Blaqbonez Breaks Records on Chanel

Patience Iziegbe Odighizuwa

He declared he was the Best Rapper in Africa, yet people doubted him! Now look.

Emeka Akumefule, aka Blaqbonez, started rapping at 13 because of a dare and never stopped. He studied Computer Engineering at Obafemi Awolowo University by day, dropped mixtapes and won rap competitions by night.

At 16, he beat over 3,000 rappers in Terry Tha Rapman's Zombie Competition and earned a feature on Terry's album. He signed to Chocolate City in 2018, and from that moment, proved over and over again that he belongs at the top.

If you've followed Blaqbonez from the beginning, you know the music was never the only thing. The man himself is the product. Before skit culture became a promotional tool in Nigeria, Blaqbonez was already using comedy to keep his audience engaged.

He discovered the power of viral content early and made himself impossible to scroll past. He faked a relationship to promote Commander. He ran a full anti-love crusade, calling himself Evangelist and other artists Brother and Minister to launch Sex Over Love.

When Back In Uni dropped in 2022, he cosplayed Wizkid, Oxlade, Asake, BNXN, Ruger, Burna Boy, Portable, and Ayra Starr in the music video and the whole country was talking about it. Funny, charismatic, and always pushing boundaries.

In 2019, he declared himself the Best Rapper in Africa, abbreviated it to BRIA and put it everywhere. Rappers fired back and he replied with one track, earning him profiles from The New York Times and The Guardian, who called him "the man carrying the torch of Nigerian rap." His debut album Sex Over Love arrived to a fanbase that had waited years. Bling became his biggest record yet.

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He was named West African Rapper of the Year at the inaugural Creative-Africa Hip Hop Awards. One year and five months later, he was back with Young Preacher, moving across rap, grime, Afrobeats, and dancehall in the same project.

The album won Best Rap Album at the 2023 Headies. Emeka Must Shine, his celebration album, charted in over 20 countries. Rolling Stone named him one of the 50 innovators shaping the future of rap on hip-hop's 50th anniversary.

His most anticipated album yet, No Excuses, arrived mid-rap-beef and stamped his name as one of the greatest. Every era has been different. Every era has delivered. And then came Chanel. Released May 21, 2026, featuring Asake, the collaboration recorded the highest opening streaming day for a Nigerian rapper in history. Chanel peaked at number one on six major platforms in Nigeria simultaneously.

Internationally, it debuted at number 198 on the UK Shazam Top 200 and reached a peak of number 54 on the Global Shazam Top Songs Chart.

The song is everything Blaqbonez does best, confident, witty, self-assured. His flow commands attention from the first bar. Asake brings his Fuji-infused energy and makes the whole thing feel even bigger.

Two completely distinct voices, one undeniable record. If you've been here since the very beginning, Chanel doesn't feel like a surprise. It feels like a confirmation.

Blaqbonez has spent his entire career making people take Nigerian rap seriously, one project at a time, one stunt at a time, one era at a time. He's been funny about it. Charismatic about it. Stubborn about it.

Now the records are speaking for themselves. Stream the Blaqbonez Greatest Hit Mix on Mdundo and catch up on every era.

Download it now on Mdundo.