A few hours ago, the Nigerian Broadcasting
Corporation came out with a list of Not-
To-Be-Broadcast songs and the list
comprised Wizkid’s ‘The Matter’ and
Phyno’s ‘Man of the year’.
Movie producer and critic, Charles Novia
reacted to the action via the article below,
enjoy:
On social media, a predictable furore has
been generated by the NBC’s action. Fans
and friends of the concerned artists have
been expressing their angst over the ban
with some asking what yardstick was used
in placing such a ban. As amusing and
sometimes annoying one finds some of
those comments, which I think stem from
an emotive viewpoint rather than logical, I
have to pity such commentators because I
believe they actually are the ones the songs
have corrupted in the first place.
In Today’s entertainment sector, sex is king.
The more sex the music videos suggest, the
better for the artistes, music video
directors and even the stations. I have
repeatedly screamed at various interactive
music fora that these days, when watching
the Nigerian television channels either on
terrestrial or satellite bouquets, one cannot
differentiate between the lewd music videos
and soft porn!
It is also alarming and befuddling that
many of the musical acts getting brand
endorsements here and there are nothing
to write home about when it comes to the
lyrical content of their songs or the moral
appropraiteness of their music videos!
These young turks sing blatantly about sex
without giving a hoot about the most
important audience of all; the children.
If they don’t know it, they should be told
that children are quite impressionable and
what goes into a child’s mind visually can
either distort that child’s moral progression
or improve on the child’s human
development as time goes on. But do SOME
of these repressed reprobates in the music
sector care? Not in the least!
The more raunchy the music videos are, the
better for the rascals. Just to buttress my
point, have you guys seen the way most
Nigerian kids dance to some of these songs
at children’s parties? It’s all about winding
their waist and even twerking much to
either the amusement or amazement of
their parents. Yes, thanks to these accursed
music videos, we are breeding a new
generation of morally bankrupt youths who
just need a little prod in their subconscious
minds to become the future terrors of the
New Republic of Sexual Nigeria! Mark my
words.
And I won’t lay the blame on the artistes
alone. The radio and television stations
which fight over themselves to broadcast
those songs and videos are as guilty in this
regard. Perhaps too, the music video
directors who come up with such concepts.
The NBC too is as hypocritical with these
bans as it is sometimes inept. I would
suggest a total overhaul of their monitoring
unit, if my opinion is asked. I mean, why
would they wait for months after such
songs must have gained heavy rotation on
radio and television before they use their
hammer? What kind of crass dereliction of
duty is that?
The relatively new Director-General of the
NBC, Mr Emeka Mba, is well known to me.
He just assumed duty a few weeks ago and
I believe he should make it his duty to
clean up the airwaves. And please, no
double standards! There are worse
American and even African music videos
and audio tracks ravaging our airwaves
which the NBC don’t know jack about!
Some radio On Air Personalities take
delight in playing some lewd songs with the
‘F’ word unbleeped at times. A few months
back,
I was driving in the same car with a
Reverend Gentleman and we had one of
those FM stations on the car radio that
afternoon. Akon’s song with the chorus ‘ I
wanna f**k you…f**k you out on the
floor…’assaulted our ears. On radio? I had
to join the shocked Reverend Father in
making the sign of the cross even though I
had switched to Pentecostalism years ago!
Such was the shock.
We all have witnessed how Wizkid slyly
came into the scene a few years ago. I use
the word ‘slyly’ because his first single
‘Holla at your boy’ was a neat teen-pop
track which was family friendly and won
him a huge fan base across continents.
Having achieved his aim, his next couple of
singles introduced the lyrical direction of
his debut album. ‘Tease me’ was a daring
post-pubescent song which extolled his
plea for sexual freedom and also a blatant
praise of his mojo. ‘Na me be the bad guys’
he crows. The accompanying video to that
track was as suggestively lewd with pole-
dancing girls doing some randy stuff. The
clean boy image of Whizkid took a back seat
and thereon his handlers and producers
tried to sell him as a post-teen sex symbol.
So, it was no surprise
to the discerning ones
amongst us when his
new singles were laced with overtly raunchy
suggestivism. Let us examine the lyrics of
the banned single in question; ‘Back to the
matter, open and close, touch your toes,
oya baby..,’. Chai! May your children grow
up in the ways of the Lord.
I have nothing against the hard working
Whizkid, in case some puerile minds begin
to think in their usual template that ‘what’s
Novia’s own?’ Or ‘He’s just jealous of
Whizkid’s success’ which is a usual
conclusion when critiques like these meant
to correct an anomaly raise some dust.
I actually enjoy most of the young man’s
clean songs as much as I abhor his lewd
ones. This is basically a call to him and
others of his ilk to go inwards and re-
engineer their lyrics. Better still as Gbemi
Olateru Olagbegi of Beat FM tweeted, they
should go the extra mile in producing clean
radio edit versions of some of their songs.
Phyno is one interesting rap artiste I have
been studying. He joins the league of
rappers who rap in native lingo, following
the footsteps of his artistic heralders,
2Shotz and Dat NIGGA Raw. Phyno
understands the essence of showmanship
and personal branding, what with his
unique Mohawk hairstyle and his style of
dressing. I don’t understand Igbo very well
but I have listened to the banned song
‘Man of the Year’ for controversial or lewd
lyrics as well as his other songs. Here are
some words I found;
‘Okereke okereke.. My guys no abaleke…
N’ekperem ekpere Sika m fepu ka chekeleke
Si mu kuwa k’elekera Na ezem k’ekelebe
Ebughim otu mana m ga n’egbu ha
ebelebe …)Something wey don enter don
enter but if e nor gree enter, make you rub
vaseline’)
Please someone explain a bit to me about
the meaning of some of his suggestivism in
those words? I think that is why the NBC
banned the song.
In any case, Phyno is one act to watch. I
don’t really rate him as a fantastic emcee
but he’s commercial and would go far…
somehow.
There are some Nigeria music videos which
I would personally recommend for non-
broadcast and I hope the NBC takes note
somehow. This recommendation is without
fear or favour and I must state too that it
does not in anyway detract from the
amazing talents of the artistes who I give
props to for raising the bar in their chosen
field. However, while they are raising the
bar, I and millions of concerned parents
are raising our kids so please ‘make una
nor spoil my blues with una razz ragga’.
Shikena.
Wande Coal’s ‘KICK’ video should be
banned off the national television space.
Seriously, have you seen the ladies shaking
their bums in that video? For the pious and
piety men reading this, I would advise you
not to bother checking it out. Especially if
you just came out of a spititual fasting
regimen like I had just done when I saw the
video. Needless to say I resumed my fasting
with more vigour after that. If Timaya’s
‘shake your bum bum’ video was sexually
provocative, Coal’s ‘Kick’ video gave a
double provocation with two bum-shakers.
Olamide is a great musical act who is
making waves at present. We all have
watched his gradual ascent for the past
couple of years and he has succeeded in
filling a void left open by the late Dagrin. I
have my reservations about his latest video
‘Durosoke’ but that is not the video I’m
recommending for non-broadcast. There’s
one he calls ‘Stupid love’ which I believe
promotes alcoholic inebriation; which I
presume to be against the broadcasting
rules.
In the video, Olamide in almost every cut is
seen clutching a green bottle suggestively
filled with either rum or brandy or some
strong coloured spirits. He takes deliberate
swigs from the bottle and even chants at a
point in the song about feeling ‘high’. This
video gets massive airplay on national
stations. I think it should be yanked off. Oh
yes, some may argue that there’s no proof
that the contents in that bottle is alcohol.
Balderdash! Why don’t such people argue
that the ‘yanshes’ they see in some of the
music videos I mentioned above are
harmless to the psyche of the children? And
not only children too, come to think of it!
There are quite a few more I could
recommend but why would I do the NBC’s
job for them? Isn’t that one of their
functions as a Commission?
It is high time we cleaned up the airwaves.
Let those who wish to listen to lewd songs
or watch raunchy music videos do so on
other media. It is a sin the way we corrupt
the minds of our children in the name of
artistic licence.
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