Nigerian rapper Tobechukwu Ejiofor, popularly known as Illbliss, has declared the South-East as the new powerhouse of the nation’s hip-hop culture, praising a wave of young artistes reshaping the genre’s influence and energy.
In a strongly worded assessment shared publicly, the veteran rapper argued that no region currently matches the cultural dominance and momentum coming from Eastern Nigeria. “If there’s any Nigeria region that currently owns Hip Hop, it’s the South East. This is without sentiment. We must give it to them,” he said.
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Illbliss pointed to the meteoric rise of rapper Jeriq as the most visible symbol of the movement. The rapper recently filled the 22,000-capacity Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium in Enugu — an achievement Illbliss described as a turning point for the genre.
“In December, Jeriq packed out the entire Nnamdi Azikiwe stadium. The young boy comes out and shouts ‘Ogbe’ and the whole city divides into two,” he said, noting that such crowd command is rare among contemporary Nigerian rappers. “How many other hip hop artistes have that star power?” he asked.
Beyond Jeriq, Illbliss highlighted a wider ecosystem of emerging talents across the South-East, saying they have built a vibrant rap community gaining nationwide recognition. “There’s a whole community of young rappers littered across the East right now. To be honest, they own the culture at the moment,” he added.
His remarks have intensified ongoing conversations about the regional revival of rap, a genre that once struggled for mainstream relevance but is now witnessing renewed commercial and cultural impact driven largely by Eastern acts, such as Phyno, Kolaboy, Jeriq, Zoro Swagbag, Zyno, Aguero Banks, and many more.
The Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium concert, considered one of the biggest hip-hop events of the year, has further cemented the region’s growing influence, positioning South-East rap as a force increasingly difficult to ignore in Nigeria’s evolving music landscape.
