CDQ (rapper)
| CDQ | |
|---|---|
|
CDQ performing at an event in 2017 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Sodiq Abubakar Yusuf |
| Born |
May 6, 1985 Orile, Lagos State, Nigeria |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) | rapper, songwriter, performer |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 2008–present |
| Labels | No Struggle No Success |
| Associated acts | |
Sodiq Abubakar Yusuf (born May 6, 1985), popularly known by his stage name CDQ, is a Nigerian indigenous hip-hop rapper and songwriter best known for his singles "Indomie" and "Nowo E Soke".[1] While the former is instrumental for launching his career into the Nigerian music industry, the later won him his first career award at the 2016 Nigerian Music Video Awards. Signed to his label No Struggle No Success Entertainment, CDQ's repertoire of music includes rapping in Yoruba language with addition of ad-libs such as the popular "Woss Wobi" which he invented.[2]
Early life and education
He is a native of Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria;[3] but was born in Orile, a suburb of Lagos. Upon moving back to Lagos State from Ilorin where he had completed his secondary school education, he proceeded to further his education at Lagos State University where he graduated with a B.Sc in Economics.[4]
Career
2013–present: Early beginnings and Quality
CDQ started music professionally in 2008 when he used to be a back-up singer for Da Grin before he started rapping in English language with M.I.[4] In 2013, he signed a recording contract with Masterkraft's General Records after winning a rap battle at the weekly Industry Nite in December 2012.[5] In 2014, he released his breakthrough single titled "Indomie" which featured vocals from Olamide while the remix of the song featured Davido. The Masterkraft-produced song brought CDQ's career to limelight and further earned him two nomination spots at the 2015 Nigeria Entertainment Awards and a nomination in the Best Street-Hop Artist category at The Headies 2015.
In anticipation of his debut studio album titled Quality, CDQ enlisted the service of Wizkid with whom he released "Nowo E Soke" as a lead single off the album. The music video for the song was directed by Unlimited L.A and went on to win the Best Afro Hip Hop Video category at the 2016 edition of the Nigeria Music Video Awards.[6][7] On 16 August 2016, he unvieled the cover art for the album[8] before it was released through General Records on 22 August to positive critical reviews.[9][10] On 11 November 2016, he launched his own record label N.S.N.S, a short-form for No Struggle No Success Entertainment.[11]
Discography
Selected singles
| Title | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|
| "Ogini" (featuring Runtown) |
2014 | Non-album singles |
| "Indomie" (featuring Olamide) | ||
| "Indomie (Remix)" (featuring Olamide and Davido) |
2015 | Quality |
| "Salaro"[12] | ||
| "Talosobe" | ||
| "Oobi" (featuring Cayana) | ||
| "Woss Wobi (Freestyle)" (with Olamide) |
Non-album single | |
| "Nowo E Soke" (featuring Wizkid) |
2016 | Quality |
| "First Come First Serve" | Non-album singles | |
| "Make We Run?"[13] (featuring Wizkid) | ||
| "Ko Funny" (featuring Davido) |
2017 | |
| "Say Baba" | ||
| "Say Baba (Remix)"[14] (featuring DJ Maphorisa) | ||
Studio album
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award ceremony | Prize | Recipient/Nominated work | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 2015 Nigeria Entertainment Awards | Best New Act to Watch | Himself | Nominated | [15] |
| Best Collabo of The Year | "Best Collabo of The Year" | Nominated | [15] | ||
| The Headies 2015 | Best Street-Hop Artiste | Himself | Nominated | ||
| 2016 | 2016 Nigeria Entertainment Awards | Rap Act of the Year | Nominated | ||
| Soundcity MVP Awards 2016 | Best Hip Hop Artist | Nominated | [16] | ||
| 2016 Nigeria Music Video Awards | Best Afro Hip-Hop Video | "Nowo E Soke" | Won | [17] | |
| 2017 | 2017 Ghana-Naija Showbiz Awards | Best Street-Hop Artiste | Himself | Won | [18] |
| Next Superstar On The Roll | Nominated | [19] |
References
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to CDQ. |
- ↑ Rotimi Agbana (29 April 2017). "CDQ names Wizkid, Davido kings of Nigerian music - Vanguard News". Vanguard. Retrieved 18 June 2017.
- ↑ Tofarati Ige (28 May 2017). "I make music for the streets –CDQ". The Punch. Retrieved 18 June 2017.
- ↑ Mutiat Alli; Abimbola Obatayo (6 January 2016). "CDQ: On career, fashion and collabos — Daily Times Nigeria". Daily Times of Nigeria. Retrieved 18 June 2017.
- 1 2 Helen, Ajomole (19 November 2015). "EXCLUSIVE: I Will Rather Remain Razz Than Being Posh And Broke- Famous Nigerian Artist". Naij. Retrieved 18 June 2017.
- ↑ "I wouldn’t mind going down with Niyola - CDQ - Vanguard News". Vanguard. 28 August 2015. Retrieved 18 June 2017.
- ↑ Hassan Sanusi (16 December 2016). "2016 Nigeria Music Video Awards: See the full list of winners". Nigerian Entertainment Today. Retrieved 18 June 2017.
- ↑ "CDQ to drop visuals for ‘Nowo e soke’ featuring Wizkid tomorrow - Nigerian Entertainment Today - Nigeria's Top Website for News, Gossip, Comedy, Videos, Blogs, Events, Weddings, Nollywood, Celebs, Scoop and Games". thenet.ng. 17 January 2016. Retrieved 18 June 2017.
- ↑ Akan, Joey (17 August 2017). "CDQ: Rapper's "Quality" album cover is the worst you will see this year". Pulse Nigeria. Retrieved 18 June 2017.
- ↑ "ALBUM REVIEW: CDQ - "Quality"". tooXclusive. Retrieved 18 June 2017.
- ↑ "Album Review: CDQ - Quality - 360Nobs.com". www.360nobs.com. Retrieved 18 June 2017.
- ↑ "CDQ Unveils New Record Label N.S.N.S + Promo Photos". tooXclusive. Retrieved 18 June 2017.
- ↑ "DOWNLOAD: CDQ - "Salaro" (Prod. by Masterkraft) - Latest Nigerian Song". tooxclusive.com. Retrieved 18 June 2017.
- ↑ "MUSIC: CDQ X Wizkid – Make We Run (Prod. By Del B) - 360Nobs.com". www.360nobs.com. Retrieved 18 June 2017.
- ↑ "cdq ropes in dj maphorisa for the "say baba" remix". MTV Base. 10 April 2017. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
- 1 2 "Full Winners List @ The Nigerian Entertainment Awards #NEA2015". NotJustOk. 8 September 2015. Retrieved 18 June 2017.
- ↑ Johnson, Ayodele. "Soundcity MVP Awards 2016: See full list of winners". pulse.ng. Retrieved 18 June 2017.
- ↑ "2016 Nigeria Music Video Awards: See the full list of winners". thenet.ng. 16 December 2016. Retrieved 18 June 2017.
- ↑ "Full List Of Winners At The 2017 Ghana-Naija Showbiz Awards". www.beatznation.com. 18 May 2017. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
- ↑ "Ghana-Naija Showbiz Awards 2017 nominees list: Tmghlive.com, Sarkodie, others nominated". GhanaWeb.com. 19 March 2017. Retrieved 19 June 2017.