The question is can music in Nigeria ever sell without adult
contents in the terms of audio or visual products? The culture of good music is
beginning to die with the era of modernization. The trend of globalization has
left Africa trailing the developed countries e.g. United States, United Kingdom
etc in music style, fashion and videos. We have been caught in the perpetual
role of 'copycats' forgetting the
consideration of culture, historical background and the general orientation of
the people. Nigerian music has lost the golden representation given by music
greats in the class of Chief Ebenezer Obey, King Sunny Ade, Victor Uwaifo, the
late Fatai Rolling Dollar, Christy Essien Igbokwe, Onyeka Onwenu, Chief Dr.
Oliver De Coque Nigeria's King of Guitar, Osita Osadebe and a host of others
who passed words of wisdom to the audience in a melodious style. Through their
super sounds, the socialization process was enhanced. They promoted values,
sanity and discipline which improved the society. Nowadays, the positive trend
seems to be taken over by ‘opportunists’.
The music industry has become a safe haven for internet fraudsters, disillusioned
money-grabbing youths, chameleons in human forms, chronic drug addicts,
hemp-smokers, street thugs and other classes of outlaws in the society.
Back in the days, music videos used to be so entertaining
with a drama interplay that improves knowledge and wisdom. Though the society
then wasn't perfect but it was saner than what we experience today. Much value
and respect was given to African women. Those days portrayed women as highly exalted
creatures, the treasure of every successful man, home-builders and the backbone
of men. The recent trends of music videos have altered everything negatively.
An irreversible damage has been caused with adopted mind-control techniques to
boost sales of Nigerian music. The music industry has been hijacked by intellectually-challenged
people who use it as an avenue to promote street violence, street domination,
hemp-smoking, internet scam, prostitution and other illogical financial sources/societal
vices. The Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) has been relegated to the
background. The Corporation only roars to seek relevance or probably on a
ceremonial note. NBC has been reduced to an establishment merely set up by the
government just to ease the problem of unemployment in the country with non-challant
and quack individuals at the helm of affairs.
Music videos in Nigeria have become a subtle instrument for
seducing ladies. It is the easiest and unconscious way of turning yourself on. Several
ladies are paraded in a semi-nude state (mostly in skin-tight clothes without
pants). They are directed to shake their future husband's treasures shamefully
before the camera for money while the artiste flaunts his wealth like a supreme
King around them. Nigerian artistes portray ladies as sex slave or toys that
could be controlled at will with a key or remote device called money. A study
of artistes like Olamide, Reminisce, Dbanj, Lil Kesh, Timaya, Flavour, Tuface,
Banky W, Wizkid, Davido, Phyno (his Yayo video is a case in hand) and others
will convince doubters about my claim. Money has become the goal rather than
the usage of music as a tool to fix the society. All songs are linked to sex
either directly or indirectly. All we get is the same old and common dance
beats with different lame lyrics to lace them up.
The showcasing of nude ladies is a mind-controlling technique
used to get the attention of innocent listeners. A vivid case as when British
prolific singer Adele Laurie Blue Adkins popularly known as Adele was set to
drop her album in 2011, her manager instructed her to hit the gym and shed some
weight. Adele knowing her onions and understanding what he was driving at
bluntly responded that she was singing for the ears and not the eyes. Music
artistes are exploiting the loopholes of a man. It is medically proven that a
man's brain performs below optimum level when he is sexually aroused. Such a
man is bound to make poor decisions and becomes highly vulnerable. During this
process, the man ignores the poor lyrical quality of the songs, the artiste's
vocal prowess and gets lost in his own world of fantasies and imaginations.
The impacts of these videos have been highly detrimental to
morality in the society. Ladies rely on these videos flaunted on agents of mass
media for the latest fashion trends. Most ladies can't distinguish between costumes
used on set for a cinematographic idea from a normal wear. This has promoted
the madness of indecent dressing among ladies. The resultant effect is an
increase in the rate of sexual abuses and subsequent r*pe. R*pe is an offence
and there is no excuse for it but you will not blame a man that keeps fried
pieces of fish in the custody of a cat. The end result is highly predictable.
In addition, music videos through picture epilepsy have also
caused the general orientation of youths to depreciate. Youths now follow
blindly the ephemeral images of music videos that are mostly not staged to make
the video interesting e.g. exotic cars, champagne showers, luxury homes, wads
of cash, set of model as girlfriends, everyday shopping, partying and clubbing.
This is an imaginary world that has caused people to live their lives on a fast
lane. Since no company can afford such a salary to give them their pictured
lifestyle, a lot of youths venture into internet scam and drugs. The obsession with
wealth is simply too high. NBC has to rise up to their set standard to kick
against this societal menace called ''Nigerian
Music Videos''.
This article will never be complete if honour isn't given to Bukola
Elemide popularly known as Asa for her good musical works like Bibanke, Fire on
the mountain, Jailer, Dead again, Be my man, Eyo and several others. She may
not be raking all the industry cash like other artistes doing the usual but her
songs are evergreen with a wide audience cutting across international
boundaries, old, young, holy and unholy listeners. Her videos have been a
pace-setter for that image of decency and African values. Her name will be
forever written in gold for her good works.
Osayimwen Osahon George
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