Veteran rapper Tobechukwu Ejiofor, popularly known as Illbliss, has opened up about a discouraging experience he faced early in his music career.
Speaking on a recent episode of the Real Shareholders podcast, the Aiye Po Gan hitmaker recalled how a Lagos-based radio presenter once told him he had no future in the music industry simply because he rapped in Igbo.
“When I first moved to Lagos, I released a track called Igbo Boy,” Illbliss recounted. “Then I got a call from a radio presenter who asked, ‘What are you trying to do? You can’t make it here with this kind of music. You’ve come here with an agenda, Omo-Igbo.’”
He continued, “The man then switched into fluent Yoruba and told me, ‘If you can’t beat them, join them. Your music is good, but it won’t go far.’”
Illbliss explained that the song in question wasn’t political or confrontational—it simply celebrated Igbo culture and their love for enjoyment. Yet, the response he received left him feeling disheartened.
“Just looking at that guy and hearing those words made me feel terrible,” he said. “It reminded me that no matter how much we claim to be one nation, the deep-rooted tribal divisions are still very real and hard to ignore.”
