Veteran Nigerian rapper Olusegun Osaniyi, popularly known as Lord of Ajasa, has become a United States citizen, drawing fresh attention to his contribution to the growth of indigenous-language hip-hop in Nigeria.
The pioneer Yoruba rapper shared photographs and videos of himself with his American citizenship certificate on social media on Wednesday.
In one of the photographs, Lord of Ajasa posed with his wife and an American flag, prompting congratulatory messages from fellow artistes, producers and fans.
Music producer and Coded Tunes founder, Olumide Ogunade, popularly known as ID Cabasa, congratulated the rapper, writing, “Congratulations Lord Oshi.”
Lord of Ajasa replied, “Thanks Cabasa.”
Singer Abolore Akande, popularly known as 9ice, also congratulated him, to which the rapper responded, “Thanks Baalè.”
The development has renewed interest in Lord of Ajasa’s place in the history of Nigerian hip-hop, particularly his role in popularising Yoruba-language rap before the emergence of artistes such as Dagrin, Olamide and Reminisce.
His songs, including “Le Fenu So”, “Esha Lo Bade” and “Mai Lo”, remain associated with the early development of indigenous rap in Nigeria.
The rapper’s naturalisation also comes after years of his frequent appearances and performances in the United States, where he has maintained links with Nigerian music audiences.
His emergence in the mainstream music scene helped demonstrate that indigenous languages could be successfully incorporated into Nigerian hip-hop at a time when English-language rap dominated the genre.
His US citizenship has therefore become another milestone in the career of one of the artistes credited with laying the foundation for the indigenous rap movement in Nigeria.
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