Okechukwu Edwards Ukeje, better known by his stage name Mr Raw (formerly Dat N.I.G.G.A. Raw), is a rapper from

Abia State Abia State ( ig, Ȯha Abia) is a state in the South-East geopolitical zone of Nigeria, it is bordered to the north and northeast by the states of Enugu, and Ebonyi, Imo State to the west, Cross River State to the east, Akwa Ibom State to the ...

Southeastern Nigeria Igboland (Standard ), also known as Southeastern Nigeria (but extends into South-Southern Nigeria), is the indigenous homeland of the Igbo people. It is a cultural and common linguistic region in southern Nigeria. Geographically, it is divided b ...

. He is a pioneer of

Igbo rap Igbo may refer to: * Igbo people, an ethnic group of Nigeria * Igbo language, their language * anything related to Igboland, a cultural region in Nigeria See also * Ibo (disambiguation) * Igbo mythology * Igbo music * Igbo art * * Igbo-Ukwu, a ...

, a genre that now appeals to a broad, mainstream audience.

Early life

Born and raised in

Enugu Enugu ( ; ) is the capital city of Enugu State in Nigeria. It is located in southeastern part of Nigeria. The city had a population of 820,000 according to the 2022 Nigerian census. The name ''Enugu'' is derived from the two Igbo words ''Énú ...

, he gained prominence during the early 2000s rapping in the

Igbo language Igbo ( , ; Igbo: ''Ásụ̀sụ́ Ìgbò'' ) is the principal native language cluster of the Igbo people, a meta-ethnicity from Southeastern Nigeria. The number of Igboid languages depends on how one classifies a language versus a dialect, so ...

and

Pidgin English Pidgin English is a non-specific name used to refer to any of the many pidgin languages derived from English. Pidgins that are spoken as first languages become creoles. English-based pidgins that became stable contact languages, and which have ...

Career

Raw's debut studio album, ''Right & Wrong'', was released on 7 August 2005. A second album ''Everything Remains Raw'' followed in 2007. His third studio album ''End of Discussion'' was released in October 2010. The album yielded the hit song "O! Chukwu" whose music video won Best Afro Hip Hop Video at the NMVA Awards that year. In 2010, Raw announced that he would change his name from "Dat Nigga Raw" (an acronym of "Dat Nigerian Guy Anakpo Raw" which means "that Nigerian guy called Raw") to "Mr. Raw", stating that the negative connotations associated to the word "

nigga ''Nigga'' () is a colloquial and vulgar term used in African-American Vernacular English that began as a dialect form of the word ''nigger'', an ethnic slur against black people. The word is commonly associated with hip hop music and Afri ...

" resulted in his name being censored abroad and prevented people from purchasing his music online. Raw has collaborated with numerous other musical artists including

Flavour N'abania Chinedu Okoli (born 23 November 1983), better known by his stage name Flavour N'abania or simply Flavour, is a Nigerian singer. He began his musical career as a drummer for a local church. Flavour is popularly known across Africa and the world ...

Duncan Mighty Duncan Wene Mighty Okechukwu (born 28 October 1983), simply known as Duncan Mighty, is a Nigerian musician, singer, and music producer from Obio-Akpor, Rivers State. Though his musical style demonstrates a high-level of genre versatility, it is ...

Phyno Chibuzor Nelson Azubuike (born 9 October 1986), populary known as Phyno Fino, is a Nigerian rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer. He started his music career as a producer in 2003, and is renowned for rapping in the Igbo language. His ...

Illbliss Tobechukwu Ejiofor known as iLLBLISS, is a Nigerian rapper, businessman and the owner of the talent managing outfit known as 'The Goretti Company', company responsible for launching the careers of Chidinma and Phyno, among others. Also popu ...

, 2Face, M-Josh, Hype MC, BosaLin and Slowdog.

Personal life

Ukeje is married, but has cited that he prefers to keep his family life private. In August 2021, he and his driver were hospitalised due to a fatal car accident.

Discography

Studio albums

*''Right & Wrong'' (2005) *''Everything Remains Raw'' (2007) *''End of Discussion'' (2010) *''The Greatest'' (2012)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mr Raw Living people Igbo rappers Rappers from Enugu Nigerian male rappers 21st-century Nigerian musicians 21st-century male musicians Year of birth missing (living people)