Top 5 Nigerian Acts Who Dumped Rap For Pop Music: Wizkid, D’Prince, Dr Sid….

Not every pop star started out singing and composing smash hit singles. Some of the biggest pop stars in the game today started out as rappers. Let’s highlight the top pop stars who were once rappers… Let’s know if we missed out any names!

eLDee
1. eLDee- When the history of Nigerian Hip Hop is written, eLDee will undoubtedly have more than a few pages. Unknown to many of eLDee’s younger fans the former leader of the rap group Trybesmen not only laid the blueprint of the modern Nigerian rap sound but was the first to go the Alaba route. In his rap days, eLDee helped kick start the careers of some of today’s biggest rappers which include Sasha, Blaise and 2 Shotz. He was no slouch on the mic either as he held his own with rhyme partners Freestyle and Kaboom. But now, he has quit spitting bars; choosing instead to be a singer, with so many hits under his belt. Once in a while though he still lets the rapper in him come out.

Skales
2. Skales- Skales might have big pop hits such as ‘Mukulu’ and ‘Ko Mo Le’ but anyone who knows his history knows that he was once touted as the next great rapper to come out from the North. His debut single ‘Heading For A Grammy’ had Hip Hop lovers giving him their stamp of approval. Skales however flipped the script a couple of years later when he started dropping pop singles. Even though he sings a lot these days he still drops a few rap verses when he can just like he did on ‘Baddest Boy’

Dr Sid
3. Dr. Sid- Dr. Sid was once a member of the now defunct rap collective ‘Da Trybe’ founded by eLDee. The Mavin star today is one of Nigeria’s most consistent pop acts but back in the day Dr. Sid was more concerned about rhyming than singing. When he joined Mo’ Hits he still had his rap cape on but when his solo album Turning Point dropped in 2010, Dr. Sid was all about hooks, melodies and harmonies. And he hasn’t looked back.

D’ Prince
4. D’ Prince- Don Jazzy’s younger brother once had his sights on being a very good rapper. His features on the Mo’ Hits compilation album showed a young D’ Prince trying to be a good rapper. However when his solo career kicked off he left all that behind and turned pop. He hasn’t done badly for himself judging by the number of hits he has stacked.

Wizkid
5. Wizkid- Surprised? Before Wizkid became the huge pop star he is today he was a young rapper hoping for a big break on the streets of Surulere. Tracks of Wizkid rapping are rare but if you check out Wizkid’s freestyle on Tim Westwood and listen to ‘That’s Me’ featuring Paedae you can see the viral star boy busting a few rhymes