By Ghazali Ibrahim
Veteran Nigerian rapper Olusegun Osaniyi, popularly known as Lord of Ajasa, has officially become a United States citizen.
The Yoruba rap pioneer announced the milestone on his Instagram, sharing photos and videos of himself holding his American citizenship certificate and posing with the US flag.
In one of the videos, the rapper celebrated alongside his wife, Funmi, after completing the naturalisation process.
“Thank you, America,” he wrote in one of his posts.
The development has drawn congratulatory messages from colleagues and fans, including veteran singer 9ice and music producer ID Cabasa.
“Congrats apase1,” 9ice wrote, while ID Cabasa congratulated him with, “Congratulations Lord Oshi.”
Born in Akure, Ondo State, Lord of Ajasa rose to prominence in the early 2000s with his Yoruba-language rap, particularly through songs such as “Ma Yi Lo.”
He became one of the early artistes credited with pushing indigenous-language rap into Nigeria’s mainstream music scene, preceding a later generation of Yoruba rappers including Da Grin, Olamide and Reminisce.
His new American citizenship marks another major chapter in the career of the veteran rapper, who has lived in the United States for several years while maintaining his connection with Nigerian music and culture.
