MI Abaga's controversial 'Fix Up' song leads to Nigerian hip hop festival

26 Jul 2018 - 14:40

MI Abaga has made public an intention to organise a hip-hop festival in Lagos, Nigeria.

MI Abaga will release Yung Denzl in August 2018.

He made the announcement via social media on Wednesday 25 July. “In 2017 I asked young rappers to fix up and received the overwhelming response that my generation hadn't done enough,” he wrote, referencing the award-winning single ‘You Rappers Should Fix Up Your Life’.

“I ask my government to be better but I have to look inward and ask myself if I have done enough to build structure and give opportunities to those within my sphere of influence?

“Well, I am pleased to announce the WAHA festival happening October 2018 in Lagos! This festival is strictly for HIP-HOP! All rappers, writers, break-dancers, poets, producers, artists and DJs this is our time! Please follow our pages and let's get it.”

He later added a short line: “If you want to be a part of it, follow @wahafest and sign up!”

Last year, ‘Fix Up Your Life’ started a conversation on the state of Nigerian hip hop, leading several young rappers to record responses on the same beat MI Abaga had used for the original song. While some of these lyrical responses praised the rapper for bringing up a discussion on hip hop, others decided his position was hypocritical.

Details of the festival are yet to be announced. Yhe rapper has, however, said interested individuals should follow @wahafest on social media for further details.

In a different post on Twitter, MI Abaga said his long-awaited Yung Denzl album would be released on 24 August. The album has received several pushbacks over the years but may finally be on its way to fans of the rapper after this announcement.

A source from his record label Chocolate City told Music In Africa that part of the delay was caused by the process of clearing samples. The release of the album would mean the rapper has released two studio albums in a single year, following his collaborative project Rendezvous.

On social media, Abaga gave no reason behind what appears to be a final release date for Yung Denzl. Instead, he directed a note to his hip hop colleagues while referencing Nigeria’s political calendar.

“If you wanted to drop [an album] this year, just wait till 2019," he wrote. "Election year is good for music.”