Veteran Nigerian rapper Naetochukwu Chikwe, popularly known as Naeto C, has opened up about the reasons behind the noticeable slowdown in his music career, revealing that it was a deliberate personal decision shaped by family and long-term life goals.
Speaking during a recent podcast interview, the rapper explained that his priorities changed after major milestones in his personal life.
Following his marriage in 2012 and the birth of his first child in 2013, Naeto C said he started reassessing how music fit into the future he envisioned for himself and his family.
“I think I wanted something different when I thought about my future and the kind of life I wanted,” he said.
“I got married in 2012, I had my first child in 2013, so looking back at it, I don’t really think I would get the kind of life I wanted if I continued to focus on music.”
According to him, stepping away from the spotlight was not due to burnout or loss of passion, but a conscious choice to pursue stability and balance outside the entertainment industry.
Naeto C also reflected on how his journey into music began, noting that his early years were driven purely by passion rather than a hunger for fame or commercial success. Music, he said, came naturally to him, and his rise in the industry happened organically as he followed what he loved.
He further disclosed that although he had planned to release new music this year, personal challenges delayed the project. However, he reassured fans that work is ongoing behind the scenes and that fresh material is expected in the coming year.
Naeto C rose to prominence in the mid-2000s as one of the defining voices in Nigerian hip hop. With hit songs like Ten Over Ten, he played a key role in shaping the sound and direction of rap music in Nigeria during that era.
Beyond his commercial success, the rapper remains widely respected for his influence on a generation of younger Nigerian hip hop artists, many of whom credit him as a major inspiration.
