The viral trend of p*rnography in the Nigerian music industry

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