ShukuBamBam – Phenom × Ms Iye (Song Of The Day)
If hip hop is about self-assuredness and braggadociosness, then ShukuBamBam is peak hip hop.
Phenom remains one of the most phenomenal rappers the Nigerian rap scene has ever witnessed. Every song he gets on, he brings the heat.
From MoCheddah‘s see me, to Knighthouse‘s Omo Naija cypher. He never disappoints.
Did you hear him on Live at 51? It’s a wonder no vocal booth or mic went up in flames while he was dropping bars. Maybe they kept the fire extinguishers handy.
I must shout out the Knighthouse team. They fed Nigeria and Africa a steady supply of hip hop diet. They were the conduit by which the new generation of hip hop heads was properly introduced to the game.
Knighthouse was the melting pot that gave us the biggest collaborative projects Nigeria’s hip hop witnessed after DJ Jimmy Jatt’s stylee.
Mode Nine, Jesse Jagz, M.I Abaga, Vector, Ikechukwu, Sinzu, Teeto Ceemos, Ice Prince, Olamide, Wizkid, MoCheddah, Eva Alordiah, Ms Iye, Phenom, and the late Dagrin, as well as many other awesome acts I can’t list here, were all at different points, involved with Knighthouse.
I will dare to say they were most likely involved there at the same time.
Stubbornly, I will insist that period was the peak era of hip hop in Nigeria.
Knighthouse is a phenomenon that I will one day talk about here. They inspired a generation, and I will proudly say I am one of the beneficiaries.
On ShukuBamBam, Phenom starts out strong. Characterizing himself to the fictional King Kong. No one is stronger. Very few can match his appetite for havoc and domination. And that is an apt description of Phenom’s rap prowess.
Ms Iye’s vocal on the hook is just heavenly. She will go on to repeat this feat on other hip hop songs. I wish her song had been just as successful.
I know she has earned her own page in the annals of Nigerian hip hop story.
After a break from music, Phenom is back doing music, and I hope he drops something more groundbreaking soon.
In the meantime, for those who can remember this time, here is ShukuBamBam for you, and for those who never heard this before, listen too.
And prepare to get knocked out of your socks.
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