by Abidemi Dairo

Biglo had his head cupped in his hands, with both elbows resting on his either thighs. He has lost a friend of over a decade. RAW, the rapper formerly known as Dat Nig.G.A Raw, stood with his hands folded on his chest, he wasn’t listening to the young man that was talking to him. Kage’s toughness betrayed him, you can almost hear his cry from within; he sat and stood and sat again, then he stood up again.

Their friend and colleague, Obiajulu Kenneth Nwaozor, popularly known as MC Loph, had set out in the morning of Wednesday, 14 September 2011, for Abia State from Lagos, with plans of getting married to his pregnant longtime girlfriend over the weekend. He will only arrive there for his funeral now. The notorious Benin-Ore express way has claimed his life. Few minutes before, Biglo was worried about Loph’s ill mother, wondering what will ever ease the pain of a widow who has now lost her only son. That was before Toscar, Loph’s publicist, broke the news that the widow is now without both her children for her only daughter died in the crash too.

“Jesus!” the ‘Delicious’ rapper screamed and everybody present began to make different emotional statements in Igbo language. Nobody was talking to anybody, but almost everyone was talking. They had gathered at OJez restaurant and bar to meet and discuss what they’d do for their late friend.

About a month ago, MC Loph bought a new Ford Durango Sport Utility Vehicle. His musical hustles were beginning to pay off. He had just signed a lucrative recording contract with Morgan Entertainments, and he was planning his life exactly the way he wanted. He was going to settle down and take a wife just like his mother had been persuading him to. He wasn’t going to marry with a lot of noise typical of many entertainers; it was just going to be him and the people that mattered – his family and close friends. His plan never became.

Although he wasn’t many people’s favourite rapper, his contribution to the Nigerian Hip-Hop genre cannot be quantified. His break in single, ‘Osondi Owendi’, a funkyfied version of late highlife legend Osita Osadebe’s number, was a monster hit. Four years after the track was released, he stood on the stage of Star Trek at the Gabros Stadium in Nnewi in June this year and upped the energy level of the concert!

A graduate of Sociology and Anthropology from the University of Nigeria Nnsuka, his venture into rhyming started during his university days. He seeks out other Hip-Hop loving students in his school including Biglo, Raw, Illbliss and Ela Joe; and bonded with them. He even converted Biglo from smooth and eloquent rap style to adding pidgin and Igbo language into his rhymes, a winning formula enjoyed by Biglo, 2Shot, Raw and himself at a later time than his friends.

“Then in school I use to be this very lyrical rapper, spitting like the American rappers. But every time I see Loph doing his thing and the kind of responses he gets, I get motivated to add Igbo language to my lines too,” Biglo explained.

He was about to repeat the feat of the Flavour assisted ‘Osandi Owendi’ as his new track, ‘What The Girls Want’, featuring Faze was gaining popularity that plans are in tops to shoot the tracks video.

“We went to see Patrick Ellis together for the video and it was to be done after his wedding,” Toscar revealed.

Contrary to news that his fiancée died in the crash too, Toscar confirmed that although she sustained a fractured arm, she survived the crash.

As expected, eulogies from different quarters followed the news of his death as close friends, associates and fans take to twitter to pay last respect, air their memory of him or just convey a condolence message for another brother taken away in his prime! May God protect his aged mother, broken fiancee and unborn baby.