Reminisce: Hip-Hop Respects Skill, Not Money or Streams

Veteran Nigerian rapper Reminisce has made it clear that in hip-hop, talent matters more than money or streaming numbers.

Speaking on the On The Record podcast with fellow rapper Vector, Reminisce addressed the rising tension between Nigerian rappers Odumodublvck and Blaqbonez. He said that respect in hip-hop is earned through skill, not popularity or wealth.

“Hip-hop is the only genre that doesn’t respect numbers or money,” he said. “No matter how much money you make, you can’t buy respect. That’s what I love about hip-hop. You have to earn it.”

He used the recent battle between Kendrick Lamar and Drake as an example. Although Drake is more commercially successful, Reminisce said Lamar won because of his superior rap skills.

“You can have 5 trillion streams or call your album the greatest – no one cares. In rap, skill is everything. That’s why people say Kendrick won, even though Drake leads in numbers,” he added.