Blaqbonez: On Consent, Collaborations And Changing The Narratives

The battle for who would rule the rap game is a struggle as old as time and even though we’ve transcended the Biggie and Pac level of intensity, the metaphorical rap throne is still every rapper’s dream.

Blaqbonez is a Nigerian rapper with drive and ambition, looking to claw his way to the top and he is unapologetic about the rawness of his talent.

The rapper has been active in the Nigerian music scene since 2011 and he has released a project every single year since then, constantly proving himself to be a rapper worthy of note. Blaqbones talks to The Guardian Life about the year so far, future projects and his audacious statements [which he still stands by].

Blaqbonez

What have you been up to in the first half of 2019?

I dropped Badboy Blaq Re-up. That’s like a follow up to my 2018 offering and I started working on my next project because I’m a project guy. That’s really how i function.

Has the year panned out as expected?

Yeah, it’s been good. Everything I’ve done so far has yielded massive results and stuff. This is where I expect to be and I feel like I’m in a prime position to take the year and be one of the best artistes out this year so I’m happy.

Could you give us an insight into your upcoming projects?

So, I’m working on a project. I am hoping to put out another project towards the end of the year and I’ve asked everybody just stop calling me Blaqbonez. So, it’s Mr Bombastic season so the music is gonna be completely different. It’s going to be like really bombastic and the groove is going to be f**king crazy.

You made a bold declaration about yourself claiming the title of “best rapper in Africa”. Care to defend that?

I’m the best rapper! and I guess based on skill, I don’t think there’s any rapper that you could put with me that I won’t f***king wash.

But for real though, every rapper should believe that he’s the best, that’s what rap is about and I believe that I’m the best so I don’t think anybody can talk me down.

What was it like working with a fast-rising artist like Oxlade on “Mamiwota”?

I worked with Oxlade before anybody really f**ked with Oxlade so it wasn’t like I was working with a fast-rising artiste, It was like I was working with a gem that nobody had discovered. So, I was eager to make sure that people see how talented the guy was and I’m happy everyone recognises the talent now and respects the guy because to me the guy is one of the most talented guys I’ve ever heard.

We noticed some of your songs subtly preach consent and there is even a song titled “Consent”, could we get some insight as to why you are so passionate about the subject?

Consent for me is a very important topic because there was a time I used to ignore tweets and people talking about it because I didn’t think people were actually getting raped that often until I started asking my female friends and sadly five out of six of them always have a terrible story to tell and it hurt me and I felt like I needed to talk about this and shed more light on the topic and I feel like consent should be calm become part of our nature and nobody should ever feel entitled to someone else’s body.

What do you hope people will take home from this new release?

I’m hoping people would realise that I’m not here to play and I’m not here to dilly dally with anybody. I have a clear goal, I’m here to take the throne and I’m not fucking around at all.

What can fans expect from you in the near future?

Yeah, I said I’m dropping projects. I might even f**k around and drop two projects this year. I’m not playing like I’m giving them! When you hear Olamide say “back to back”, that’s really what I’m about to do.

Who would you love to collaborate with before the year runs out?

I would love to work with Burna, Nasty C and honestly, I would really love to work with Wizkid but Wizkid is so big in my head that I don’t know if it’s a realistic goal for this year. So I’ll just do what I can but I would really love to work with Wizkid.