A MAD Culture: Ladipoe Talks Being a Rapper In The Afrobeats Era with Kojo Manuel

A MAD Culture: Ladipoe Talks Being a Rapper In The Afrobeats Era with Kojo Manuel M.A.D (Making A Difference), is what Kojo Manuel intends to achieve with A Mad Culture – a music, nightlife and entertainment-centered Youtube series which aims to spotlight names that have made reputable contributions to an industry that is only expanding. On episode 4, Kojo Manuel sits down with Nigerian rap megastar, Ladipoe, and the conversation is nothing short of an insightful one.   When it comes to rappers, there’s always that competition. Do you ever feel that way? I ask because you’re one of the hottest rappers right now.   Ladipoe: I feel like that’s always gonna be there, it kinda comes with the territory. You want to show that you’re the guy, but it doesn’t really get in front of my desire to collaborate. It doesn’t compete, it rather enhances. I mean, of course, Manifest is gonna send me a track and I’m gonna be like “yo Manifest killed it, I have to come through as well.” But it definitely makes for a better collaboration as opposed to competing to the point where I won’t jump on a track.   Afrobeats is the biggest thing right now and most of the time, the way that it works is, there’s a rap era where there’s M.I, there’s Phyno, there’s Sarkodie and AKA in the conversation. Now there’s an Afrobeats conversation and you’re still here. What are you doing differently? Ladipoe: To be honest, I’ve just embraced that I’m a rap artist, you know? And that means you’re an artist; artists create art, they make music, and music for me is more than just the ability to rap the hardest. That is just a small part of making music to me. Like for my song, you’re gonna need a verse, you’re gonna need a bridge, you’re going to need a hook. It’s going to need all these elements to make it a song. And the ability to rap is just a part of making that song, as opposed to my whole identity being about rapping. That’s just how I look at it. I recognize the role artistry plays in making the kind of music I make, and somehow, people have started to respond to that and I’m grateful for it but at the same time it’s something I really believe in. We’re in Accra. Yesterday, you were in Kumasi. What was the vibe? Ladipoe: It was crazy. I did an interview after I got off the stage, and I thought the guy was trying to be funny. He asked if I knew that Kumasi is not the capital of Accra, and I wanted to say “of course I know that.” So he says that, and I’m like “yes I know.” Then he goes: “you know we’re not in Accra” and I say “yes I know.” Then he says “but they still love your music, and we’re not even in the capital. How does that make you feel?” Then I was like man, “it makes me feel big.” I’ve never been there before but the students there are singing my music and I’m humbled by that fact, but I’m excited at the same time. Watch A Mad Culture here: https://youtu.be/scrCvZ7HVTsThe post A MAD Culture: Ladipoe Talks Being a Rapper In The Afrobeats Era with Kojo Manuel appeared first on DCLeakers.com.