Hip-hop artistes in Nigeria have been adviced to pay more attention to their mental health as stakeholders keep working to improve the community.

The Loudbase Hip-hop Conference 2022 came to an end with multiple disciplinary hip hop acts sharing their views, experience and and solution on the way forward for the art in Nigeria. The three days event (17 – 19th, Nov 2022) hosted by Hip Hop Induction Africa in collaboration with Alliance Francais and other powerful brands; had an interractive features of:

• Dj Workshop
• Break dance Workshop
• Hip-Hop Conference 2022
• End of the Weak Mc Open Mic
• Hip-Hop Jam/Party

It hosted many enthusiastic Hip-Hop heads and fans across the country.

Loudbase Af Ent is a powerhouse of promoting the four elements of Hip Hop in Nigeria. It’s goal is to sustain the positive development of Hip Hop culture in Africa and also rebirth it by encouraging and empowering young practitioners of the culture.

It was formed in Nigeria in 2018 with the purpose of committing African Hip Hop practitioners to value the home-based platforms that promote their Art.

In 2019 Loud Base became actively involved in engaging, networking with and connecting professional Hip Hop practitioners around the world to help create a focus in Africa and implement viable and beneficial contents in and from Africa.

The final event which is the conference saw multiple professional speakers and hip-hop heads melting crucial talks like:

• how hip-hop relates to community development and how best it can become a form of activism in Nigeria;

• how to build the culture of hip-hop more and and balance the competitive part – which they describe as the minor part of what hip-hop is all about.

• the emelents of hip-hop and most importantly as dissected by Toks Ademola, a Sports Health Scientist and founder Sculpt Fitness Studio and RikRok; the Psychology of hip-hop and safe way to practice the art without destroy your mind, body and soul.

Meanwhile, Mr Uwakwe Victor, founder of Loudbase Af Ent said the Nigeria Olympics Committee have made it a task in preventing the country’s hip-hop stars to be part of the International Olympics.

Though he made a passionate appeal to the board; but this was in reaction to statements by RicRok, an international hip-hop injury specialist who was disappointed at Nigeria not being close to ready for an event which it’s youths flaunts daily and naturally.

In 2020 it was announced that “break dancing” will become an Olympic sport in 2024. The International Olympic Committee officially announced it will add breakdancing to the Games under the name “breaking”.

Breaking, is a style of hip-hop dance that includes footwork and athletic moves like back or head spins. The dancers, often called b-boys or b-girls, will be able to compete in the 2024 Olympics in Paris and the Nigeria National Olympic Committee (NOC) seems not to be interested in pushing this new opportunity for the Nigerian Youths.

To get into the Olympics, a country’s National Dance Federation has to coordinate and send it’s best to the World Dance Sports Federation.

In his presentation, Wale Irokosu of Probitas Partners LLP said rap had been a part of black culture even before the first slaves arrived in America.

Represented by Chakrapink, the Co-founder of Rap Joint Lagos said Hip-hop is a pursuit terminology.

“It was largely an endeavour to claim a real musical and cultural distinction between disco and park jams, between processed music and and raw funk, between grown folk and kids, between conformists and rabels, between people who saw themselves as lubricants to partygoers and others who saw themselves as serious artistes.”

Other speakers at the event which was glamorously anchored by Chakrapink of BoogieBee Entertainment were:

• Ojay, who spoke on hip-hop activism, while laying emphasis on separating real hip-hop artistes from the fake ones and freedom of the mind.

Asked if there are places aside from dance class, where dancers can go learn and understand dance psychology; Ojay simply adviced Hip-hop artistes to practice yoga, pilates, other forms of meditation to help their Dance psychology.

He also mentioned that for hip-hop to be respected as a culture in Nigeria or softly pushed into the mind of Nigerians, all hip-hop artiste should agree on a day which should be called “Turn off the TV Day”. Mr Ojay said this will help people use their minds more.

• Hillary spoke on Hip-hop as a form of communication and culture; and other great speakers.

The mind-blowing event ended with performance from Tello, female hip-hop artiste from Benin, MC Jabba Joe, Hilary Jackson and the Gang, others; presentation of awards, certificates and photo sessions.

Watch some performances below: