“Respect in Rap Comes from Skill, Not Money” – Rapper Reminisce

• Reminisce, a renowned hip-hop artist, asserts that rappers are not evaluated based on their wealth or stream numbers, but rather on their “pure skill.”

• He emphasized that a rapper’s respect in the hip-hop world is solely derived from their skills, regardless of their financial status.

Veteran Nigerian hip-hop artist Reminisce has stated that in the world of rap, respect is earned through talent not money or streaming numbers.

Speaking during a recent appearance on the On The Record podcast alongside fellow rapper Vector, Reminisce addressed the ongoing conversation about dominance in the Nigerian rap scene, particularly the rivalry between Odumodublvck and Blaqbonez.

He stressed that no matter how rich or famous a rapper becomes, they will never truly gain respect in the hip-hop community without demonstrating lyrical prowess.

Citing the recent rap feud between Kendrick Lamar and Drake, Reminisce explained that Lamar was widely declared the winner not because of fame or influence, but purely due to his superior rap skills.

He said, “Hip-hop is the only genre that doesn’t respect numbers or money. No matter how much money you make as a rapper, you can’t buy it [the respect of the Hip-hop world]. That’s one thing I love about Hip-hop. You have to earn it. People have to say, ‘Vector is a good rapper, he’s a legend.’

“If you like see 5 trillion streams, if you like name your album the greatest. Nobody cares. Rap respects pure skills. That’s why Kendrick Lamar is widely adjudged the winner of his hip-hop battle with Canadian superstar Drake. If you look at the margin between Drake and Lamar in terms of commercial, it’s very wide. But because it’s about skill set, which is the primary thing in hip-hop, Lamar won.”