Weird MC (born Adesola Adesimbo Idowu) is a Nigerian rapper, songwriter, and producer. Known for her catchy English/ Yoruba lyrics, androgynous appearance, and rumoured sexuality, Weird MC - also known as Shola Idowu and The Rappatainer - is one of Africa's token number of female rap artistes, and one of the few Nigerian women associated with Afrobeat .
Idowu gained admission into Ogun State University to study Law , but left a year later to focus on her music career. Influenced by Fela Kuti , Lauryn Hill , Da Roots, Miriam Makeba , Queen Latifah and Jimi Hendrix , Idowu travelled back to England where she competed in rap contests in London , including Club 291 contest, similar to America's Apollo , in which she came third. After working with music producer Kevin Best for two months, Idowu released the single Wanna Make You Jack/Let's Get Wet, which received positive reviews from music critics; it was also number one in the Choice FM charts. [4] By now, Idowu had began to use the name by which she is now known - Weird MC, which was coined from the name of her former group.
After a long sabbatical, Idowu returned to her homeland, where she released her debut album Simply Weird. It was a blend of American-style hip hop and Afrobeat, which featured the video-single Allen Avenue - she was the first Nigerian artiste to release a video-single, which she also produced. The Allen Avenue video raised controversy, as her man-like appearance made people question her true gender.
Simply Weird has often been described as the first ever full-length rap album [5] , yet this milestone was reached about a decade before, with artistes like Emphasis [6] , Junior 'n' Pretty [7] , and Sound on Sound[ citation needed ]. Nevertheless, despite the popularity of Allen Avenue, the album failed to sell an impressive number of copies. Critics agreed that Simply Weird was ahead of its time ("People felt it was too foreign… not rootsy, or ‘African’ enough."). [8] Despite this setback, Idowu was honoured with several awards, including the very first AMEN award for Best Hip Hop Album. [9]
In 2006, Idowu released her second album, After Da Storm. Hip hop was now recognised as a major forn of music in Nigeria, and the single Ijoya - which means Time To Dance - was a massive success. Ijoya earned her an AMEN award for Most Pop Song, and a Channel O Music Video Award for Best Special Effect. [4] [10] Following the success of After Da Storm, Idowu studied Music Technology in London. [11]
Apart from being a solo artiste, Idowu has collaborated with other artistes including Femi Kuti and close friend Kween. [12] Idowu's third album New Dawn is set for release in 2009. [13]