Nigerian rapper Sodiq Abubakar Yusuf, popularly known as CDQ, has placed himself above some of the country’s most established rap acts, claiming he is a better rapper than Blaqbonez, Phyno, Olamide and MI Abaga combined.

CDQ made the claim while speaking on the Faloh Frequency podcast, where he discussed the qualities he considers important when assessing Nigerian rappers.

“I am a better rapper than Blaqbonez, Phyno, Olamide and MI combined,” CDQ said.

The rapper also argued that a rapper’s popularity or commercial success should not be the main measure of their ability. According to CDQ, lyrical quality and depth are more important standards for judging a rapper, and he believes he surpasses the artistes he mentioned in those areas.

His comments came after he was asked to compare younger Nigerian rappers Blaqbonez and Odumodublvck. CDQ said Blaqbonez had the advantage musically, while Odumodublvck had the stronger personality.

“The authentic is, I will say it as it is, so music wise I’ll say is Blaqbonez but personality wise I’ll say Odumodu,” he said.

CDQ subsequently placed Blaqbonez above established Nigerian rappers including Falz, Ice Prince, Reminisce and Vector when it comes to music.

The rapper’s latest assessment is notable given his own history within Nigeria’s hip-hop scene. CDQ began his professional music journey as a backup singer for the late rapper Da Grin before working with MI Abaga. He later won a rap battle at Industry Nite in 2012, a performance that helped increase his profile in the Nigerian music scene.

He subsequently signed with Masterkraft’s General Records in 2013 and gained wider recognition with “Indomie”, his 2014 collaboration with Olamide. The song became one of the records that established CDQ as a prominent voice in Nigeria’s street-hop scene, while a later remix featured Davido.

CDQ went on to release his debut album, Quality, in 2016. The project featured several prominent Nigerian artistes, including Olamide, MI Abaga, Phyno, Vector, Ice Prince, Reminisce and Davido. The album also included “Indomie”, “Nowo E Soke” featuring Wizkid and other records that reflected CDQ’s Yoruba-heavy rap style.

In 2016, CDQ also established his own record label, No Struggle No Success Entertainment, commonly known as NSNS. His subsequent projects included Ibile Mugabe, released in 2019.