Etcetera says God won't listen to Nigerian songs and thinks most Nigerian artistes are confused and bewildered. He says Nigerian artistes sing meaningless songs and that those who listen toNigerian songs need to ask themselves why.
- “Shoki hey hey Shoki!” cries a
voice from the radio to the beat
of a nerve-wracking
pandemonium that seems
designed to drive you insane.
A quick flick of the dial and
“Shakiti bobo” is playing. The
worse thing is that the raucous
noise emitted by the artiste is no
match for the loud, odious din
coming from the beat. The lyrics
are completely lost – which may
not be regrettable to some – but
the whole tumult sounds more
like bad static than music.
I tuned the dial again. This time it
was Olamide screaming
“VANESSA VANESSA.”
As the last strains of the song
died away, the OAP cheerfully
and enthusiastically breaks in,
“Yes, that’s for all you listeners
out there. That’s the way we do
it right here at your cool station.
We personalise our playlist to
make you feel cool.”
Cool kor, cooler ni…. I felt like
telling the OAP that his choice of
songs made me feel SICK.
This is simply today’s Nigerian
music! Something is terribly
WRONG with it! Yet millions
around the country – especially
the young people – listen to it by
the hour. WHY?
What is there about this music
that is so gripping? How can
something so meaningless hold
millions under its spell? Why
does it serve as a common
denominator – as “the tie that
binds” – for so many youths?
Judging from how and what
they’re saying and singing, it is
easy to conclude that some of
these artistes should be taken
for mental evaluation! Music
mirrors our emotions; it reflects
our thoughts; it echoes our
activities – it shows us the way
we really ARE!
Most Nigerian artistes are
confused and bewildered – or
they wouldn’t sing songs about
not being able to tell right from
wrong, or songs which
purposely don’t say or mean
anything, or which try only to
“embody an emotional state that
points indirectly to marijuana
and crazy sex positions.”
Music – just like other forms of
art – is like a social barometer. A
strong and healthy society
produces dynamic and
stimulating music; a diseased
and decaying society produces
sick and decadent music.
It’s a simple matter of cause and
effect!
This is now a SICK SOCIETY and,
therefore, it produces SICK MUSIC.
It’s just that simple! Both parents
and the young people are to
blame. My point is, we all don’t
have to be a part of this sick
society – or its sick music.
Even talking about today’s
gospel songs, many are lacking
in purpose and quality. The
gospel singers are forgetting
that God believes in QUALITY.
Look at the universe He created!
He also believes in human
improvement and GROWTH.
“Become ye therefore
perfect” (Matt. 5:48) and “Grow
in grace and knowledge” (II Pet.
3:18), He commands.
God wants His people to grow in
the right kind of culture – the
right kind of appreciation for the
finer things in life. He says that
mature Christians are “those
who by reason of use have their
senses exercised to DISCERN both
good and evil” (Heb. 5:14).
God wants us to EXERCISE our
five physical senses. He wants us
to learn what the true values for
the enjoyment of the senses are.
One of these senses is hearing.
And one of the ways we need to
exercise our hearing sense is in
the appreciation of quality
music. Quality in music involves,
first of all, the way it is
composed or arranged. Secondly,
it involves how the music is
performed. And thirdly, the
setting (the place and occasion)
in which the music is heard.
You attend a concert only to see
artistes with a hodgepodge of
idiotic noise played from a CD
and the audience seated at
round tables like they are in a
canteen, screaming with
mouthful of small chops and
‘samosas’ as every new song is
introduced by the performer.
What utter nonsense! What is
WRONG with us? How did we
completely lose our sense of
value regarding music? Do we
even know the purpose of
music?
A mother justifies her daughter
who’s listening to an obscene
song by saying,
“If you listen to the words of
that one, it’s pretty rough. But it
has a real good beat. My
daughter says she doesn’t pay
any attention to the words
anyway.” Are we really that
naïve?
What erroneous reasoning! Go
along with the crowd – even if
the crowd is on the way to
suffering, misery, pain,
extinction? Do we think that
these songs have no part in the
tidal wave of promiscuity,
venereal disease, illegitimate
babies that are all over the
country today? If you are one of
those who like today’s Naija
music, you ought to honestly
and truthfully ask yourself WHY
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