Rapper, Erigga first entered the music industry in 2010. His quick wit and authentic stories quickly endeared him to many, who wanted fresh content. The rapper would then release his debut, Tha Erigma two years after.
Tha Erigma was an open invitation into the grim and life of vice Erigga was living. Born “Erhiga Agarivbie”, the rapper’s did not overcompensate on technique on the debut. He in fact just focused on storytelling, while letting the quick wits and metaphors blend in naturally.
Erigga’s stories were so frank and compelling that many started to doubt its authenticity. For some, those stories, compelling as they were, were the regular gimmicks rappers are known to spin. Except that in Erigga’s case, his were as authentic as authentic gets.
All the drug stories, the jail stories were real. His series of interviews have confirmed that.
“All she know be say her pikin na poker lord, she dey preaching, I sidan for snooker board,” Eribaba raps in the opening song to his debut album, Tha Erigma.
The rapper now has three albums to his name. His sophomore, Okorowanta dropped in 2015 while the A Trip to the South dropped in 2017. Critics agree that in the subsequent albums after his debut, he jettisoned raw storytelling for a more refined delivery — an action that cannot be unconnected to his attempt to crack the mainstream.
While his efforts to break into the mainstream started almost 7 years ago, the rapper only caught a whiff of it with the release of the successful single, “Motivation” which featured Victor AD.
Erigga led German reporter, Fanny Fascar of DW through his city recently and here are the 3 highlights from the interview.
Drug dealing
The rapper sold drugs, did drugs. Participated in the infamous South South vices of illegal oil bunkering and others. Then he went to jail for it. This is what Eribaba said of it: “The city brings out that toughness in you,” he states, ”You have to be strong to survive out here, it’s really tough, there is no opportunity.” The rapper put all of these in his songs and it is nice that people are actually listening to his stories.
Music the saviour
The best decision Paperboi made was to drop crime for the mic. Thanks also to those who supported his music. Ever since then, instead of hurtling into the abyss of forgetfulness that Nigerian jails portend, the rapper is rising. While the rise is not astronomical yet, it is still drastic enough for people to say “I’ve heard his song before”.
“I never saw this coming, all I wanted was to give my people a voice. What I rap about is basically the struggle that every Warri boy, every Niger Delta youth go through every day of their lives, but they can’t say it.”
Out of City moves
The rapper no longer lives in the old Warri. And when he returns, he does so as a man of timbre and calibre; the one who escaped. But despite his now better life, Eribaba is not forgetting his past, so he keeps telling the stories of the youths who have no voice.
Watch the video below: