The problem with Nigerian music

“Which rubbish song is that one now? My friend, will you switch it off?”

“But it’s---“

“I said switch that thing off. I don’t know what it is that you young people listen to nowadays. Everything is just sounding gbim-gbim, we can’t even hear what they are saying. Can’t you find something less noisy.

This is a common scenario in practically every Nigerian home with millennials in them. The 1900s was a period of evolution all over the world in every aspect of life. We went from being technologically unaware to using technology in our everyday lives, cassettes and tapes to CDs and online streaming and so on.

Music was also not left out as new genres began to emerge with a “more” theme – more bass, more electronics, more “content”, more, more, more. But “more” has gotten us to a point where we’ve lost some basic values that defined us.

Let’s use the Nigerian music industry as an example. We have gone from King Sunny Ade and Onyeka Onwenu’s Wait For Me to Baby give it to me tonight. No more waiting ni? We have gone from Christie Essien’s to songs encouraging our youths to “chache”.

So between the early 90’s and the present day, what went wrong in the Nigerian music industry? It’s alarming the rate of young individuals who find songs about sex, drugs and even violence appealing and even classify it as “awesome”. Morals being preached in songs is now regarded as old fashion.

Most Nigerians see the music industry as a quick way to get money. A lot of artists in the Nigerian industry don’t care also about what they put out there. Unfortunately, thanks to social media, young Nigerians want to be like these artists and if doing what they say in their songs will get them to be like them, they’re willing.

Another reason could be the fact that we still have a slave-mentality. We are quick to copy whatever we see the whites doing. They do videos with naked girls in it, we do them too. They say smoking weed enhances your creativity, we follow. Don’t get me wrong, modern music is beautiful.

Despite its faults, millennials have been able to apply their creativity in ways that the older generation never did but still, there are a couple of things we can learn from the older musicians. After all, there’s a reason why they are called evergreen.

Written by Oyeleye Oreofeoluwa

Oyeleye Ooreofeoluwa is an avid reader, a music lover and a Lawyer in the making. Born in the 90’s , she hopes to leave footprints in the sands of time.

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