In many parts of the world, conscious songs have long been used by movements seeking social change.

In Nigeria, the likes of the late Afrobeat legend, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, and Ras Kimono, have been recognized for their protest music that still mirrors the reality of present-day Nigeria, decades after.

These artists have paved the way for a generation of socio-conscious musicians whose music matters so much right now.

Fela – ‘Sorrow, Tears & Blood (1977)

Although ‘Sorrow, Tears & Blood’ was originally released in 1977 in response to the Soweto Uprising of 1976, the lyrics matter so much at a time like this.

The lyrics went,  “So policeman go slap your face, You no go talk

Army man go whip your yansh, You go they look like a donkey Rhodesia they do them own, Our leaders they yab for nothing South Africa, they do them own, They leave sorrow, tears, and blood Them regular trademark’’.

Ras Kimono – Gimme Likkle Sugar – 1988

‘Gimme Likkle Sugar’, was one of the lead singles off Ras Kimimono’s 1988 debut album, ‘Under Pressure’. The classic song touched on police brutality and bad governance.

The lyrics, “See them lying, the police are shooting innocent people, what a pity inna we city’’.

Majek Fashek- ‘Police Brutality’ (1988)

‘Police Brutality was one of the hit tracks from Majek Fashek’s debut solo album, ‘Prisoner of Conscience’.

Dagrin- ‘Democracy’ (2008)

The late Dagrin released this timeless track 12 years ago and the lyrics remain relevant in present-day Nigeria.

On the track, Dagrin rapped about the state of the country and corruption in the Nigerian police force.

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Lyrics, ‘‘Nigeria ni mo ti ri t’olopa ma n toro bara, Nitori twenty naira won le fi ba e faa ya!”

PSquare- Oga Police (2005)

‘Oga Police ‘was one of the hit tracks from ‘Get Squared’ which was the sophomore album of the now-disbanded twin singing sensation, Psquare.

Lyrics,

‘‘Tell me. Na wetin you go do for this life, Wey police no go come harass you. I no know oh. Even though you be a superstar. Them go still come embarrass you. Tell me Na wetin you go do for this life Wey police no go come harass you. Oga police e Wetin be this eNa which kind yawa be this e No, no.”

D’banj -Mr.Olopa (2005)

The track was the seventh song on D’banj’s debut album, ‘No Long Thing’. In the track, D’banj narrated how he was harassed and beaten up by the police during a routine stop and check.

Lyrics, “

I have been dreaming along until we stopped by the cops. Excuse me, what have I done wrong, why all the questions, and what have I done wrong? But, I have got all my papers right here. They begin to slap and abuse me They begin to scatter my widescreen, they begin to cause my mama, dey course my papa There is nothing I do you o. Mr Olopa! kini mo she fun e o Mr Olopa! kini mo she fun e o E fi mi sile kin lo jeje.”

African China- Mr President (2005)

‘Mr President is the lead track of African China’s debut album of the same title.

The track was one of the best-selling songs of 2005 in Nigeria at the time.

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The song was an open letter to the president highlighting some of the ills of Nigerian society including police brutality.

Asa- ‘Jailer’ (2007)

‘Jailer’, released in 2007, was the lead song in “Asa’s eponymous album.

Nigerian police and Nigerian Prisons Service, about the Nigerian police and the prison service.

Eedris Abdulkareem – “Jaga Jaga’ (2004)

In 2004, Eedris released his third album “Jaga Jaga”, slang for shambles, the track bemoaned corruption and suffering in Nigeria.

The rack was banned from radio by President Olusegun Obasanjo but continued to be played in nightclubs.

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It’s actually not a crime to enjoy the music of the past, but what music will our generation be associated with?

Whenever I listen to Fela Kuti Anikulapo‘s songs or one of the old jams, I smile and ask myself, “Are any of this modern-day music going to have a lasting impact in society?” Almost all that Fela addressed in his “Beast of No Nation” is still happening today and whenever you listen to it, you’ll think they just release it a week ago because of its relevancy.

When compared to modern Music, old music is leagues ahead. It doesn’t matter what you enjoy listening to but the truth remains that music has gone downhill since 2010.

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It’s easy to tell the kids of today how impactful the songs of Fela, Lucky Dube, Bob Marley, and even Alhaji Agba (Dr. Sikiru Ayinde Barrister) were to our society. But are today’s kids going to say the same to their kids with this our music?

Music these days are not lyrically good, it is just only about good beats, rather than having an enduring impact on the world at large.

Money has a negative impact on this and it’s what turns music to business rather than an art. Corporate titans largely influence studios and bands. Artists compromise integrity for a more lucrative payday even though it may take the band in a completely different direction.

The beat is not the only thing that makes a song truly great. Let’s forget hype, sales and chart success. A good song must transcend time, convey strong emotions, shift culture, and resonate with a large number of people.

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Sure, some top artists these days make amazing music, like Falz the bahd guy, Brymo, Wizkid, Davido, Olamide, Burna Boy, among others, but will these modern-day musicians go down in history as legends?

Perhaps Wizkid will, but will you be proud to tell your kids you grew up listening to Wizkid? What happened to the immortal rock bands like Bongos Ikwue and the Groovies, Fela and his band.

Bands and artists of the past used to make statements of importance and incorporate influential and difficult topics into their music.

Think of Onyeka Onwenu, Africa China, 2Baba, Asa. Their songs are not just about hollow subjects. They sang about things with deeper meaning.

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For instance, in 2Baba’s ‘E be like say,’ these are the lyrics:

See, all I want to say is that
They don’t really care about us
Because all they want to do is to get in touch with big bucks
Because they think the money gives them the power
But the power is nothing
If your people cannot get quality education
The power is nothing
If your people keep on dying of disease and starvation
The power is nothing
If your people have no peace (no peace)
The power is nothing
If your people cannot live in unity (eh)
See, why do you keep deceiving the people, my brother, my sister
See, why you make all this people to dey fight one another
Only God can judge you now [x4]
Another year has come
And now you want my vote once more
Oh no

Where is that in today’s “popular” music? Compare this to the brilliant mind of Naira Marley, whose lyrics in “Opotoyi” are:

Aya kinkini, bi obo Tiger
Sexy girl, je kin gbori si e laya
Papa e bi ti sugar, mo ti fe da, obo yen dun bi sugar
Da kin to da, o ni kin je kin oun mo kin to da
La nkan to fe la, je kan mo pe aiye la bola

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What’s the message in some of Naira Marley, Zlatan, Baddo, or Davido songs?

For the sake of our generation and in order to build a saner society, let’s hope that artists will return to the roots of music and perform heartfelt tunes that can make the world a better place, not a more egoistical one.

Producing music is not just about making money, it’s about changing society for better.

Music is an art.

–Yusuff

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