Veteran rapper Tobechukwu Ejiofor, widely known as Illbliss, has shared a poignant moment from his early career when a Lagos-based radio presenter dismissed his chances of success simply because he chose to rap in the Igbo language.
Speaking during a recent episode of The Real Shareholders Podcast, Illbliss recalled how the presenter bluntly told him that his music wouldn’t thrive in Lagos because of its strong Igbo content.
“When I came to Lagos, I made a record titled ‘Igbo Boy.’ Then, a radio presenter called me and said, ‘What are you trying to do? You can’t make it here. You’ve come here with an agenda. Omo-Igbo,’” Illbliss revealed.
The rapper, who is behind hits like ‘Aiye Po Gan’, explained how the presenter switched into Yoruba during the exchange and warned him to “join them” if he ever hoped to succeed in the city’s music industry.
“The music is good, but it won’t go far,” the presenter reportedly said, dismissing Illbliss’s potential reach because of language.
Reflecting on the encounter, Illbliss said, “It made me feel terrible. We can pretend all we want about being one Nigeria, but the tribal divisions are still incredible to handle.”
Despite the early discouragement, Illbliss rose to fame as one of Nigeria’s respected rappers, proving that cultural identity and language can be an asset rather than a limitation in music.
