Weird MC
Encyclopedia
Weird MC is a Nigerian rapper, songwriter, and producer. Known for her catchy English/Yoruba
lyrics, androgynous appearance, and rumoured sexuality, Weird MC - also known as Shola Idowu and The Rappatainer - is one of Africa's token number of female rap artistes, and one of the few Nigerian women associated with Afrobeat
.
, was born in England to conservative parents who did not encourage her to go into showbusiness, yet she was not discouraged. She had her secondary school education in Nigeria, where she made friends with four other girls, with whom she formed the hip-hop group Weirdos. Despite their popularity on the campus
circuit, they failed to land a record deal, and soon disbanded.
to study Law
, but left a year later to focus on her music career. Influenced by Fela Kuti
, Lauryn Hill
, Da Roots, Miriam Makeba
, Queen Latifah
and Jimi Hendrix
, Idowu travelled back to England where she competed in rap contests in London
, including Club 291 contest, similar to America's Apollo
, in which she came third. After working with music producer Kevin Best for two months, Idowu released the single Wanna Make You Jack/Let's Get Wet, which received positive reviews from music critics; it was also number one in the Choice FM
charts. By now, Idowu had began to use the name by which she is now known - Weird MC, which was coined from the name of her former group.
After a long sabbatical, Idowu returned to her homeland, where she released her debut album Simply Weird. It was a blend of American-style hip hop
and Afrobeat, which featured the video-single Allen Avenue - she was the first Nigerian artiste to release a video-single, which she also produced. The Allen Avenue video raised controversy, as her man-like appearance made people question her true gender.
Simply Weird has often been described as the first ever full-length rap album, yet this milestone was reached about a decade before, with artistes like Emphasis, Junior 'n' Pretty, and Sound on Sound . Nevertheless, despite the popularity of Allen Avenue, the album failed to sell an impressive number of copies. Critics agreed that Simply Weird was ahead of its time ("People felt it was too foreign… not rootsy, or ‘African’ enough."). Despite this setback, Idowu was honoured with several awards, including the very first AMEN award for Best Hip Hop Album.
In 2006, Idowu released her second album, After Da Storm. Hip hop was now recognised as a major forn of music in Nigeria, and the single Ijoya - which means Time To Dance - was a massive success. Ijoya earned her an AMEN award for Most Pop Song, and a Channel O Music Video Award
for Best Special Effect. Following the success of After Da Storm, Idowu studied Music Technology in London.
Apart from being a solo artiste, Idowu has collaborated with other artistes including Femi Kuti
and close friend Kween.
on the Channel Five documentary Black, Bent and Beautiful, in which she said members of her family in Nigeria tried to take her to an African herbalist
who would "cast out the evil spirit of lesbianism". Other relatives, including her brothers who abused her on a daily basis, had disowned her. In an interview with Omega magazine she stated: "I thought to myself as my career is progressing every time, the question will come up one day - 'Weird, are you gay?' I'd say 'no,' I'd say 'no,' and there is a very popular saying in the hip hop world: keeping it real. I thought to myself that I was not keeping it real, not 100%. So I thought to myself this would be an opportunity for me to bring that across. Some people are going to fault me for it, I can imagine, but that's what I am, that's who I am, and I am no longer ready to deny it... Every time I see a beautiful woman, I wanna jump at her and have her on [the] bed." She also added that while she is fond of children, she can only adopt as opposed to bearing her own offspring as she does not fit into a typical Nigerian family set-up
Her decision to come out of the closet
cause an outrage, as homosexuality in Nigeria is illegal.
In 2010, it was believed that Idowu was in a lesbian relationship with singer Goldie, which was promptly denied.
Yoruba language
Yorùbá is a Niger–Congo language spoken in West Africa by approximately 20 million speakers. The native tongue of the Yoruba people, it is spoken, among other languages, in Nigeria, Benin, and Togo and in communities in other parts of Africa, Europe and the Americas...
lyrics, androgynous appearance, and rumoured sexuality, Weird MC - also known as Shola Idowu and The Rappatainer - is one of Africa's token number of female rap artistes, and one of the few Nigerian women associated with Afrobeat
Afrobeat
Afrobeat is a combination of traditional Yoruba music, jazz, highlife, funk and chanted vocals, fused with percussion and vocal styles, popularised in Africa in the 1970s. Its main creator was the Nigerian multi-instrumentalist and bandleader Fela Kuti, who gave it its name, who used it to...
.
Early life
Idowu, whose parents are from Ogun StateOgun State
Ogun State is a state in South-western Nigeria. It borders Lagos State to the South, Oyo and Osun states to the North, Ondo State to the east and the republic of Benin to the west. Abeokuta is the capital and largest city in the state...
, was born in England to conservative parents who did not encourage her to go into showbusiness, yet she was not discouraged. She had her secondary school education in Nigeria, where she made friends with four other girls, with whom she formed the hip-hop group Weirdos. Despite their popularity on the campus
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
circuit, they failed to land a record deal, and soon disbanded.
Music career
Idowu gained admission into Ogun State UniversityOlabisi Onabanjo University
Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye, is a state-owned and -operated university in Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State Nigeria. The university was founded July 7, 1982 as Ogun State University and was renamed Olabisi Onabanjo University on May 29, 2001 in honour of a great citizen of the state, Chief Olabisi...
to study Law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
, but left a year later to focus on her music career. Influenced by Fela Kuti
Fela Kuti
Fela Anikulapo Kuti , or simply Fela , was a Nigerian multi-instrumentalist musician and composer, pioneer of Afrobeat music, human rights activist, and political maverick.-Biography:...
, Lauryn Hill
Lauryn Hill
Lauryn Noelle Hill is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress.Early in her career, she established her reputation as a member of the Fugees. In 1998, she launched her solo career with the release of the commercially successful and critically acclaimed album, The Miseducation of...
, Da Roots, Miriam Makeba
Miriam Makeba
Miriam Makeba , nicknamed Mama Africa, was a Grammy Award winning South African singer and civil rights activist....
, Queen Latifah
Queen Latifah
Dana Elaine Owens , better known by her stage name Queen Latifah, is an American singer, rapper, and actress. Her work in music, film and television has earned her a Golden Globe award, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, two Image Awards, a Grammy Award, six additional Grammy nominations, an Emmy...
and Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
, Idowu travelled back to England where she competed in rap contests in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, including Club 291 contest, similar to America's Apollo
Apollo
Apollo is one of the most important and complex of the Olympian deities in Greek and Roman mythology...
, in which she came third. After working with music producer Kevin Best for two months, Idowu released the single Wanna Make You Jack/Let's Get Wet, which received positive reviews from music critics; it was also number one in the Choice FM
Choice FM
Choice FM, branded on-air as London's Choice, is a brand used by the UK's biggest radio company, Global Radio for its network of black music radio stations...
charts. By now, Idowu had began to use the name by which she is now known - Weird MC, which was coined from the name of her former group.
After a long sabbatical, Idowu returned to her homeland, where she released her debut album Simply Weird. It was a blend of American-style hip hop
Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
and Afrobeat, which featured the video-single Allen Avenue - she was the first Nigerian artiste to release a video-single, which she also produced. The Allen Avenue video raised controversy, as her man-like appearance made people question her true gender.
Simply Weird has often been described as the first ever full-length rap album, yet this milestone was reached about a decade before, with artistes like Emphasis, Junior 'n' Pretty, and Sound on Sound . Nevertheless, despite the popularity of Allen Avenue, the album failed to sell an impressive number of copies. Critics agreed that Simply Weird was ahead of its time ("People felt it was too foreign… not rootsy, or ‘African’ enough."). Despite this setback, Idowu was honoured with several awards, including the very first AMEN award for Best Hip Hop Album.
In 2006, Idowu released her second album, After Da Storm. Hip hop was now recognised as a major forn of music in Nigeria, and the single Ijoya - which means Time To Dance - was a massive success. Ijoya earned her an AMEN award for Most Pop Song, and a Channel O Music Video Award
Channel O Music Video Awards
Channel O Music Video Awards, also known as Spirit of Africa Music Video Awards are Pan-African music awards organised by South Africa -based Channel O television channel. The awards were first held in 2003 under the name Reel Music Video Awards. Since 2005 the awards have been held annually...
for Best Special Effect. Following the success of After Da Storm, Idowu studied Music Technology in London.
Apart from being a solo artiste, Idowu has collaborated with other artistes including Femi Kuti
Femi Kuti
Olufela Olufemi Anikulapo Kuti popularly known as Femi Kuti, is a Nigerian musician and the eldest son of afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti....
and close friend Kween.
Personal life
In 2000, after months of public speculation and personal denial, Idowu came out as a lesbianLesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
on the Channel Five documentary Black, Bent and Beautiful, in which she said members of her family in Nigeria tried to take her to an African herbalist
Herbalist
An herbalist is:#A person whose life is dedicated to the economic or medicinal uses of plants.#One skilled in the harvesting and collection of medicinal plants ....
who would "cast out the evil spirit of lesbianism". Other relatives, including her brothers who abused her on a daily basis, had disowned her. In an interview with Omega magazine she stated: "I thought to myself as my career is progressing every time, the question will come up one day - 'Weird, are you gay?' I'd say 'no,' I'd say 'no,' and there is a very popular saying in the hip hop world: keeping it real. I thought to myself that I was not keeping it real, not 100%. So I thought to myself this would be an opportunity for me to bring that across. Some people are going to fault me for it, I can imagine, but that's what I am, that's who I am, and I am no longer ready to deny it... Every time I see a beautiful woman, I wanna jump at her and have her on [the] bed." She also added that while she is fond of children, she can only adopt as opposed to bearing her own offspring as she does not fit into a typical Nigerian family set-up
Her decision to come out of the closet
Coming out
Coming out is a figure of speech for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people's disclosure of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity....
cause an outrage, as homosexuality in Nigeria is illegal.
In 2010, it was believed that Idowu was in a lesbian relationship with singer Goldie, which was promptly denied.