In a perfect world, where we ate lyrical brilliance for breakfast and special deliveries for lunch, Blaise would be leading the conversation as Nigeria’s best female MC, hands down.

But it’s hard to build that argument up without too many tangibles, the former Trybesmen-affiliate has never released a full body of work, never been able to follow up her brilliant cameos with a blazing single of her own (pun intended) and never gotten the push that her immense talent deserved.

A few years back, she signed to Nomoreloss (of blessed memory) and started talking up the prospect of her debut album Love and Power. Sadly, those plans never materialized and through the years, the femcee’s talents continued to be like a secret that hip-hop heads were dying to share with the world but didn’t have enough material to do so.

Blaise ignited the scene way back in 2002 on Da Trybe’s “Oya”, where she took the first verse and ended it with this memorable line.

I’m serious… This much flex appeal could be injurious

She then reportedly took time out of the game to get a Master’s degree afterwards. The rapper returned 3 years later to drop what I consider to be her magnum opus “Bragging Rights” with Freestyle. Blaise traded bars with a man who many considered to be in a three-way race with Mode Nine and Ruggedman for the spot of the number 1 rapper in the game at that time, and she more than held her own.

Bragging Rights Freestyle ft. Blaise 

There were other standout features on DJ Jimmy Jatt’s hip-hop version of the Beijing conference “Too Much (Remix)” alongside Khemistry, BOUQUI and Sasha, Dipp’s “Good Girls (Remix)” with Muna and Kel and who can forget on the remix of MI’s “Blaze” record? My gawd.

Blaise would also go on to contest the 2008 MTV Base/Zain Advance Warning and the 2009 Hennessy Nigerian Artistry Competition, won by Durella and Ice Prince respectively. She’s recorded a number of solo singles over time but the rapper was largely a visitor to the recording booth in the years that followed.

Surprisingly, on the back end of 2014, the MC unleashed two versions of veteran singer Orlando Julius’ song “Osika” to the world –

A dance version

A rap version

The songs had new vocals from the respected Super Afro Soul singer and seemed to have came out of nowhere, which is exactly where Blaise vanished to soon after they were released, but not before showcasing a side of her that not many knew existed – Blaise the producer.

Fast forward to 2016 and on the release of his latest album Insulin, Mode Nine intro’d the song “Tha Sound” like this –

Give it up to the ladies… Female producer of the year, we’re making history, first time I’m going to rap over a beat a female producer produced.

Before going off.

That female producer he was referring to was none other than Blaise. Personally, and I do not mean to sound patronizing, but “Tha Sound” was one of my favorite songs off the album. I thought it was extremely well-produced too. If production is a path that the woman who once made a name for herself for spitting razor-sharp bars wants to explore, I’m all for it – by all means bring on the music! A female hip-hop producer? What a novelty.

Now, of course a part of me would have loved to hear Blaise contribute a verse to Mode’s project as well but if I held my breath every time I expected her to do so in the last few years, my lungs would be larger than Michael Phelps’ by now. So I’ll just respect myself  and take whatever I can get from Blaise, rap or production, beggars can’t afford to be choosy.