Musicians should do this one thing for us this year - or go and die! - By Odega Shawa

20 years ago I would not have to beg musicians to do what I am about to beg them to do for us this year. It was what they did by default. But times have changed. American rapper Lil Wayne marched out the goof troop in a recent interview where he disconnected completely from the Black Lives Matter movement currently sweeping black consciousness in the US.
The BLM movement started as a socio-political pressure group protesting the callous and incessant shooting of unarmed black folks mostly by white policemen. ‘What is it?’ asked Lil Wayne, before adding: ‘I don’t feel connected to a damn thing that ain’t got nothing to do with me.’.
Which makes sense, since the artiste can be empowered by society through the adoption of his music and society, or segments of it, cannot dare to ask the artiste to be responsible for a social movement. As far as Lil Wayne and peanut brain artistes like him are concerned the only thing that matter is what they are taking from the platform, nothing else.
We copy Americans in everything we do – good, bad or ugly – so it is not surprising that most of our indigenous artistes are of the same opinion as Lil Wayne. All they care about is the money, the one they make that is. It is the same mentality of pentecostal pastors: the only sheep that matter is the one that pays that 10% tithe.
But music is not just a money making machine for participants. Music is the soul without which any community turns to a heartless monster. Music is the tree of life, artistes the tree with the fruit of good and evil.
There was a Nigerian musician named Fela. Before he died and even long after his death he used his music – and his music was used – as a platform for socio-political welfare activism. Nobody cared about Fela’s politics. But his music was storm, a strong blizzard that only screamed the good that should be happening and the bad that is happening. His music was political, which was what made his art a political force. Without the music Fela’s politics was a dead duck and he knew it. This is why Fela is today a legend.
And then there are artistes today like Terry G, Don Jazzy and P Square. And 2Baba. And M.I. And Flavor. There is as a matter of fact an entire industry of musicians who have abandoned the masses to the wickedness of politicians. Every election period most of the industry line up on political divides to collect money for prancing around on political stages like clowns.
By a stretch of the imagination there is an extent to which one may argue that an artiste who collected money to sing for a political campaign, or to praise politicians, is a clown. Music should do more. At every point music should be on the side of the masses, not on the side of the very same people that ravage the masses.
It is time something really changed in this gaddem country, for good.
Musicians should let music do something for us this year. Enough is enough.
Every Nigerian musician should do a reality song. We are tired of the naked – or half naked – girls in music videos and the throwing cash around on social media. We know you are the richest of the rich already. Yes we know God has blessed you. You can sleep with five girls at the same time if you want. We know you have a house where we can only dream of. We know the money you used to buy your chain and your wrist watch can build all the houses in one of our miserable villages. Osinachi. Thank you. Just give us one bloody reality song this year we beg you.
Let the song be about our stupid vagabonds in power. Let it be about how the government always f…ks the people over. Let it be about the suffering of the masses, the rot killing the conscience of our communities. Let the song be about how our schools churn out hundreds of thousands of youth corpers every year and not a couple of them could find life sustaining jobs. Let the video be about how local women sweat blood to feed their hungry children these days. Let the song be about how government officials steal money allocated to people displaced by war and fanatic madness. Let it be anything but your normal stupid ‘love’ and cash songs.
Are we, the masses, really asking you for too much? It’s just one freaking song and one freaking video from each of you, gaddemit.
We do not have the voice that you people have. You are celebrities, super stars, artistes. Speak for us, we beg you once again, before we die in our misery and hopelessness, before we quench, as Fela put it. You have the voice. You have the platform. You have the power. Speak for us this year, like Fela did. We will make you a legend in return. Imagine that.
Don’t be like the fool Lil Wayne, foolish in the way he disconnected himself conveniently from society’s problems, just because he has now made himself a millionnaire through music and no longer, in his confused mind, faces any problems because of his money. Be rather like Kendrick Lamar, Lil Wayne’s co rapper. Step out into the harsh light for something the people believe in. Let the depth of your art reflect the rot that politicians have turned our lives to.
There is a reason I believe that something will change if Nigerian musicians do this this year. Politicians fear the masses. They only love us in our deaf and dumb form, in our zombie phase. A lot. The idea that the masses are uniting with the most powerful voices in the struggle would get them on their feet. How else do we tell this government clearly that we cannot afford the burden of their CHANGE if we cannot get our own musicians to lend their voices to our cry?
We are on our knees, begging our musicians to look and help us. It will not kill any musician to be part of this movement. Do it already. Or go and die. Waka. Take five. And another five, from the left, lol. Yes, you!
odega shawa
IG: @shawa_kalakutabooks