“Nigerian artists must speak truth to power” – Terry tha Rapman

Nigerian rapper, Terry Madaki aka Terry Tha Rapman says Nigerian artists must start challenging wrongdoing in Government to save the country from collapse.

“There is a lot of poverty, insecurity, kidnapping and so many vices that have continued to retard productivity in this country and we can’t just sit back and watch,” said the rapper in an interview in Jos.

Terry, a native of Benue raised in Jos, said the vices which are more endemic in the North require active collaboration of Northern rap artists.

He said, “The North is where politics started. This is where rap music started gaining popularity in Nigeria. This is where some of us started. But today the North is the worse hit region in terms of poverty and insecurity. Rap artists from this region need to start thinking of doing things to save the land. We are like social Prophets and it is on us to tell our story and challenge those in government to do the right thing. We would have failed this land if we fail to speak.”

Terry who took a break off the stage since his club banger album, “Boys are Not Smiling” was released ten years ago, said he has returned to make his mark in the music industry and country at large.

In his words, “On the first of January this year, I launch a new album called “Year of Bounce”. It is being promoted by 3131 Connect. It was released to mark Terry Tha Rapman’s 20 years anniversary in the music industry. It also marks the 10th anniversary of the Boys are Not Smiling Movement as well as the launch of my record label – Bounce entertainment. The album available on iTunes, Spotify and other digital platforms had a lot of Northern Influence. 70% of the album was recorded in Jos. This album is about bringing the North back.”

Terry recently featured on a radio favourite North flavored hit by veteran rapper, Seemo Da Black Czar – “Tsarkin Yaki”. The duo seem to be working on a couple more projects but no details have emerged.

Both seemo and Terry have been into music for decades but the duo went off the scene until this year. Seemo is famed for his head banging “Hip Hop in Africa” hit in the early 2000s. He later released an unprecedented rap medley – “Industreetz” and its later remix, “industreetz reloaded”, which many artists later copied, M.I included.

Terry first came with a hit, “I am a Nigerian” in 2000. His later “Boys are not smiling” hit was the banger, which gave him more fame until his disappearance from the public scene.