THE BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO RAP || WITH MODENINE 18.01.13 / 9 Lessons on How To Be a Rapper- With Modenine

From it’s beginnings not to many years ago in Nigeria, Hip hop has moved from being regarded  with suspicion to being viewed as a viable art form. A lot of ‘young uns’ these days set out with the good intent to rap and make good music. It’s a tough world out there. We figure they’ll be needing a little guidance. And who better to ask for help than Modenine?

miabaga.com asked the award winning rapper to walk us through what it takes to be one of the greats. With multiple mixtapes and albums under his belt, and  some more on the way, Modenine is that rapper respected everywhere for his skill and devotion to the art.

Can anybody rap? 

Um. That’s a very deep question. Yes and no. It just depends on interest. If you’re really interested and you can speak English or any other language to a respectable degree, than, yes you can rap.

But you have to really want to. So people who want to rap because they want to be superstars or famous or something, they got it wrong.

LESSON#1: RESPECT THE ART

Is there anybody who shouldn’t be allowed to rap?

Well you know I can’t call out names here.

What sort of person shouldn’t be allowed to rap?

Well there are a lot of people I hear nowadays just doing it for the stardom, or fame or whatever. Those people shouldn’t be allowed to rap.

How powerful is hip hop?

Hip hop is really powerful. You see places like America where they have an entire culture built around it. Where it’s become an important part of the society. In Nigeria, people don’t really understand hip hop. They don’t know what it is. They see you putting on bling bling and and Supras they call it hip hop. Anybody singing they say it’s hip hop.

So as for Nigeria…I don’t know…. I don’t really know what to say about Nigeria. I think that’s why any rapper who starts singing, you can’t really blame them. We have a lot of rappers who’ve started singing. And it’s because they’ve been rapping for a while and it’s like: oh boy nobody dey feel me oh.

LESSON#2: DON’T BEEF UNLESS YOU HAVE TO.

Beef in hip hop. Is it part of the culture or one of those things?

Beef. Beef is part of life. People are always beefing each other. At work, at the office, in music, people are always beefing. It’s part of life. Me, I’ve never really liked the whole beef thing oh. If I don’t like you, I don’t like you. I won’t go around saying things behind anyone’s back.

And beef is different from people who just hate. Some people are just hating ‘because’. Some people have taken shots at me. Some young cats….And I don’t really listen to Nigerian hip hop like that. So anybody subbing me in their songs… They’re just wasting their time mehn. I won’t even hear it.

I’ve had my own share of beef, here and there….but Beef? I don’t I don’t really like it. One thing is I won’t say shit behind your back. I’m just a real guy like that.

LESSON #3: WORK YOUR ARSE OFF

How do you write? 

Umm… sometimes I write very fast and if I’m writing very fast it just means that I like the beat so much… Sometimes If I have a beat I really love, I write multiple songs to it. Sometimes I’m very spontaneous. Other times I write one line and just get tired and leave it. It just depends.

What are you working on right now?

This week, I’ve been working on mixing my project. It’s a collaborative album between myself and XYZ. I was gonna put it out online for free. But naah, this year I’m not doing that. And it’s funny. I put out online that it’s not going to be free and some people started insulting me. Like everything I put out now should be free.

But I need to keep doing what I’m doing. I’m not really getting any support but I do this because I’m a fan of hip hop, you know?

What else for the year?

I’m also working on a solo album. A couple collabos been working on. You know some of these ‘big’ artistes it can take them up to 6 months to even a year to get on your song. I’ve hollered at some and they aren’t coming through. I mean it’s nothing personal but if you aren’t going to do it, just say no. I have no problem with that. What I don’t like is when you waste my time. And I understand that some are very busy. But when the time comes to release the album I’m not waiting anymore. Nothing personal. That’s just how it’ll be.

Just know that when you want to get a verse from me, it ain’t gonna happen.

So my solo album it’s going to be in a different album format. It’s not going to be a hip hop album. It’s for Nigeria. I have to have one of those ‘Action Film’ kinda songs. *laughs*

Basically, MI’s album is the blueprint for mainstream Nigerian hip hop. It works . It’s got introspective songs, it’s got some conscious songs, some ‘don’t mess with me’ songs. You have to just balance it out. Cuz Nigerians they wanna be in clubs and they wanna dance. So if you make songs just for yourself you discover people aren’t listening.

I’m putting out two albums this year. If care is not taking I’ll be putting out three.

LESSON#4 LEARN. NEVER STOP

I don’t hate on anybody.

Like Master P. Everybody hated on Master P. Said he was wack. Same thing with Diddy too. But I sat back and thought: this guy has made so much money. How did he do it? 

He’s the branding king. 

I respect people like that. I respect anybody trying to do their thing and making it. There’s always something to learn.

LESSON #5: LIVE LONG AND PROSPER

What should every young rapper know?

Know that every good thing has an end. But you can extend it past the expiry date. You can extend it by being calm and focused. Some up and coming dudes…people don’t really know them…people don’t know them at all. And they already trying to pose as a threat.

When I was starting out I was..I still am…a big fan of hip hop. I love music mehn. I liked everybody. I wanted to be everybody. There wasn’t a need for me to try to compare and say oh: this one is better than this, or something. Me I’m a fan of this hip hop thing oh.

LESSON #6: COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS

What’s the biggest blessing?

Ah mehn biggest blessing first of all is my skill. It’s a gift that I’m grateful for. Secondly, people come to me and are like mehn that your song I really felt it. And it’s like somebody you’ve never met before. And when people come and say, “that song really touched me” it’s just….

…being able to touch all this people over. Yeah…I’ll say that’s one of the biggest blessings.

LESSON #7: HAVE SOME PRINCIPLES

What’s the one thing a rapper should never do?

If you want wear skinny jeans , wear em as a rapper. I don’t care. I never thought a rapper could wear a skirt and actually look cool. And then Kanye west did it. So I can’t say stuff they should never do, but there’s stuff I would never do.

I wouldn’t wear skinny jeans.

Apart from that I don’t know. I’ve actually done a lot of things they thought rappers shouldn’t. I was the first to rap on a reggae beat, one of the first people to rap in pidgin. I did that even before Ruggedman.

Who would like to work with?

I don’t care. I don’t really care. Like I’ve said, Nobody is irreplaceable mahn. There’s M chase, a dude I’ve been working with. So I’m working with people. But I don’t care though. Shout out to Don Jazzy. For being a real G. Even though he said some slick shit last year. But shout out to him. He’s a real G.

LESSON #8: PERFECT YOUR ART

So if I wanted to do one of those bars…

You mean, something like you: You guys are a little square, pixels.

It just means, you know pixels are little squares on your screen. So if you don’t know that you won’t get it.

Can you give us one of the hardest ones of your project.

On new tracks I train crews, so they call me coach.

A triple entendre. That was one line I said. Wow. Triple entendre.

LESSON #9: ENTERTAIN

Do you have a worst rappers list

Funny enough the worst rappers are very popular. Vic O. He’s not even the worst. Cuz he’s entertaining. I have his music on my laptop.

(*Yop yop yop yop*! in background)

See they even know him here. So yeah. I like Vic O. Honestly speaking. If you do a song with him it would get so many views. I have this feature on my album. It’s going to be dope.

Is it Tonto Dikeh?

I’m not going to tell you who it’ll be. I’m not saying anything.

May I spread the rumor?

No oh. The song is gonna be bad sha.

Last word to rappers?

Keeping it real was for the 90’s. For 2013, keep it rich.

Lesson Over.