hits from early Chocolate City, plus he was a good rapper to top it up. Several years after it seems Jesse Jagz has failed to live up to his full potential in the music industry as a rapper cum music producer. The moral lesson from emperor Jagz is that raw talent isn’t always enough to keep you on top, it takes more than talent.

5. Chidinma

Some fans who are still sympathetic to the petite Miss Kedike may often times be wondering what went amiss with the singer. Chidinma was full of promises from her first taste of limelight with MTN project fame. She had grown in leaps and bounds albeit organically with her music while winning fans over. During her best days, she charted a few records and won top awards across Africa like the Kora Awards etc. She was almost the S.I unit for how successful a female artist should be. Somewhere along the journey, Chidinma unfortunately lost her balance and fell from glory. These days, the likes of Yemi Alade, Niniola, Simi are headlining their own concerts something Chidinma had not done during her glory days.

6. YCEE

Oludemilade Martin Alejo aka YCEE hasn’t been in form of recent for someone who was thought to revolutionise the rap game with new flavour. The Tinny Entertainment act has had one of the fastest growth as a rapper in recent times no doubt. However, YCEE hasn’t been able to sustain the growth and momentum with chart topping singles anymore. ‘Jagaban’ introduced him, ‘Omo Alhaji’ gave him more fans, ‘Juice’, put him in the ‘Next Rated’ category but nothing else has been forthcoming from the rapper. Since his debut, YCEE has released two EP’s, one of which was a collaborative effort with Bella Alubo. At the moment it seems the once raving rapper has run out of creative juice.