Renowned Nigerian rappers Phenom and Ycee recently engaged in a heated exchange on social media, sparking a viral debate among fans and industry watchers. The confrontation reportedly stemmed from Phenom’s remarks on the difficulties of securing collaborations with top-tier artistes in the Nigerian music industry, a topic that has long been discussed among upcoming and established musicians.
The discussion quickly gained traction online, with both artistes using their social media platforms to air their perspectives on the dynamics of collaboration, mutual support, and remuneration within the industry. Fans took sides, amplifying the conversation and turning it into one of the trending topics across Nigerian music spaces on Twitter, X, and Instagram.
In a post shared on the X platform, Phenom expressed his frustration, highlighting the difficulty of getting top artistes to feature on his upcoming projects. He recalled how, during his rise a few years ago, he extended support to other rappers, including Ycee and Falz, by providing opportunities and collaborations that helped boost their careers when they were trending.
Reacting to Phenom’s post, Ycee responded sharply, disputing the claims and asserting that he had been paid for his verse previously. Ycee also noted that Phenom had reused a line from his earlier collaboration with Olamide in one of his songs, insinuating that the frustrations expressed were misplaced or exaggerated. The response highlighted tensions surrounding originality, recognition, and professional etiquette in the music industry.
Phenom, however, fired back at Ycee, clarifying that his initial post was not targeted at him and expressing that attempts to frame the message as a personal attack were misplaced. He emphasized that the post was meant to discuss general industry challenges rather than single out any specific artist, further fueling the debate among fans and observers.
The social media exchange sparked widespread reactions, with supporters of both rappers debating the merits of collaboration, fair compensation, and recognition of contributions within the Nigerian music scene. Many fans noted the importance of maintaining professionalism even when disagreements arise publicly, while others celebrated the candidness of both artistes in shedding light on real issues that emerging musicians face.
See the exchange below and follow the discussions: