L.A.G.O.S is in the building

The rapper who goes by the name L.A.G.O.S is part of a new breed of artists using the internet to their advantage. It was in 2009, that he finally realized his dream to take rap as a career. “I’m doing rap now and nothing but rap, till death do us part” he declares.

Born Sina Akinsola, the 25 year-old has being a music friend since he was 10, he has being scribbling rhymes since 99, recorded some songs in 2001 and also performed at shows in the same year before he dropped rapping to continue his education.

This young man is one of the hard to find rapper/lyricist/song writer in Nigeria.

He knows new artists aren’t often easily embraced, not by the fans, not by other artists and certainly not by the industry. Recalling his disappointments from some Nigerian music websites and show organizers who is not welcoming up-coming artistes till they become popular, He says he is against all odds and he will keep pushing till he is heard.

L.A.G.O.S (Learnin’ And Grindin’ On Street) raps about hustling, everyday lifestyle of Nigerian youth, and the society at large.

L.A.G.O.S who has Lagos tattooed on his arm reflects on the slang of Nigerian streets on his street dictionary concept songs “Street language” and “Street grammar pt2”. The later being a remix of the former, with a catchy Naija-pidgin infused hook as follows “Street grammar, na so we dey yarn am/Las giddi, K.D to Aba/ if you dey jama, or even U don hammer/ omo gutter or even aje butter/ street grammar na so we dey yarn am”.

With rap lines like: “How far is wassup, Alaye means don/ To holla is to call, ugly is wor-wor/…….Money na pepper, when pepper don rest, that means you don hammer”.

On another track titled “Hustle la” meaning hustle to succeed (La means to succeed in Yoruba language) L.A.G.O.S raps about how determined he is to hustle and succeed.

The Nigerian hustler-rapper spits doe or die lyrics “I hustle everyday to get money like athletes/ worship money like Holy Mary like am a catholic/”…….“Kishi, something we all adore/ paper, the one thing we all die for”……he boasts “Am so desperate, you can call me Desperado/I’ll sell bleaching cream to an albino/ I’ll sell SoSicks beat to Gino” he also confesses “…they say honesty is the best policy/ but dat don’t affect men in politics/if I don’t die rich Baba God punish me”. This is a display of a hustler personality which is a persona missing in the Nigerian Rap game. More than three-quarter of Nigerians are hustlers and no rapper has ever displayed the persona of a hustler-rapper, before now.

The hustler-rapper is a commercially viable rapper, and this is obvious when any listener takes time to listen closely to his witty rhymes, wordplay and true-to-life lyrics on his tracks or freestyles.

He describes his real life experience as his source of inspiration and his influences range from different artists from different genres of music.

L.A.G side-hustles as a tattoo artist and he is also the Album reviewer on www.questionmarkmag.com. This gifted lyricist is currently a free-agent, unsigned, and he is in search of a promoter and manager.

LAGOS - Hustle La


LAGOS - Street Grammar pt2

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