FELA ...METAPHOR

FELA AND THE CORNED BEEF METAPHOR
Lasunkanmi Bolarinwa
laskyb@yahoo.co.uk

My friend saw the Fela! Show in the UK. He did not like it much. That is because he is more of a drama person. He thought he saw more of a musical concert than theatre. But as a musical concert, he gave it thumbs up. He was wowed by the stagecraft. When it came to Nigeria, or rather passed through here on a connecting flight, my friend took a flight. Reason? He was scared of being disgraced on home soil. Why? He could not imagine which of the venues would provide the kind of facilities that made the concert he had seen earlier a marvel. I knew I had to see it take him on on some of his assertions.
Unfortunately for me, I did not get to see the show. None of my friends volunteered to buy me the five thousand naira ticket and I did not have enough sense to have started a saving scheme with one of the itinerant community ‘banks’ in my neighbourhood ahead of time. Actually, I saved some money, only it was not enough. First it was for the show at the shrine. I had the one thousand naira ready two days before the show. But it dawned on me that I should have factored not walking all the way to and from the shine into the plan.
The scenario preventing me from the latter show at the Eko Hotel and Suites was more dramatic but have to be left till other times. That is because when I read of one prominent journalist lamenting that to see Fela alive at the shrine was less tedious than what she went through in the hands of the organizers, I knew the Gods were on my side. Only I did not know on time. I thus resolved in consolation that maybe I could save enough money to go watch the show in the UK sometime. After all, what is the price tag of dreams? Since then, I have been saving everywhere here. Inside pot. Under rug. Inside fridge. Under bed. You know now. Only hope is that I don’t end up as that Fela character whom overtake overtook. In the meantime, I expect to have the VCD flashed across my face somewhere between Maryland roundabout and Victoria Island soon. Except this is not Nigeria. I trust my brothers. If you know of a place where it is available already, please help a brother PLEASE.
In the meantime, so many issues have come up in the post Fela show days. Some felt we have been let down by our elite and leaders. Some spoke about the show and its organisers. Some about the person of Fela and his lifestyle. Some about the place of music in drama. Some about the commerce of art and so on and so frothy in the mouth. As events have proven, there is a group of my friends who went to see the show not for anything else but to be able to talk about it without respite as status statements and as a way of telling me that I missed a lifetime opportunity. Shame on them all. By the way, if any one of them is reading this, let them take this as notice of termination of friendship. That should have been my New Year resolution. But better late than never. All my friends who went to see the show without making provision for me are herby FRIED. I mean fired.
My choreographer friend is still in an orgasmic fit. She says it is better than sxx can you believe that?! What length would people not go to simply to make you feel bad for kicks? I am happy she is not in the cast. What does it matter anyway, she is no longer my friend.
I have a costumier friend who has been fantasying about the show long before it dreamt of coming here. He was willing to merely help with costume accessories back stage just so that he could earn the credit of being in the show. They denied him (he! he!) but gave him a free ticket to see the show, and not from back stage (mcheeeew!).
I have this other friend who runs a troupe in Bariga. He saw the show at the shrine and also at Eko Hotel and Suites (can you see how wicked people can be? I WILL NOT forgive him for that; considering the fact that I did not see half a show). At the end of it all, he seems to have entered an interminable moment of reflection. Asked why, he says because once again, the metaphor of the corned beef is playing out right under our noses.
Yes, the corned beef that sits pretty on the supermarket shelve that we starve to save and buy for those occasional delicacies is nothing but the same cow, nama, herded from Kano to the coast, cargoed to Europe, killed, processed and canned are what we use our hard earned foreign reserve to import and starve to consume. How Anikulapo must be dying over and over in his grave that we made corned beef of him.
Some argue that Fela was murdered in the show. Meaning that the essence of Fela was lost outright or somehow. Some think that it serves us right. Why wait for someone outside to come and tell us OUR own story? My take is that whatever ‘damage’ has been done can still be redressed. This is the time for someone who has more business ideas than all the rest of us ranting to conceive a production that is a rejoinder from here in which what we want said about Fela can be properly put across. The fact that there is one on broadway can also translate to a huge advert for this kind of idea.
However, the point might be: Who has the authentic Fela story? Or better still, who can be the best teller of this story that is nothing if not the description of an elephant by a gang of blindmen who felt its different parts? There are stories waiting to be told, there is money waiting to be earned.
In the meantime, enjoy your corned beef. Or the smell of it, if you are in my shoes.

The Koko Mix By ’Lasunkanmi Bolarinwa laskyb@yahoo.co.uk

The koko in the mix of the title of this piece is that same one that has been made popular by D’Banj. It is also koko, the Yoruba noun word that has been in existence for longer than one can recall. This is and is not the derivative from hip hop artiste D’banj. This koko has gone out of his reach. In choosing this title I am straddling the koko; the essence of the matter and the knot or the lump. The first of the latter meaning is neither good nor bad. All it refers to is the essential point or issue in an argument. The koko mix therefore is an examination of the implication of this interaction of art, passion and governance that this interview represents in view of the general perception of hip hop culture and music in Nigeria. KOKO, THE ESSENCE I think in going for the essence, the president’s men went for the knot or rather; they did not just go for the substance of the matter. To say they tied themselves in a knot is to be mild in summing everything up. They created a lump. Now, depending on where you find a lump, it may be good or bad. When doctors find a lump in a patient’s body, there is evidence of serious medical implication. When the lump is in your ikokore or tuwo or pounded yam, it might be something to roll round the mouth for a while and relish. In this case, I think we might be dealing with a malignant koko. Here is a koko that has dire political and artistic implications. There have since been pockets of debates on whether it is right for D’banj to assume he is a worthy representative of millions of Nigerian youths yearning to ask, “What about us?” There have been arguments moving between the pros and cons of a political office aspirant taking for granted the desires of a critical section of the voting populace and the need not to make a scapegoat of a poor artiste who is just doing business. WHAT ABOUT US? Beyond the linguistic implication of the koko word, the essence of this write up is examine the implication of the interview between Goodluck Jonathan and D’Banj in the face of all the argument it has generated. This has bothered on the appropriateness or otherwise of the interview. It has raised questions about how seriously should we treat the relationship between popular art and governance One website, naijafilms.com made an incisive projection a day before the interview was aired. It asks: “How is it that the President of the Federal Republic doesn't want to be interviewed by journalists but doesn't mind sitting down for an entertainer? What exactly is D'banj going to ask him? He will probably kiss-ass throughout the interview (D'banj is one of the many Naija entertainers campaigning for the president). Now a Chude Jideonwo or a Tolu Ogunlesi, or the guys from 'What About Us' would have done a better job.” By the way ass kissing was all D’Banj did throughout the interview. Maybe not because he so much liked the taste but because he apparently has no clue what the real issues involved in the elections are about. It is possible that apart from dreaming to become a mega star and the ultimate centre of attention of every woman, D’Banj has no other ambition in life other than this, which is quite legitimate. If aping Fela in the course of realizing that dream is required, he would, as he has proven times without number, be more Anikulapoic in his performances than Femi and Seun put together, he would do it to perfection. But let us face it, aping Fela does not give you the philosophy or wisdom or intelligence of Fela. The koko here is that if you say D’Banj is a performer who was asked to perform, he has done his performance. Whether it was a good performance or not is another question. But even as a performance, what was the role of Jonathan there? Guest artiste? Or should we ask? Whose show is it anyway? Is this Jonathan’s show where D’BAnj is merely playing to a script? I am swayed in favour of this later hypothesis. Then I have to say that the owner of the show is the long term loser. Is the society expecting too much from D’Banj considering the fact that he is also Nigeria's first United Nations Youth Ambassador for Peace. How many people reckon with this fact? Has he earned the title with a commitment to issues? Cant remember him speaking on the persistent carnage in Jos where peace has been ruptured and many youths are dying. Understandably, the president has also not been able to address this sore spot in our unfolding collective history. Is it not rather exploitative (and criminally so) of the situation to remember all of a sudden that you are an ambassador of peace on the eve of an electoral debate and use that to the detriment of the genuine aspiration of the age that look up to you? If this performance had been at the instance of D’Banj, then I expect him to feature all other presidential aspirants before we have the election so that all can benefit from his ass licking potentials. HIP HOP POLITRICKS When candidates refuse to attend public debates because they were not given questions ahead of debate, how can we be sure that they can tackle cases of exam malpractises in our educational sector when voted into public offices? How do you begin to convince yourself that a candidate who is given, or has the audacity to set his or her own question and appoint an invigilator but was unable to pass the exam is the best person to tackle the challenges of a nation like Nigeria? In my own plain terms, this is the case of a candidate demanding, as a matter of right, to be allowed to cheat so that he could do better than his/her colleagues. THE MUSIC MAN AND HIS TRADE One of the hallmarks of ingenuity, according to a mischievious friend of mine, is the inability to realise ones limitations. And he would go on to cite examples. If D'banj were to be a genius, this would hold true for him. He just could not say " No, I am an artiste and not a journalist and that I do not have the mandate of the youths to interview you. If you however expect me to do a track or album in support of your campaign and policies, all well and good. My manager will send you the bill”. D’banj might have been nothing but a scapegoat in this whole scenario. Incidentally, he has a song by that title where he is singing to his val. If Goodluck had been a woman, I would have been working up a different hypothesis. Take a look at an excerpt from the song: For all those guys that caused you pain they broke your heart and brought you shame If you need someone to blame, you can put that blame on me. For all those guys wey spoil your name those guys that drove you insane. Let me the one to pay At your beck and call day or night I'll stay committed to you girl I'll never fall your hand Then let them call me a fool girl Omo na them get their mouth o And then the chorus goes: I will be your scape goat honey cos you came through for me You gave me break through baby oh ahhh... (2x) LAST LINE Some have expressed the opinion that what happened here as far as D’banj is concerned is business. I cant agree with them more. The same way I expect them to agree with me that trading in blood diamond and child trafficking are also kinds of businesses. The forth coming elections would determine a lot about the rate of development of this country in the next one decade or more. Doing “business” with such prospect calls for serious introspection. Others have said it is the simple act of endorsement that is done all over the world and that it is some kind of recognition of the art and artiste. The more I see their point, the more it also becomes clearer to me that it is the same thing when a political office holder needs the art to endorse the act of ethnic cleansing but I quickly check myself because the instances are not close except that where the artiste does business without conscience, the line between exploitation and exploration are blurred.

THE DANGER IN P SQUARE’S TYPE OF WAHALA

THE DANGER IN P SQUARE’S TYPE OF WAHALA
By
Lasunkanmi Bolarinwa
laskyb@yahoo.co.uk
You can almost find anything you are looking for in hip hop of the Nigerian mode. I guess this is true of the genre in other parts of the world too just as it might be true of other popular arts and social phenomenon. It is a fine combination of the pleasant and the not so pleasant. Understandable therefore is the multi layered reactions from different sectors of the society about what it does and what it should not do. For some, it is grossly antisocial and should either be legislated against or censored in a way such that some age long perception of music and its function(s) can be preserved.

One of the reasons I am not in tune with anything in the mode of such a suggestion, especially when it comes from people who do not seem to understand fully the place of art in social developments and engineering is that each time when I listen to even some of the presumably most mundane of the songs, I find it easy to make a connect and I am not sure I am a lone traveler on this path.
One of the major culprits of Nigerian hip hop music is a rhetoric that seems to be at variance with the lager society’s communicative pattern and patience to engage meaning beyond the surface. Keeping this in mind among other things, let us take a look at P Square’s Danger from an album of the same title. It has been around for about a year in the market now.

When it was fresh in the market, it did not climb easily. A number of fans expressed their disappointment based on their expectation from the previous albums of the group but as is usual for P Square, the Danger track, like all others soon became a party rocker. However, for the not too fanatic fan of this genre of music or of the artiste, there are issues still probably unresolved.
The offending part of the song is with the resonating repetition of: see me see wahala hey, wahala dey, omo wahala dey, I dey see danger, omo see danger, we dey see danger and you go see danger all taken together as a passing metaphor for something avoidable and abhorrent by a large spectrum of people.

You could hear examples of flipping the script in the use of wahala dey meaning in the literal sense, there is danger but which in this sense means wahala of a positive sense. It is the same way you flip the language when you see a young pretty girl or nice young man whom you find irresistible and would gladly say yes to or encourage to make a pass and you either mutter to yourself or open up to the girl with a pick up line that there is a problem and she is the one to solve it. It is another in the instances of verbal cleverness that stands the group out among others.
Good use of rhyme and repetition when the chorus takes the last phrase or word off the lead’s mouth and repeats in one or two of the verses such as you hear in enter, instrumental, centre, mental, yearn again, rhyme again, danger, agenda, calendar, December, defender, fender eh, surrender eh, tire eh, don tey, stranger, remember, sender helps the overall musicality.

The shock for those wary of the message of the genre is in the title of the track “danger” and the constant repetition of wahala dey all through. Ironically, you are likely to find a lot of people who ordinarily do not subscribe to the idea of seeing danger in any form, no matter how well clad still dancing to it while rejecting the message. There, the group is able to show the power of a hook in their instrumentation by creating something irresistible in the dancehall.
The song however bears testimony to the survival instincts of the musical group and its triumph even beyond the shores of Nigeria having gone to “play away matches” as evident in the number of foreign shows it had featured in especially on the African continent.

Outside of the meaning of the lyrics of the song however, I tend to ask myself when opponents of the genre use this particular music as a case study and wonder why in all the names of the good things we all profess to believe in, any sane person or group of persons would play or promote a music that obviously speaks about the predominance of danger and tend to encourage a situation of verbal and psychological violence; Is there no genuine cause to sound the alarm in a country with such dwindling official managerial fortune as ours? The danger in the real sense of the word is partly in our ability to listen to ourselves. Is there no danger when kidnapping is the general blanket that does not leave any strata of our society uncovered?

When I think of the gloom that lies ahead in terms of the present lack of positive governance and commitment to the good of all in the land, one of the tunes that come to my mind is: wahala dey. Only then, that is in a different context but can any other person see the danger? Can you?

Profanity and Nigerian Contemporary Music Unite?

Things fall apart
The centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is let loose upon the world.
-William Butler Yeats (1919): “The Second Coming.”


Our music without doubt has fallen apart, our centre of morality cannot hold because mere profanity and lyrical anarchy are let loose upon the Nigerian music industry. We wished for the astronomical growth we are now witnessing in our music world; now it is threatening to destroy some of our core values and poison the thinking of our next generation. Most of our artistes, especially those doing hip-hop and rap, now (to borrow a line in Rooftop MCs’ “Lagimo”) “sacrifice rhyming right just to rhyme tight.” Just for the sake of turning out songs that will automatically become hits, these artistes make use of different expressions, languages, messages and themes that are hardly fit for use in a society that lays emphasis on moral. Many-a societal ill is now either directly or indirectly glorified by most artistes. This leads one to be quick to ask what our regulatory agents get paid for. Is it simply to ‘siddon look’ and ban only songs that tongue-lash the government? Eedris Abdulkareem’s “Jaga-jaga” is a perfect example.

Innocent Idibia, known by all as 2face Idibia, easily strikes one as a handsome and intelligent young man. His down-to-earth nature has become a rarity among people of his age who are as rich and famous as he is. However, his randy nature which has seen him have five children from four different women is a stain on his white apparel. 2baba is even always quick to show that he is not apologetic about that fact. Listen to his collaboration with Sound Sultan and you will get the gist. “Enter the place make we see whether you no go carry belle too” is a line in the song that speaks volumes. Hardly a song you would want your 12-year old child to listen to. Even his latest – Implication – is not in any way encouraging. Certainly, gone are the days of his meaning-making songs like ‘For Instance.’

Another name that pops up on the long list is the free-madness initiator, Terry G. This artiste apart from being the exact opposite of what you would want your would-be son-in-law to look like when he comes soliciting your daughter’s hand in marriage; spreads messages that are unfit for our society. Can someone please give me a break and tell me what free-madness is? Terry G proudly glorifies alcohol and Indian hemp in most of his songs. “Shangolo” and “free me now!” are his most popular catch phrases. Recently he was accused of, most likely under the influence of these stimulants, hitting a disc jockey on the head with a bottle for playing a song by Mallam Spicey. The song is widely believed to deride his personality and the content of his songs.

When it comes to vulgarity in its entirety, only few can rival DJ Zeez! It is no exaggeration to refer to ‘Booby FC’ and ‘Fokasibe,’ (his two most played songs) as top-class profanity. The former is dedicated to girls with large sized busts while the latter is just too full of swear and abusive words. One easily wonders if its wide acceptance, especially among the youth, is a further pointer to the decadence and moral rot eating deep into the fabric of our society. You can hear kids on the street bark “ori e fokasibe” (your head is scattered in its place) at each other without even knowing the meaning. Along that line also is D’banj whose song ‘Tongolo’ was once the toast of all radio and television stations. It is needless to emphasize the meaning of “tongolo” and “koko.” There is a song in his second album titled ‘Suddenly’ in which he sang “she go say…koko yato si koko” which translates as “she will say that my ‘koko’ is different from other ‘kokos’” His Koko Mansion TV reality show which was held last year has been described in most quarters as a disgrace to youth and feminism.

It is a known fact that cyber crime has undoubtedly eaten deep into the fabric of our society today. Hundreds, if not thousands, of the youths have engaged (and are still engaging) in it. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is fighting tooth and nail to combat this menace but it still increases by the day at an alarming degree. What is more disturbing however is the fact that some artistes, all in the name of registering their presence in a studio, produce songs that glorify cyber crime and also boast about their ‘success’ in it. Olu Maintain came out with “Yahoozee,” Danny Young released “Mo Ti Gb’owo Yen,” while Kelly Handsome and Danny Young came out with “Maga Don Pay” and “Mo Ti Gb’owo Yen” respectively. The acclaim with which these songs were received by most young people makes me wonder if this is not a disheartening reflection of the rot in our national system. Thankfully though, this has prompted other concerned musicians to lyrically criticize the trend. Wande Coal asked ‘Who Born the Maga?’ while an assemblage of artistes like M.I, Omawunmi, Rooftop MCs and Banky-W sang ‘Maga No Need Pay.’ The track was produced by the musical guru. Chief Dele Momodu and Fela Durotoye even made guest appearances in the video of the song.

A friend who was obviously fed-up recently posted a comment on Facebook asking why 80% of our singers now sing about Hennessey, Moet, Chandon, Champagne and their likes as if that is what this life is now all about. Alcohol is fast becoming more of a curse in the lives of youths nowadays. The music industry recently lost rapper Dagrin who was involved in an auto accident allegedly caused by over-speeding resulting from drunkenness. Dagrin even in his songs mentioned his addiction to alcohol and hemp. Barely forty-eight hours later, news spread over the internet that Terry G was also involved in a minor accident along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway.

Something needs to be done and quickly too. It is hard to admit but the truth is that our generation needs a revival and a large chunk of our musicians are not helping matters. If these singers want to ruin their own lives with alcohol, drugs, women and crime, let them go ahead and do so. But then, they should ensure that they make it a point of duty to sink alone. No followers allowed!


Mode-Jimi is a Theatre Arts graduate from the University of Ibadan.

Lagi Mo – Submission of the Prodigy to the Ultimate Will of God

Lasky Bee
laskyb@yahoo.co.uk

Lately, more people are expressing disappointment about the content of popular music of this age. In particular, such complaints are directed at the hip-hop genre. The allegations range from poor to outright vulgar content, to irreverence, to total lack of originality and staying power in the market.

Rooftop’s track La’gi mo has been cited as one of the examples of such music with nothing to offer the society in terms of moral. This is quite unfortunate. But reason for this may not be outside of the possibility that the music took an unusual turn in terms of arrangement and genre.

The group’s name, Rooftop, is said to have been derived from the holy bible when it says in Matthew 10:27 “What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops”. It is a two man group made up of Adekunle Adeyoola aka Soulsnatcha and Olaitan Hughes also known as Sokleva.

While deep down Lagimo which, literally translates to ‘hit it with a plank of wood’, is a piece of near Christian-gospel-rap-music, it is presented in the soft rock genre which is typically associated with more ‘worldly’ music. It appears there are few rock enthusiasts in our midst and it is naturally understandable that there is little artistic motivation on the part of the listening public to go for the song.

Aside that, it also incorporates a hook from a popular Yoruba fuji Chorus: Ori mi wu o, e la’gi mo, way back in time. This also gives it a bit of a tinge of humour suggesting therefore, a gale of laughter from the Yoruba speaking listener who has not had time to sit down and soak in the content of the music. So, in it, you have a fusion of rap, rock and fuji. Quite a handful you would say.

Apart from the foregoing initial observations however, if you are careful to listen attentively, you could see the song as a call for caution in the music industry just as you could see in it a subtle warning to all whose dreams are coming true and whose careers are rising even above their expectations.

Assuming the role of the first person plural narrator, the persona in the song starts from evoking a picture of self realisation or ‘arrival’; that stage where all expectations have been met. Pictures are being taken and as the celebrities are saying ‘cheese’, they are also telling you how they are big all over the world. So big are they that while the whole world is catching their sneeze, the ladies are possibly in a swoon as they scream: ‘its Rooftop MCs.’

The narrators then jump out of the story and call the attention of the audience to see them in the spotlight when they have got all they desired. They have got more money than they can spend. They have a clothesline which seems to be one of the signs of arrival in the popular culture world. They even have their own comic titles and investments in far away Germany!

By the next line, the narrator becomes first person singular. But the story is still the same narrative of success. By the age of thirty-five, the persona already owns a private jet; has a mansion by the lake and says this is not even the beginning. By every worldly standard, this is success; the type craved for by all.

But just then, there is a jolt out of this celebration of the obscene. The narrating character feels a sense of loss of direction and correction for the sole reason that all this victory has a hollowness to it. The part of the scriptures that admonishes one to seek first the kingdom of heaven first so that other things can be added as a matter of course was recalled. So, like the prodigal son, the character’s, steps are retraced to God and it is in the ultimate submission that the character declares: Do everything to condition me Lord, as you can see that I am getting so swollen headed to claim all this glory for myself and give you no space. Please feel free to hit me on the head with a plank if that would call me to order. Thus, the seemingly offending refrain: Ori mi wu o, e la’gi mo. This is nothing but a direct call to God the almighty to take the most drastic action possible to chide me so that I can know my place.

The second verse presumes that there has been a time lapse between the first appeal and now. But is seems no change has happened. Or rather, the previous smacking has waned off and having gone astray again, the realisation has also come that God should be turned to. So the persona comes again and explains to God why the intervention is needed. It is a session of confession and admittance of guilt. The supplicant admits to a sense of confusion brought about by various addictions to polygraphs, reviews and interviews; all the razzmatazz of showbiz. The gift of music has been abused. The grace of God has been refused. There is an addiction to the lime light and instead of composing the right rhymes that could possibly glorify God, all efforts have been geared towards making the rhymes tight. Lastly again, redemption is required otherwise insanity would ensue. A direct quote from the ‘bridge’ reads:

My head is spinning like a carousel for all the attention...
And for one second, I forget that this is not about me…
If the world could only see that I’m just another vessel…
Please save me Lord from my flesh
And kill my hidden pride until I am broken deep inside

If you take the two verses and a ‘bridge’ of sixteen, fifteen and nine lines respectively, you will observe the usual yet uneven pattern of end rhymes. It held up creatively in some places such as:

Put first the kingdom, my brother
And the things you boast for, na jara

And in some places it stuck out like a sore thumb. One of such is:

Every other night your help I refused it
I don’t understand how I got confused it

Yes, this is not a grammar lesson but I am almost sure that if more creativity were deployed, the rhyming scheme would not have taken over the logicality of the lyrical composition.

A good blend of local and international content, I read a Ugandan who saw them perform live post this on his blog: ‘The live music was so enthralling, so riveting, it played with my ears and sparked my heart! Not only was the sound great, these guys have good voices!’

Now, that is the universality of the art form taking over even where the listener would have needed interpretation to understand the meaning of the chorus. As an art, he liked what he heard. It would have mattered less to him if the content had been undiluted obscenity. He could recant later, but that first attraction cannot be fought.

Produced by Cobhams, the same person who produced Asa’s Bibanke album among others of repute, this is one song that tried to use the power of popular culture to propagate a religious message. Unfortunately, it does not seem to be speaking for itself. It thus raises the question of suitability of form, genre and context. Or do you think otherwise?