What M.I said about getting inspired by veterans

Nigerian rapper and Hip-Hop Artist, M.I Abaga has spoken on the younger generation finding inspiration from those that came before them.

M.I on the Menisms podcast revealed that he had to let go of an hobby when he was younger because of the lack of inspiration and growth prospects.

He advised the younger generation of rappers and singers to tap from the experiences of the veterans.

“I don’t like it when people say no one paved the way for them. What inspired me to rap was, first of all, the fact that I listen to rap music and I love rap. Most people have that story when they are young, there’s something they love. When I was young, I used to do cartoons but there was no animation studio in Nigeria. So I gave up the dream,” he said.

He also claimed that one can draw inspiration from others desoite their field. Referencing Eedris Abdulkareem, Ruggedman and Eldee, he spoke about their style of music and how they gave rap a different meaning in Nigeria.

“But it’s a different thing when you are a young rapper and you look up and you see Eldee The Don. Then there’s Ruggedman, who brought a new flay to the rap industry. There is also this guy called Eedris Abdulkareem. He was just like Rema. When you see Rema now, that was the energy that Eedris had back in the days. He was the Burna Boy of then. Rema has it but now that I think about it, I would say Eedris was more like Burna and VDM. Eedris would just say a thing and put it out there and everybody will be singing it. He has a song called ‘Mr Lecturer’…,’ he said.