Nigerian rapper JeriQ has shared a touching story about his journey to stardom, revealing how life changed for him after the COVID-19 lockdown.
In an exclusive interview with Glitch Africa, the indigenous hip-hop star spoke about how he struggled for recognition before his breakthrough.
“Nobody rated me before the 2019 lockdown. Nobody used to come to meet me, nobody talks to me,” JeriQ said.
According to him, he released his Hood Boy Dreams (HBD) EP on May 6, 2020, his birthday, during the lockdown. The project was initially titled HBD (Happy Birthday) but was later rebranded to reflect his personal story.
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“I uploaded it on DistroKid by myself. No label, no playlist push. I just uploaded it ordinarily like that,” he recalled.
Despite the limitations of the lockdown, JeriQ noticed his music gaining traction. “Everybody was vibing to it, but because it was lockdown, I couldn’t see the impact physically. However, from my back-end data, I could see huge plays and numbers.”
His first real taste of fame came when restrictions eased. “The first time I came out after COVID, people started running to meet me. Everywhere I went, different people wanted to take pictures with me,” he said, adding that even his close friends were surprised
To test his new fame, JeriQ embarked on a campus tour, and the response was overwhelming. “The turn-up was huge, and everyone was vibing. That was how I knew I had blown,” he said.
Since then, JeriQ has cemented his place in the Nigerian rap scene, proving that persistence and self-belief can lead to success.
