The accomplishments of megastars like Burna Boy, Davido, and Wizkid are frequently the subject of discussions concerning Nigerian music.
We concentrate on them so much that we occasionally lose sight of the accomplishments of the music royalty in Nigeria. Nigeria has been blessed with talent, as seen by the groundbreaking work of female artists like Nelly Uchendu in the 1970s and the present crop of female artistes’ record-breaking feats.
These women are all incredibly talented and gorgeous, but some have distinguished themselves and left their stamp on Nigerian music, while others are only now starting to make waves.
Being a well-known female musician has several responsibilities. However, occasionally some of our favorite musicians reach the heights of stardom before quitting or parting ways to focus on a completely different line of work.
Numerous Nigerian musicians have quit the music business for a variety of reasons, including industry harassment and blacklisting, as well as pressure to keep creating successful songs. Afrobeats+ examines the top five female artistes from Nigeria in this post who have left the spotlight to work on other projects.
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Sasha P
Rapper Anthonia Yetunde Alabi, better known by her stage name Sasha P, was well-liked in Nigeria. She made history in 2008 by becoming the first female singer from Nigeria to appear at the World Music Awards. Rap at the time was seen as a ‘manly’ business in Nigeria, but Sasha P rose to fame after her music started to take over in nightclubs.
With her smash single Adara, Sasha became the first Nigerian to take home the Best Female Artiste trophy at the 2009 MTV Africa Music Awards (MAMA) and Women in Entertainment Awards in the UK. However, Sasha has taken another step by taking a break from music two years after she performed at the World Music Awards in 2008 to work on her clothing line, Eclectic by Sasha.
Kel
The year 2008 saw Kelechi Ohia (commonly known as Kel) come through with her first big hit, Waa Wa Alright. After receiving unfavorable responses from trolls, the young rapper disappeared from the music scene to concentrate on herself. The Grammy-winning rapper’s music took a downturn after quitting Capital Hill Music, and things only got worse from there. Kel has since moved on to work on other musical endeavors. She serves as the CEO of Keke’s Good Eats, an online eatery.
Eva
From 2010 to 2012, Eva was one of the most well-known female rappers in Nigeria. Before she gave up her singing career in 2016 and moved to Ghana, Eva’s pedigree could be compared to that of musicians like P-Square. During the height of her rap success in 2016, Eva released her first studio album, 1960. The rapper took a sabbatical from making songs once they were published. Five years after her shocking departure, Eva admitted to a fan that she was incredibly enthusiastic about the music industry. The artiste claimed that she desired a reunion with her authentic self. Rappers with extraordinary talent, like Eva, gave up too soon.
Mo’Cheddah
Mo Olateru, commonly known by her stage name Mo Cheddah, is a Nigerian rapper who quit the music industry as a result of harassment and bullying from her former record company, Knighthouse. Young and skilled, Mocheddah won the MTV Africa Music Award for Best New Artiste in 2010. Her video for If You Want Me won the Channel O Music Video Award for Best Female Video. While enjoying the fame and money that come with being in the spotlight, the young rapper made the decision to take a vacation from music in order to gather her thoughts. The now-32-year-old rapper quit her job as an artiste after attempting to keep up with the trends provided rather cumbersome. She then wed her lover, Prince Bukunyi Olateru-Olagbegi, popularly known as BK, in a secret ceremony in Lagos, Nigeria, where they had their first child.
Weird MC
Shola Idowu, a Nigerian-British rapper also known as Weird MC, is one of the few female Afrobeats performers from Nigeria and one of the continent’s most well-known rappers. Weird MC gained popularity in 2006 thanks to the success of the monster hit track Ijoya, which is from her second album of the same name and features Yoruba language in its lyrics.
Ijoya‘s performance was recognized with two awards: the Channel O Music Video Award for Best Special Effect and the Award for Musical Excellence in Nigeria (AMEN) for Most Popular Song. Weird MC has spoken up about being discriminated against by her male colleagues in various interviews. It was one of the reasons for which she decided to bow out of the game.