Nigerian indigenous rapper Sodiq Abubakar Yusuf, popularly known as CDQ, has sparked conversation after claiming that success in the Nigerian music industry may be difficult without belonging to certain influential groups.
Speaking during a recent interview with content creator JBrandy, the rapper alleged that the entertainment industry has become heavily factionalized, making it challenging for independent artists to thrive.
According to him, upcoming musicians often struggle to gain visibility and financial returns unless they are connected to powerful industry networks.
“You have to belong to a particular gang or cult before anybody could help you in the music industry,” CDQ said.
He further claimed that many artists spend large amounts of money on promotion without achieving significant success if they lack such affiliations.
CDQ added that only a few musicians manage to break into mainstream success without such connections, describing those cases as rare and often based on luck.
“So, if you don’t belong to this particular gang, or this particular group, or this particular cult or whatever, you might probably spend a lot and not see anything in return,” he said.
His comments have since generated reactions online, with many debating the influence of networks, connections, and alleged gatekeeping within the Nigerian music industry.
