Ifeanyi Ibeabuchi: Rap is more than entertainment (30 Days, 30 Voices)

I have no problems with dance songs but when it  seems  every rapper is rushing to do only that in a desperate attempt to get money, then there is a problem.

My romance with rap music started when I was just out of secondary school in 2001, I wasn’t doing muc. Admission didn’t come quickly so I ended up spending  a lotof time on music before i eventually decided to do my own music. I listened to a wide range of genres; from Rnb to reggae to rap.

Then came the night that changed my life. I was in my room at night listening to the radio (that was like a rite of passage at night before sleeping) and this song came up. It started with gunshots then “F**k jayz ,wats up niccars,I know you aint talking about me dawg you?..” and it went on and on. Although the song was rather vulgar at the start, I noticed that it was not only a lyrical assault from one rapper to another but it was a response to something a rapper had said previously to another rapper in a song.My curiosity was stirred.

The next day, I made my way through the busy streets of lagos from CD stand to CD stand trying to find out the song that dissed Jay z and who did the song. I finally found it and ss I went through the song,  it was the ‘diss’ that first facinated me. The energy, the word play, the style, the accent, the story line; both rappers were awesome but some how I concluded Nas was the nicer rapper.

Later on as I listened to other songs in their albums I fell in love with the issues they brought to light and the ideologies they were able to spread through their music. I was impressed. That was where my long term relationship with rap music began.

As time went on, trends began to set in and rap music wasn’t left out in this change. In today’s rap music content, concept and ideas are less considered instead, swag and style are in vogue. Story telling has given way to bragging while realness and objectivity have given way to album sales and wealth. In a country  like Nigeria where poverty and crime is predominant , one would expect that artists from this area  would have songs filled with the realities of their environment. On the contrary, what I noticed is that most Nigerian rap songs are an escape from reality. Each time I pick up a random song there is a 90% probability that it’s either about money, girls or bragging about a good life like there is nothing else to talk about. Some ague that  it’s reasonable for rappers to want to make songs that make people dance and uplift their spirits rather than remind themselves of their hopelessness. This is good, but I believe that rather than paint false pictures in your songs and videos all of the time, a rap artist has a responsibility to speak up for the society and call for change.

My reason is, firstly,  rhymes stick in the mind faster than speeches, seminars or lectures. Rhymes can be employed by rappers to educate the masses. Secondly, music travels beyond borders. Rap music, through the aid of the internet and bluetooth devices, can spread fast to reach a wide number of people. Rap artists can and should therefore be in the fore front of disseminating information and the fight for change. They should make their music a vehicle to carry messages or campaign for a worthy cause. An example of this was the campaign embarked on by rappers and musicians across South Africa calling for the release of Nelson Mandela who was imprisoned by the colonial government in south Africa.

I have no problems with dance songs but when it  seems  every rapper is rushing to do only that in a desperate attempt to get money, then there is a problem. It doesn’t matter to me if the message is positive or negative, there should be a clear cut movement of information from an artiste to his fan.. The kind of music being put out today says much about the kind of poverty and illiteracy level in the country. Nobody wants to go through the long path to success. Rappers should however note that we can promote our tradition, our way of life through rap music, we can change, protest, compete, fight, threaten, love, educate and discuss through rap music. We can pass every and any kind of message we want (positive or negative) through rap music and it should not be a one sided affair of just dance or entertainment. We should therefore be careful with the careless attitude we show towards our musical content.

I would like to say thank you to all the artists that have helped drive the music industry from the dark and rough roads we were a few years back to the more comfortable lane that we find ourselves today.  To those gearing up to take over the steering wheels to drive from the older ones, a word of caution; the future of Nigerian music is your hands. Let us make music that is message driven and people oriented rather than being centered on money and selfish desires.

——————————————–

Ifeanyi Ibeabuchi also known as Redkad is a rapper and lyricist. Born and brought up on the streets of Okota, Lagos. Redkad grew up listening to conscious emcees like Fela, Nas, Jay z, 2pac, Krs1, Common, Guru, Prodigy, Dead prez, Modenine, and Proverb. His latest single, ‘Change’, is an ecstatic fusion of conscious Hip Hop and Soul Genre where he spits his deep thoughts on the degenerative state of our social virtues and also expreses his undisputable lyrical prowess.

——————————————–

30 Days 30 Voices series is an opportunity for young Nigerians to share their stories and experiences with other young Nigerians, within our borders and beyond, to inspire and motivate them.

 

Op-ed pieces and contributions are the opinions of the writers only and do not represent the opinions of Y!/YNaija.

Comments (6)

  1. most def!! the truth has finally been spelt out by hiphop's marching order, REDKAD. i wish err rapper worth his/her salt gets hold of dis piece. this is WORD!!!

  2. Red is right but I think they call it mainstream & the fans has embraced it.

  3. Nice write up..I listen to his songs regularly and he does what he preaches..@redkad on twitter is a dope rapper

  4. Legoooooooooooooooooo.. I faux with diz ish!! True story

  5. This article is right on spot…thanks Redkad

Leave a reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

cool good eh love2 cute confused notgood numb disgusting fail