Nigerian Music Evolution: The Good And Bad Side

The music industry over the decades has evolved in many ways, with all its attributes. The artists, the trends, and genres all have changed.

Among the attributes of Music Making, is the content of Music videos that have been influenced and as a result, evolved and westernized. But Nigerian Music and its video contents have a history, the journey has always been a phase of evolution.  

Let’s run back to the history of these phases .

The Forerunners

The ones that tread the Music industry, back in the days when Music Culture was surfacing and recognized, their video contents might not be as streaming as the ones trending in the 21st century. The contents, not only reveal the passion in the creation of Music as an art but also portrays the meaning of the message their music is passing. In the 1920s, highlife and Palm wine music spread across Nigeria and its neighboring countries. The Palm wine Music was derived from alcoholic beverages and drunk at bars where the urban music style is usually played. This later evolved into a genre, popularly known as jùjú, artists like IK Dairo and Baba Tunde King popularize the early jùjú sound.

The Evolution

Nigerian musicians started to take on new instruments from western countries like America, incorporating them into jùjú music. In the 1960s, Nigerian musicians were booming the music industry. Haruna Ishola led the popularity of the apala style of music, and in the 1970s, new names of musicians came to light; Fela Kuti who is popular for his Afrobeats style of music, King Sunny Ade and Ebenezer Obey popular for their jùjú style of music. King Sunny Ade was especially known for his guitar blast creating a type of rock and roll of jùjú music. 

Their music is always in form of storytelling like Ebenezer Obey’s “The horse, the man, and the son”.  Or passing a message, like in the song “Nigeria Yi” featuring King Sunny Ade and some other varieties of musicians across the country.

All through the 20th century, the westernized pop influences resulted in a profusion of new styles like waka music, Yo pop, reggae, and the popular Afrobeats. At the end of the decade, hip-hop music spread throughout the country. Some of the music that was mostly streamed was, “Shakomo” by Remedies and “Mo So Rire” by Paul Dairo the son of popular musician IK Dairo in the late 1990s. 

A New Era

With the spontaneous evolution of Nigerian music, young people wanted a music career which gave rise to new artists and stars and great voices of Africa. Artists following the mainstream in pop culture, we’re making rap hits with the American similarity. 

In the early 2000s, rap hits, and hip-hop was rocking the country. Songs from artists like; 

“My Car” by Tony Tetuila, “Mr. Lecturer” Talking about the sexual harassment in Nigerian universities by lecturers to the female students and “Jaga Jaga” breaking down the ills that plaques the country by Eedris Abdulkareem, “Ijoya” by Weird Mc will still have you dancing to its classic hit years after its release. “Fall in love” by D’ banj, “Africa Queen” the classic love song by 2face Idibia, “Yahooze” the pop-rap best referring to the lifestyle of yahoo boys, by Olu Maintain. “Pon Pon Pon” is the menacing rap created by Dagrin, also “Danfo Driver by Mad Melon and Mountain black, “Oruka” the marriage song by Sunny Neji, and hits like “Kolomental” by Faze.

Even the jùjú musician Lagbaja made his fame in this era after dropping songs like; “Kokon Below” and “Far Away”.

And how could the hit jam by the Okoye brothers, P square go unmentioned, the “Do me” which was an instant hit in the industry, and the melodious “No one like you” that still would make a perfect wedding song any time.

Others are Timaya, 9ice, and Sound sultan, Sound sultan stood out from the hit “Mathematics”.

Of course, living in this era of music wasn’t enough. New artists with new influence were birthed.

The New Generations

The emergence of the 21st century, witnessed more talented stars creating a new vibe, video content, and dance steps. Even women are standing out in different genres in the music industry, artists like Omawunmi, Seyi shay, Chidinma, Sasha P, Tiwa Savage, and Yemi Alade stepped into the spotlight and bloomed.

Though the music industry is dominated by the masculine gender with artists like Wizkid, Olamide, and Davido smashing records. Some new names in the industry were also heard, the likes of Dija, Kiss Daniel, Reekado Banks, Tekno, popular Igbo rapper phyno, and more shone in their time. New afrobeat artists like Falz and Burna Boy soon joined the race and while they are leading, more young and talented artists were found; from the likes of Adekunle Gold to Simisola, Ladipoe, Teni, Niniola, Johnny Drille, and wurld, and the latest Fireboy DML, Joeboy, Rema, Crayon, Bella Shmurda, Omah Lay, Ayra Starr, Zinolesky, Ruger, Tems, Mr Eazi are all bringing a new taste of music to the industry.

The good and bad sides of music evolution

The making of new music has risen, and so is the opportunity. With the advancement in technology, Nigerian music traveled the continents, and artists from other countries were featured in the local songs. That promoted streaming and brought fame, Nigerian artists build wealth from their music careers and so were their works recognized at the international levels. And as such, nominated for the Grammy awards

In 2021 Wizkid was nominated and won the Grammy award for their contributions to foreign work in; The best music video category for his collaboration with Beyoncé in the song “Brown Skin Girl which also features the artist’s daughter blue ivy. The song was meant to embrace the brown skin of mostly Africans and Black Americans, it boomed acceptance and urged others an insight into the beauty of the colored skin.

 

That same year, Burna Boy’s “Twice As Tall” was nominated among other artists for their original work and won the Grammy award for The best world music album.  He has been previously nominated in the same category with his last album, African Giant but he lost the award to Angelique Kidjo’s “Celia”.

A big achievement for the Nigerian Music Industry. The songs of the Afrobeat legend, Fela Kuti were also recognized and his works were nominated over the years.

Hits songs from artists that weren’t on the grammy list, but made a big eye-opener were also recognized across the nation.

But a little while back, the Yoruba afrobeat artist Brymo released the lead-off single, “Ara” which topped the Nigerian charts in 2011, and with no doubt, after the years it still sounds so good. A good throwback right there!

Moreso, artists that have songs that address the nation’s illness…

Song like: “This is Nigeria” by Falz, which was released in 2018. The song was created as a replica of the Childish Gambino’s “This is America, but more visible on the issues raised with Falz. The lyrics in the song blew out the nation’s ills and lawlessness, the economic and police situation, the insecurity in the north, especially Borno where hundreds of girls were kidnapped and still missing. The video contents displayed so much of the absurdity of politicians’ embezzlement, the unemployment, and as a result, Nigerian youths living in the dawn of drugs. The bribery situation too wasn’t left out, and almost everyone had been drunk in the normalcy. “Everybody be criminal” so says his lyrics. 

Falz also has an album titled Moral Instructions this album focuses on every shortcoming of Nigeria as a country.

Falz’s songs gave it all out.

Brymo has songs like, “Let Us Be Great”, “Ozymandias”, “No Be Me”, “Down”, “Money Launderers” And Heartbreakers”, “Aleluya Meje”, “There’s A Place”, and so on.

Burna has numerous songs on the African Giant album that talk about the country’s shortcomings too. Songs like “Another Story”, “Wetin Man Go Do”, “Collateral Damage”, and more.

Motivational songs? Olamide has “Inferiority Complex”, “Need For Speed”, “Letter To Milli”, “Oluwa Loni Glory”, “Journey Of A Thousand Miles”, not to mention but a few.

And hit jams on romance are also on the many great lists of the Nigerian melodies no matter the evolution. 

You couldn’t have missed, “Beginning” by Joeboy or the heartbreaking “Jealous” by Fireboy DML, all of which are the stepping stone for the rise of the artists. Everybody loved it!

The love-themed tragedy of Jonny Drille’s debut single, which was nominated for the best alternative song in the Headies award, “Wait For Me”

Among others are the latest songs from artists; Wizkid and Burna’s boy “Ginger”, Adekunle gold’s “Young Love”, the melodious “king” by Fireboy, the “Ginger me” by Rema, Wizkid and Tems’ “Essence”. Also Street songs like “Science Student” by Olamide, “Geng” by Mayorkun, Zlatan’s “Zanku” that threw the legwork dance to the street, and also the popular “Yeye Boyfriend” and “Cash App” featuring the artist Bella Shmurda.

You won’t forget the hit, “Godly” by Omah lay or “FEM” by Davido, “Away” by Ayra Starr, “Abule” by Patoranking, “Bob Daddy” by Falz or “Kilometer” by Burna boy, “Bounce” by Ruger and many more from the ever endless artists in the country.

But then, After all the fame and achievements, where does it leave the precious Nigerian culture, and the people that listened to the new content of Nigerian music?  

We’ve seen how music nowadays is filled with dirt and lyrics that rhyme with less meaning, all in the name to make fame.

In the lyrics “In My Bed” by Wizkid, he kept singing about needing a girl’s body on his bed and then switched to praising names of Nigeria’s prominent, where does that fit? And “The Story for the gods” by Olamide, the song assented to fornication and the use of hard drugs. So is the “Diet” by DJ Enimoney featuring Reminice, Tiwa, and Slim Case endorses the abuse of drugs like Codeine.

The music videos advanced to nothing but uncultured and too naughty for the eyes of the young generation savoring the view. 

The Tiwa Savage “Wanted” is an example. Released in 2014, threw the internet into a frenzy, despite the criticism the artist received, as being immoral and trashy, the song got millions of views.

Also the Yemi Alade and Dipp “Rock Your Body”, whoo! Talk about a hot sexy video right there. People could have sworn the artists were together. The video is very suggestive and too freaky, that kids then would have to lock their doors to watch the hot display in the video.

And when Naira Marley came to the music world, he spread influences on slang, and dance steps, his lyrics were uncultured not to even mention his music video. I don’t get why girls in bikinis were displayed like that in the music video “Am I A Yahoo Boy” and most of his songs were known for vulgar and dirty content.

In the music industry now, women have become an object of display and this is exactly what most young adults look forward to.  This breeds ills in the society and with passing time and it’s such a shame that the Nigerian music has evolved to a stage so rotten.

And while the industry still grows in fame, new artists will still be bred and the generation will welcome their hits and so is the production of what the audience has grown to love and highly craved. Every artist wants to sell their music, and audiences are anticipating melodies and hits, and sadly, women too.

But hey, so long as you make your choice in music, kudos to those making great histories in the music industry and those who are crossing the border of our nationality to make super hits and pop sound with our artists.

Nigerian music has evolved, and it won’t stop here.

 

 

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