In a year dominated by one of Nigerian hip-hop’s most publicised feuds, Blaqbonez‘s searing diss track “ACL” has been ranked at number 25 on Rolling Stone’s “45 Best Afropop Songs of 2025”.
The recognition highlights the song’s artistic merit amidst its role as a pivotal salvo in the ongoing lyrical war with fellow rapper Odumodublvck.
Rolling Stone’s staff praised “ACL,” a standout from Blaqbonez’s fourth album No Excuses, for showcasing the rapper at his “most mature – and biting.” The song, a direct rebuttal to Odumodublvck, features a two-part musical structure that begins with an “icy, athletic beat” before sliding into a “more decadent backdrop.”
The accompanying visualizer heightened the drama by displaying a long scroll of alleged threatening direct messages from Odumodublvck, a move that sparked widespread conversation online and framed the conflict as intensely personal.
The track’s cultural impact is matched by its commercial performance. Since its release on October 17, 2025, “ACL” has amassed nearly 5 million streams on Spotify, contributing to Blaqbonez’s profile as an artist with over 264 million total platform plays.
The feud has reinvigorated debates about the identity of Nigerian rap, pitting Blaqbonez’s witty, genre-blending style against Odumodublvck’s gritty, street-centric authenticity, turning their clash into a proxy war for the soul of the local hip-hop scene.
The Rolling Stone accolade personifies “ACL” as one of the definitive and most talked-about Afropop moments of the year.
