How important is it for legends to release new music?

MI Abaga is old. That's a cold hard truth that is almost impossible to agree with. But he is old.

He isn't old as a person, because he is just slightly past 30. But in terms of the music, the culture and his impact on the music scene and the conversations surrounding the Nigeria music industry, he is old.

2017 makes it nine years since he dropped his first studio album "Talk About It" and took the entire Nigeria by storm. Before that project dropped, he had shot out of nowhere, and shut things down.

M.I toppled the established system of rap, by disrupting the Hip-hop sound and school at that point in time. Where leading rappers in 2007 based most of their flows on the more Westernised accepted styles of delivery and composition, Abaga showed everyone the future with his open and incisive style, which fused elements of our local pop culture with a promethean flow that bordered on legendary.

And since he did that, he has wrapped up three albums, released three mixtapes, a lifetime worth of singles and collaborated with everyone that mattered on the ladder of relevance and prominence in the music scene.

In that time too, he has become a legend. One that embraced Hip hop as an evangelist of the new ways, and transitioned the culture into the indigenous space that we have today. In that regard, because of M.I’s work, a generation of new rappers in Nigeria sprang up, and continue to spring up.

But the culture is revolving and ever dynamic. As it is with life, an accepted constant with the music industry is change. Nobody stays at the top forever. No artist is hot forever. Sooner or later, the culture shifts, sounds change, and people get bored with the old. Add that to the fact that new talents push through continuously on to the radar, and as with everything else, people gravitate towards the new.

M.I Abaga has moved from being a hot artiste, to being a big one. He isn’t at the peak of his powers, neither does he still possess that wow factor that had a generation of music listeners hanging on to his music. But he has emotional connection, and is imprinted in the history of music in Nigeria as a legend.

That’s why his live shows are an emotional affair, where fans tap into that residual, nostalgic love, and appreciate him for his contribution to the culture, and the enrichment of entertainment in Nigeria.

He understands this, and although being an elder statesman is an enviable height, no one wants to be a relic of the culture. Nobody wants a place in the museum while they are still alive.

And that’s why M.I Abaga continues to change. He seeks out new ways to invent himself, and stay relevant. His last album – “ – was polarizing among fans and critics due to the change. M.I studied the language of the streets and the formula of the indigenous rappers and incorporated his findings in the project.

His 2016 mixtape, “Illegal Music 3”, was packed full with grad declarations of his status as an elder statesman, and how much relevant he still is.

M.I Abaga is still relevant. But he isn’t a hot artiste. Ycee, Falz, Olamide, Phyno, and a few others have the ears of the kids and the pulse of the people. M.I resides in the heart of an earlier generation as a god does in the prayers of his worshippers.

And that’s why it’s important that he continues to release new music. 2017 is still on its first legs, and M.I Abaga is releasing a new project. Titled “The Love EP”, the rapper is reinventing himself with each project, and keeping up with the new wave.

Off the mic, M.I Abaga has progressed nicely as the CEO of Chocolate City Music, where he continues to wield his influence over the lives and careers of artistes signed on to the music company. In that role, he is an elder statesman, seeking to assist others recreate the magic of success that he has already enjoyed.

But the shift in the industry to younger players necessitates action on his part. And that’s why “The Love EP” project isn’t just a stake for more glory or a serving of his art. It’s a necessity.