Nigerian rapper Blaqbonez, whose real name is Emeka Akumefule, has clarified his stance on the role of streaming numbers and music charts, arguing that they shouldn’t be the sole measure of an artist’s success or quality.
The rapper’s opinion came to light after a fan accused him of hypocrisy for celebrating his own diss track against Odumodublvck, titled “ACL,” hitting the number one spot on Apple Music Nigeria.
Blaqbonez has been vocal in the past about the alleged manipulation of streaming figures and chart positions in Nigeria, claiming that bots are often used to inflate numbers.
Quality Over Quantity
In his response, Blaqbonez explained that while he finds chart success exciting, his core message is that artists shouldn’t be defined by it because numbers can be easily manipulated.
He stressed that he’s never “talked down on the charts,” but rather advocates for a broader, more qualitative assessment of music.
On his X handle, he wrote:
“I never talked down on the charts, it’d always be exciting but no artist should be defined by it. Most of the artists I’m currently listening to in Naija are not up on our charts.”
“You guys are quick to label someone a failure depending on numbers that we know can easily be manipulated. Use your ears sometimes, if something is good its good, that’s all i’m saying.”
Essentially, Blaqbonez is urging music fans to rate songs based on their intrinsic quality rather than being swayed by potentially fake stream counts.
