Phenom Breaks Silence on Prolonged Feud With Ycee, Shares What Sparked Their Fallout

• Nigerian rapper Phenom opened up about his long-running feud with Ycee in a recent interview, pointing to an incident involving Ycee's girlfriend
• Phenom said he accommodated Ycee's girlfriend when she was stranded in Nigeria, but overheard something on her phone that left him deeply offended
• Phenom also disclosed that he is celibate, offering context for why he felt Ycee's reaction to the situation was unwarranted

Nigerian rapper Phenom, whose full name is Ikechukwu Clarence, has finally addressed the lingering tension between himself and fellow artist Ycee, born Oludemilade Martin Alejo, tracing the bad blood back to a moment involving Ycee's girlfriend.

Speaking on Yanga FM in an interview aired on YouTube on September 23, 2026, Phenom recalled a period when Ycee's girlfriend found herself stranded in Nigeria and needed somewhere to stay.

He said he stepped in and offered the lady a room in his home.

What Phenom allegedly saw on the Phone

According to the rapper, things took a turn while the two were hanging out at his place.

He inadvertently caught a glimpse of a conversation the lady was having with Ycee on her phone, in which she mentioned that Phenom had given her somewhere to stay.

Ycee's response, as Phenom described it, was short but stinging.

"She told him Phenom gave me a place to stay, and his is like, 'Be careful,'" Phenom recounted.

"I found that very disrespectful. Like, you know me like that; what do you mean, be careful?"

Phenom also noted that he had asked the girlfriend why she preferred not to stay at Ycee's place, and she explained there were too many people around.

Phenom was quick to add a personal detail:

"I'm celibate oh."

Ycee's background and career

Ycee, who signed a record deal with Sony Music in October 2016, parted ways with the label in February 2018 after a difficult stint with the company.

He also left Tinny Entertainment in January 2019.

The singer has spoken publicly about taking a step back from the music industry and previously disclosed that he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2020 during the COVID-19 lockdown in London.

At the time of this report, Ycee had not publicly responded to Phenom's account of events.

Watch Phenom speak about his long-standing feud with Ycee in the YouTube video below:

YCee defends remarks on 'Olodo Uprising'

Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Nigerian rapper YCee responded to the backlash he faced after describing the rise of brain‑rot content as the “olodo uprising” and citing TikToker Peller as an example.

Critics argued he could have made his point without mentioning Peller’s name, while others debated whether success in entertainment should be tied to education.

Responding in a Cool FM Lagos interview, YCee stood by his statement, refused to apologise, and stressed that his concern was about the growing popularity of content that prioritises entertainment over education.