Nigeria’s Blaqbonez is rapping to ‘beat his high score’

Long before the seatbelt sign dimmed on the return flight from Johannesburg to Nigeria, and before a single passenger rose to disembark, all that the 29-year-old Imo, Nigeria-born rapper and singer Blaqbonez yearned for was home. For the past six to eight months, he had lived and breathed his fourth studio album, and this trip from South Africa was his home straight; a chance to cross the T’s and dot the last I’s. With the release date fast approaching, there was no room for more delays. No Excuses.

 Now, with its release just hours away, the self-proclaimed “not-a-mainstream-artist” wanted nothing more than to sink into his couch, let his fans devour this record, and catch the Chelsea match over the weekend. “I wasn’t expecting people to say they were looking forward to the album and wishing me luck with the release as I moved through the airport,” he tells Dazed over video call, ending with a pleasantly surprised chuckle.

Across seven projects – three EPs (Bad Boy Blaq in 2018, Bad Boy Blaq Re-Up in 2019, and Mr. Boombastic in 2019) and four full-length albums (Sex Over Love in 2021, its Deluxe edition later that year, Young Preacher in 2022, and Emeka Must Shine in 2023) – trace the long, deliberate evolution of Akumefule Emeka from his humble rap-battle origins. A product of Obafemi Awolowo University, the same alma mater as global Afrobeats star Asake, Emeka first made his name as a fearsome lyricist, rising from rap battles to feature on Nigerian street-rap legend Terry tha Rapman’s 2012 World Domination mixtape after outlasting 3,000 contestants.

Today, as Afrobeats and Afro-pop continue to dominate the global stage, many rappers have traded bars for melody, drawn to the commercial pull of feel-good rhythms over double entendres. Blaqbonez, however, stands among the few who have remained true to the craft, refining his sound by melding melodic lyricism with upper echelon sonics without forsaking its essence, and proving himself effective in both boxes. 

“After dropping a solid rap album like Young Preacher that did really well, and then a commercially successful one with Emeka Must Shine, my fans kept saying they wanted to hear me rap more and this was a part of me that I explored more,” Blaqbonez explains. “But at the same time, I couldn’t look past the numbers and success of Emeka Must Shine. There was so much pressure on me to beat my own high score.”

It’s part of the reason, he admits, that the new project was delayed. “Anyone can put 16 songs together and call it an album,” he says. “But putting the right 16 songs together – that’s a different conversation.”

The successor to his third studio album marks a profound transformation for Blaqbonez, who recalls his mother commenting that he was looking leaner in his social media posts. But it was the shift within, the mental recalibration, that proved most defining. “With change, you can’t tell which way it swings – good or bad – you just embrace it,” he reflects. In the way this album was crafted, in the way each verse was written, every line stands as a timestamp of where he is – both as an artist and as a man.

Now, as he looks upon his creation with a quiet, satisfied gleam in his eyes, there is a calm assurance in his voice. “I owe it to myself and my legacy for this to be a successful one. I haven’t had a life for about six months, and knowing that the reward for that time away is songs like ‘Stacks’, where there are no drums – just me rapping over these beautiful chords while Barry Jhay sings something utterly moving – or ‘Consistency feat. AJ Tracey’, where I say, ‘Consistency, Consistency, I tell her come and see,’ makes it all worth it,” Blaqbonez concludes. “I’m glad I pushed [back] the album, because I wasn’t as confident then as I am now.” Finally home, breathing the same air as his beloved mother, he speaks with the ease of a man who has done his work and can now rest.

Hey Blaq! How are you feeling now that the album is almost out?

Blaqbonez: I feel every emotion right now. I’m excited one minute and nervous the next. It feels like 24 hours are so long, yet so short. But what centres me through it all is knowing the work I put into the project. I know what I’m putting out. It’s going to be a great time.

What was the idea behind the title of the project and how is this reflected in the cover art?

Blaqbonez: It was the mindset I had going into the album. That title was me laying everything I am on the table. This is me; take it or leave it, no excuses. As for the artwork, it represents my dedication to the game. Come rain or sunshine, you know the uncertainty around rain? That’s not me. I’m out there, putting it all on the line.

The debate about rap being “dead” and its struggle to pull in numbers is a recurring one within the Nigerian music community. With Afropop’s global rise, those arguments have gone up a few decibels. How have you managed to remain relevant in both the pop and rap scenes at the same time?

Blaqbonez: When I feel like I’m meant to rap, I rap, and when the urge to sing comes, I sing. That’s how I create. For my most powerful music, whichever way the pendulum swings, I always want to release it. I simply follow where the music leads and focus on putting out my best work.

What artists do you currently have on rotation at the moment?

Blaqbonez: Zaylevelten, Monochrome and FirstKlaz.

What’s the first song you had to have in the project, the song you poured your soul into, and the last song you added to the project and what is the story behind those songs?

Blaqbonez: The first song would be ‘Consistency’ because the message is one of one. It’s an affirmation that needs to be out there. The last song would be ‘Star Life II’ with Zinoleesky. His fans wanted it so why not give the people what the people want? As for the song I poured my soul into, it would be ‘Stacks’. I think it is arguably the best outro I’ve ever done. You’ll see why.

You have 17 songs, 17 guest artists, and the project drops on the 17th. Is that your angel number, or was it deliberate, especially since you postponed it to this date, or was the whole thing just syzygy?

Blaqbonez: [Laughs] I honestly had no idea and I laughed when they told me. The whole thing was just the stars aligning.

No Excuses is out now.