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On Saturday, 30th October 2021, American Rap legend and Business mogul Jay Z was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
During his acceptance speech, he took time to appreciate the efforts of some rappers whose talents shaped the Hip Hop scene and paved the way for him to become a hugely successful rapper that is regarded as the Greatest of All Time.
Jay Z gave special shout-outs to Dame Dash with whom he rarely saw eye to eye, Rakim, Big Daddy Kane, KRS-One, Chuck D, and LL Cool J with whom he had a very public disagreement that led LL Cool J to ditch Def Jam Records.
It was an iconic moment for Jay Z and for Hip Hop as Jay Z was one of their very own. He is a man who has lived in both worlds and has seen the struggles and lived the harsh and dangerous realities of Hip Hop and its cultural influences, before proceeding to achieve a level of success and acclaim that is unprecedented in the history of Hip Hop. A man so important, so revered, and whose attention is so valuable that a fifteen minutes dinner with him is famously considered to be worth half a million dollars.
In thousands of miles away in Nigeria, West Africa is another Iconic rapper whose rise to fame comes through sheer resilience and unflinching confidence inspired by an unmatchable talent. He is no one but the Rap genius A-Q. "I'm a student of Rap. A disciple of original Hip Hop" A-Q has said on different occasions when listeners complained that his style of rap is rather boring.
When A-Q broke into the scene with his debut tape 'Listen and Overstand' in 2005 many didn't get it but the rap heads knew that Africa's Hip Hop scene has never seen anything like him. This offers a reminder of Jay Z's first album 'Reasonable Doubt'.
"So we made an album, ‘Reasonable Doubt’ … and we came out and we sold about no copies. But we thought we made the greatest thing of all time." Jay Z says about his debut album during his Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction.
For those who have had the privilege to meet A-Q, they will testify that he shares a similar mindset with Sean Jay Z Carter.
It took patience, grit, consistency, and defiance but A-Q did ascend to the summit of the Rap game where he belongs.
On Sunday, 4th September 2022, A-Q accepted the Headies award for the Lyricist on the Roll which is the equivalent of Best Rap Performance. It was his third Headies Award in three years. As A-Q walked onto the stage to receive his award, he was no longer unknown. He is the best rapper in the game. He did it in 2019 with 'Crown' and he has done it again. And you just know, you know he will do it again.
In his acceptance speech, A-Q took a moment to roll out the names of Hip Hop legends who have inspired, shaped the game, and paved the way.
He goes all the way back to Junior & Pretty who are modern pioneers of Hip Hop in Nigeria. He gives shout-outs to Trybesmen, Eedris Abudulkareem, Mode 9, Rugged Man, Terry The Rapman, 2 Shot, Big Lo, MI Abaga with whom he had a falling out, Ice Prince, Jesses Jagz, the late Da Grin, Reminisce, Nigga Raw, Illbliss, Olamide, Phyno, Naeto C, female MCs Sasha P and Eva, and Vector with whom he had a public beef.
His iconic rollout of Hip Hop names which included rappers with whom he has publicly beefed reminds us of Jay-Z's famous Rock and Rock Hall of Fame speech.
A shout-out that extends back to Hov's famous 2017 tweets where he listed 96 different Rap acts that have inspired him after he became the first rapper to ever be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Like Jay Z, A-Q has gone on to achieve success on his own terms. He has reached the pinnacle of Hip Hop in Nigeria and he has displayed his entrepreneurial brilliance.
“He is hip hop. Forever and ever, and a day,” Dave Chapelle said as he inducted Jay Z into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
"I just want to say thank you to all of you but today is A-Q," A-Q says with the class of a Rap chief as the audience cheers him on after rolling out the names of Nigerian Hip Hop icons.
Ladies and Gentlemen, permit me to borrow the words of Dave Chapelle and say A-Q is Hip hop. Forever and ever, and a day.
*Pulse Editor's Opinion is the opinion of an editor at Pulse. It does not represent the views of the organisation Pulse