Nigerian street music Legend, Konga, has opened up about the controversy that trailed his 2003 hit Baby Konga, insisting that the song was unfairly banned at the peak of its success.
Speaking on the Echo Room hosted by Teddy A, the singer, born Lawal Olalekan Olumo, reflected on his early days in the industry, the alleged politics that worked against him, and his rejection of being labelled an “OG”.
“Don’t call me OG,” he said during the interview. According to him, the term is used in the Nigerian music industry as a subtle way of pushing established artistes aside. “That’s the same gimmick they use for all the legends. They are indirectly calling you old glory,” he said.
Konga explained that slang and coded language have always been part of his artistry. He argued that many people never truly understood his style, which often relied on wordplay and layered meanings.
“Slangs are meant to be that if you don’t want to say something directly, you can say something else,” he said, adding that he applied the same method in crafting his lyrics.
The singer questioned the rationale behind the ban of Baby Konga, a track that propelled him into national prominence in the early 2000s. “Till now, even the people that banned it don’t know why they banned it, because they don’t even understand the song to start with,” he said.
He maintained that there was nothing vulgar in the song’s lyrics. In his view, the ban was less about content and more about industry rivalry. Konga alleged that some colleagues, threatened by his rising popularity at the time, influenced radio stations to pull the track off air.
“Because they could not bring down the weight of Konga, because Konga was everywhere, they formed groups,” he claimed. According to him, the effort to suppress the song only backfired, as it gained even wider attention beyond Nigeria after it was banned.
“When they banned the song, it even became more viral across the world,” he said, suggesting that the controversy amplified its reach rather than diminishing it.
Reflecting on the atmosphere in the industry at the time, the artiste said music was driven more by passion than profit. “Then we were singing for passion. The money was not coming, but the passion was there,” he said.
He admitted that he initially ignored the subtle attempts to sideline him. However, the ban forced him to investigate further. “Even when they were doing it to my face, I didn’t pay attention until they banned the song. Then I started asking questions and doing my research,” he said.
Konga claimed his findings revealed that some fellow artistes were involved in persuading radio stations to stop playing the track. Determined not to be pushed out, he returned to the studio and released another song, Lorile, which also became a hit.
The singer also recounted a missed opportunity to travel to the United States with the music group X-Project. According to him, internal disagreements and selfish decisions prevented the trip from happening as planned. He alleged that another performer from the Baby Konga video was taken instead, despite public demand to see him perform.
“To their surprise, everybody wanted to see Konga,” he said, adding that tensions escalated into open rivalry.
Konga rose to fame as one of the pioneers of street music in Nigeria, known for his energetic delivery and creative use of the “Eno” language, a coded style that became his signature. More than two decades later, he believes the industry’s internal politics are now more visible to the public.
“This thing about people forming groups in the industry to pull people down has been happening for a long time,” he said. “I am happy everybody can now see how dark the industry is.”
