How Nigerian Music Collects the Cash

 

Image Credit: furtherafrica.com

Before Nigerian music arose where the world could see it, I was an avid critic of its lyrical component. Some people loved to sing purely in local tongues. Others preferred to mix English and local tongues. I was an avid critic of the second category, saying that you should either sing in English or the native tongue –it makes no sense mixing the two. At the back of my mind, there was also the intellectual angle. I was, however, defeated when the music found global popularity.

The absence of intellectual content in our speeches or writing is a tradition that should be blamed on Britain for the colonial education they gave.  So many times, it has been said that Britain gave just enough to support its colonial ambition. I had come to believe this while teaching kids with Ginn Books imported from Britain, while teaching at St. Maria Gorettis School in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. Britain deliberately designed a colonial curriculum so that a pupil's creativity is stifled. 

Against the odds, Nigerian music rose to global fame and is competing well. So, how did the music rise to such standing, despite the lyrical weakness? The strength of music doesn't only rest on the lyrics but also on melody, pulse, structure and modesty that enables many to relate to it. The modesty, plus the let-us-play-together dance style, is very fundamental to the success of the industry.

The modesty in the lyrics turned out to be a silver lining behind the clouds.  When something is highly intellectual, only the intellectuals can relate to it. Sadly, this demography of the world's population is a handful. By this, highly intellectual genres like Reggae, Soul and Hip Hop failed to pull a huge population of the world's population into their fan base. Now, Afrobeats by its weak intellectual content is engaging everybody.

Even the success of the Nigerian movie industry boils down to the emphasis on a simple storyline that everyone can understand. Now, the industry is ranked among the three most watched globally, collecting the cash.

Thus, it is about tradition, not weakness. This is because, when Nigerians travel to foreign lands and find strange traditions, they can adapt and succeed. I want to believe that Nigerians are just waiting for this conversation to register in their minds. When this happens, a Nigerian songwriter will have it in his mind that his song should have a conscious hue. When this happens, things will change –it has always been one thing at a time.

It is, however, important to understand that not all Nigerian music lacks intellectual content. If you do a survey, you will see that this is true.

Yiro Abari is the author of How to Become a Music Maestro.

 

If I Rule Nassarawa State

Areal Photo of Akwanga from Google Photos

Nassarawa State is one of Nigeria’s thirty-six states. It is located in the North-Central region, touching Kaduna and Plateau to the North and Abuja and Benue to the South.

From an indistinct past, the town has carved out the reputation of a stopover for people travelling in all directions.  Additionally, there is College of Education Akwanga that has pulled people from far and near. The town, thus, becomes an enduring imprint in their hearts.

Sadly, Akwanga is a paradox of sorts –iconic, yet forgotten. Given its popularity in the country, Akwanga shouldn’t be in the cold. This, sadly, is what you see when you pass through the town. Why has the town been left in the cold? When governors come, why aren’t they able to see that Akwanga, by its special place and the fact that humans live in it, should have been transformed for the good of Nassarawa State and the joy of the people who pass through it? So, what have past leaders of Nassarawa State been doing that is bigger than the subject of building Akwanga? We could say that they are either selfish or don’t have the eyes to see the necessity of its renewal.

When one talks about Akwanga, the picture that comes to mind is of that small roundabout, the business area. It is a small space that sadly accommodates the scale of activities of a big town. It is, thus, distended and bulging with cracks manifesting. Hence, the impression that one gets is that of a human jungle. From this, it is rational to say that, from way back, there have been expectations of expansion and the addition of physical brilliance. But the decades scrolled by with nothing changing. The Akwanga situation mirrors the character of Nigerian country towns, and we are speaking for all of them.

The outcome is a country jungle of sorts. In that tight space, there are women selling fura da nono, dudes roasting suya, fuelling stations, auto-mechanic workshops that spill greases everywhere, motor parks, trodden litters from used plastic bags, scores of school-age girls dashing back and forth with bowls of kunu to cope with orders, and hoodlums on eroded road shoulders, scheming to pull out the guts of your pockets. Ninety per cent of these humans walk with the air of ignorance, a situation that stabs the heart of a deeply conscious human.

In Nigeria, when we get educated, we don’t seem to know its purpose. Since independence, we have run Nigeria without a purpose –we don’t seem to have something we intend to achieve. The decades will roll past, trillions will be squandered and yet the towns, people and everything else remain as crude as they had been for the past one hundred years.  

I wish I was the Governor and ruler of Nassarawa State, the A. A. Sule. If I were, I would have embarked on a careful demolition to create space that allows the town to take in air. Then I will design a plan that ensures that the banks, auto mechanic workshops, motor parks, fuelling stations, comfort rooms, hotels, restaurants, and everything else are exclusively built and spaced, creating a town of sparkle that is the pride Akwangans, Nassarawas and the people that pass through.

When one passes through Keffi and Lafiya, he sees a sparkle. Why is Akwanga different?  

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How to Become a Music Maestro

A Handbook for Intending Music Artists

Preface

Before now, the long and uncertain road to the "stage" had prevented many talented men and women from following their music dreams. A lot of money was needed to make a music album. Only the influential in the industry had money they were willing to sink into the sponsorship of music projects. You had to be discovered by these influential individuals within the industry, who would then give you a record deal.

Information Technology came and created a bypass to music dreams, making it possible for aspiring artists to evade the recording companies. Information Technology brought software that integrates a complete music "band" into a computer that one can carry in a knapsack. What's more? If you don't have a computer, there is a chance the boy next door, or a classmate, has it and knows how to operate it.

As a result, making music has become so cheap and affordable for anyone who has the talent.

With a bypass available, interests in music careers soared remarkably. Nevertheless, not all ambitious folks take the time to study the rules and techniques that are fundamental for a successful music career. In the end, dreams are broken with frustration setting in.

Late Jamaican songwriter and singer, Bob Marley, once said, "Some people know it, but they can't do it". He was referring to people who have musical talents, but who have, for one reason or the other, chosen to stay off the stage. Until an individual with musical talent gets confronted with making a critical decision on whether to engage his talent or not, he or she may not know that there could be a mountain of reasons capable of preventing one from venturing into the profession. Some of these factors include family influences, disability due to health reasons, cultural perceptions of music stars in the individual's locality, the music setting that may or may not warrant success, pride that stems from wealthy family backgrounds or towering educational qualifications, stage fright, a dislike for the odyssey that music profession involves, etc.

It is difficult for one who has lived out a successful music career to think about writing a book that teaches people how to make music. Such an effort would appear trifling to him. The second reason is that he would have taught members of his band, nevertheless! This is because, during rehearsals, a music artist teaches his band members what to play to achieve what he has conceived would be a chart-topping hit. His band includes instrumentalists and support vocalists. Often, these persons go on to become established solo artists as a result of the experience gained from working with a talented person.

Jesus once gave a parable about a rich man who gave his servants business capitals before travelling. The wise among them invested what the master had given them and generated more wealth, while the unwise dug the ground and buried what the master had given him. When the master returned, he scolded the unwise servant for his lack of productivity. I strongly feel that talent comes from God, and is meant to be used. If one were to be a saint but refused to use his God-given ability while on earth, it would be the sole reason why God would not be pleased with him. I decided to write this music guide because I felt uncomfortable, living with an idea and not using it.

The content of this book is merely a simple approach to music-making as it has been from time immemorial when early humans could make music by just the revelation that came naturally. The music principles, as presented here, are the same as those of gifted musicians who never had advanced education. People with this level of musical understanding have, nonetheless, produced some of the greatest songs ever made in the history of mankind. This is the reason why, I believe, the book will help many who have talent, but who have, for some reason, failed to realize the significance of certain facts that should make their music acceptable and successful.

Some musicians are remarkably successful, while others have modest success. If one can critically compare the works of these categories of artists, he would be able to discover the differences between them. These differences are responsible for the differences in successes, as I discovered. My study cuts across several music genres (and subgenres) in pop and revealed that the principles of making music remain the same, with the differences being the cultural influences from which the genres find their roots.

In general, the revelation that followed my study showed that successful musicians are masters of the different bits that make superior music: the ability to spontaneously identify a personal experience that can be translated into a good song, the ability to write a good song, the ability to discover a suitable melody, the mastery and creative use of instruments … 

When music-making follows these steps, the maker finds that he enjoys making good music for the sake of it. He feels fulfilled by just the fact that it provides him or her to opportunity to use his potential fully.

Some people never find the opportunity to use their potential fully. Based on my experience, this is part of the reason why some people don't find joy in life. They may not know that they are victims of this and that it is responsible for their inability to find full joy in life. The moment somebody finds satisfaction from the mere fact that he has discovered the opportunity to use his gift fully, he is undoubtedly on his way to greatness and money and fame will, no doubt, follow.

The principles discussed in this book are those that many already know, but, at the same time, many don't know them, despite having the potential. This book is aimed, primarily, at the latter group. Those who know them can still find the book interesting, as it will provide a different perspective on the subject. Some individuals love collecting books in areas of interest or in areas in which they are experts. This, I believe, is a material that can enrich their collections of music books.

Buy the ebook edition here:  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004H4XQAQ 

Buy the paperback edition here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CTDRCLL4

Yiro Abari Pede

 

How to Become a Music Maestro