Oloruntobi Alabi
Veteran Nigerian rapper Tobechukwu Ejiofor, better known as Illbliss, recently opened up about a defining moment from his early career—when a Lagos radio host doubted his potential due to his linguistic roots.
The award-winning artist, famous for tracks like ‘Aiye Po Gan,’ revealed how the presenter dismissed his chances in Lagos’s competitive music scene simply because he predominantly rapped in Igbo.
During an engaging conversation on the Real Shareholders podcast, Illbliss recounted, “Back when I first arrived in Lagos, I dropped a track called ‘Igbo Boy.’ A radio personality reached out and bluntly told me, ‘What’s your plan? You won’t make it here.’
“‘You’ve got an agenda—Omo-Igbo.’ Then he switched effortlessly into Yoruba. At that moment, I felt the weight of his words. He added, ‘If you can’t compete, conform. The music’s solid, but it won’t blow.’
“The song wasn’t controversial—it celebrated Igbo culture and our love for life. That interaction shook me. It exposed the deep-seated tribal biases we often pretend don’t exist in this so-called united nation.”
John Okoro
