Bad lyrics are like a plague.
They do nobody any good but for some reason they keep coming up from time to time.
We listened to the dozens of Nigerian albums and countless singles released this year and picked out the worst of the worst.
Dear artistes, please make them stop.
- Stay fly, I never crash yet/these rappers need a ruler like a Maths set- MI, 3rdMainland Bridge.
Because sometimes bad lyrics happen to good people. MI’s place as one of the best Nigerian rappers ever is assured but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have a weakness for laying on the cheese a little too thick like he does here.
- 9. I can’t feel my face when I’m with you but I love it– The Weeknd, Can’t feel my face.
Love the song. Love the arrangement. Love the beat. Love the verses. Love the video. But that chorus though *scratches head*
- Enjoy yourself baby boo/even your boo get a boo– Harry Song, Reggae blues.
Harry song must still be smirking from the total acceptance of his ode to gyration music of yester years. He must be feeling fly for penning such a catchy line that screams to be an instant part of the pop culture lexicon. But he isn’t the one forced to listen to people repeat the lines in random conversations every day. Enough already.
- She need am badly be like tornado/ She talk say I dey play like Ronaldo– Psquare Collabo
If we hear one more lyric where anything is compared to Ronaldo, or Toolz, or Yvonne Nelson or any of the usual suspects, we might just shoot ourselves.
- I’m very sweet, very nice/ If you check my bank account odikwa large– Tiwa Savage Woju remix (with Kiss Daniel, Davido)
Tiwa Savage came on board an already perfect song like Woju to drop a bomb like this? We stopped listening after this. No point getting to Davido.
- Your beauty making me to realise/say NEPA no bring light– Duro, Tekno
This doesn’t even make the faintest hint of sense. But when the rest of the song is so addictive, even terrible lyrics such as these will not stop us from singing along every time it comes along.
- Some girls dem dey like shawarma/while some love cucumber- Redi, Oritsefemi
This is what you get when you don’t bother to take any song writing lessons yet insist on jumping on the double entendre business because it sounds fun. Redi is a single off Oritsefemi’s Money stops nonsense album but too bad all the money in his account couldn’t stop nonsense like this.
- My money in a lorry/I dey give God the glory– Chidinma, Lorry
We get that Chidinma was trying to recreate that Bullion van magic that worked for MI and we are ready to forgive her for dragging the Choc Boi Nation boss into this hot mess. But we cannot forgive rhymes this no matter how hard we try. Who puts money in a lorry for crissakes?
- From the couch to the bed/from the bed to the bedroom- Iyanya, Gift
Iyanya has insisted that the actual lyrics for this song are …from the bed to the birth room but please we aren’t deaf, we know what we heard. Not like we are surprised anyway. It’s Iyanya.
1.If its Nicki Minaj that is the cause of your beef bring her to me let me f… her real good– Vic O, Drake & Meek (Diss song)
Nothing to say here. Vic O’s said it all really.
Wilfred Okiche is a medic, reader, writer, journalist, culture critic, and occasional ruffler of feathers. One of the most influential critics working in the Nigerian culture space, his writing has appeared extensively in platforms like YNaija.com and 360nobs.com. Okiche has provided editorial assistance to the UK Guardian and has had his work published in African Arguments, Africa is a Country and South Africa’s City Press. He has received trainings and acquired experience in multimedia and online journalism. He also appears on the culture television show, Africana Literati. He has participated at critic programs in Lagos, Durban and Rotterdam.
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