MI Abaga: I’m not Davido, Wizkid but still relevant in the industry

Jude ‘MI’ Abaga, the Nigerian rapper, says he doesn’t feel intimidated by the rising wave of younger artistes dominating the music scene.

In a recent interview with Jay On Air, MI reflected on his career, artistic relevance, and how his priorities have evolved with age.

MI said he has not felt like the old guy in terms of skill.

The 43-year-old rapper acknowledged that he is not at the centre of today’s pop frenzy like Davido or Wizkid, but insisted he hasn’t lost anything essential.

In terms of comparing myself to artistes that are hot, I truly don’t have that part. To me, what matters is how good you are, and I’ve not yet felt threatened in that space and in my career, he said.

I can really look at Odumodublvck, Shallipopi, Falz, Ladipoe, Blaqbonez and love their talent — but it doesn’t intimidate me. What I do and how good I am at it fills me up and makes me secure in myself as an artiste.

I’m not Davido, I’m not Wizkid. They are in the red-hot moment. I’m MI. Has MI lost something? I don’t see it. I can still work, I can still go forward, I still have the fans I had, I still have the skill. That’s what’s important.

Speaking on lifestyle changes, MI said his financial choices are now different from what it used to be.

He revealed that he once owned six luxury cars, but now drives a “small” vehicle and spends wisely.

There are some status things that you become comfortable with. My wife and I travel to America quite often, and it’s impractical for me to fly business class on my own money. Imagine paying $10,000 to go see family — it’s just not practical, he said.

I used to have six massive cars, now I have two small cars. My wife has one, I have one. The cars Davido is buying now — N100 million, N200 million — in our time, they were N20 million.

So it’s not like I’ve lost anything, I’m just not in that hot moment making billions to buy a ₦200 million car.

Now I don’t care anymore. Do you know how much an economy ticket is? I live in Nigeria, where people need money. I have staff who work with me, and they have real issues. So those priorities have shifted for me.