Is it a surprise that Naira Marley is breaking the rules again?

For the last three years, there has been a ‘disruptive brand of music’ in Nigeria. Disruptive in a good sense, depending on how you look at it. And this disruptive brand of music was devised by singer, Naira Marley. With his style of music came a wave of overly enthusiastic fans known as Marlians, many of whom see themselves as ‘defiants.’

A man who because of his defiant nature has been compared to the likes of Fela, as since coming into spotlight has been nothing but a voice against the status quo. To put it succintly, if rebellion was a person, it would be Naira Marley. He is not afraid to say what’s on his mind, either in speaking against societal hypocrisy, the government or in speaking of his love for certain pleasures. ‘Naira’ says it as it is. To many, this perhaps is the reason why teenagers, who are predisposed to uncertainty and fear, enjoy someone who encourages them to live free of fear.

His arrest in 2019, increased the perception of his position as the voice against systematic oppression in Nigeria, and since then his music has been a mix of catchy tunes, raunchy lyrics and a rebellious undertone.

So with his style of music, it may be a little amazing to see people shocked that he threw a concert in the middle of a pandemic. In fact, the only question on the minds of many would be: “How come he didn’t do it sooner?”

Since the outbreak of the Coronavirus, certain protocols have been put in place to make sure we observe social distancing, one of them being, no social gathering. And for the most part, musicians have adhered to this, cancelling pre-planned shows and putting their concerts on hiatus. Late Saturday however, Marlians said no more and came out in droves to groove with their king in a packed out concert. A move that has sparked conversations on social media:

Do you think Naira Marley went too far this time, or is this typical of him?

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