Nigerian entertainment journalist Joey Akan has weighed in on recent comments made by artist Spyro regarding Shallipopi’s song “Elon Musk Boys.” The journalist expressed his strong opinions on the matter through a series of posts on a microblogging platform.
In a recent interview on the Honest Bunch podcast, Spyro revealed his perspective on the lyrics of “Elon Musk Boys,” suggesting that they served as a conduit for internalizing fraudulent behavior, as he believed that such negative thoughts were more likely to be influenced by darker forces. Joey Akan didn’t hold back in his response to this revelation.
In his online posts, Akan criticized Spyro for what he deemed to be hypocrisy. The journalist pointed out that Spyro, who claims to promote Christian values, had collaborated on his most successful song with Tiwa Savage, an artist associated with the secular music industry. According to Akan, Spyro’s choice of collaborator contradicts his faith-based stance, as he could have opted to work with gospel artists such as Chioma Jesus or Dunsin Onyekan. Evidently, Spyro’s decision to collaborate with a more mainstream artist doesn’t align with his purported religious values.
Akan also highlighted Spyro’s affiliations with the secular music scene. Despite expressing his faith-based convictions, Spyro is signed to a record label that operates in the secular domain. Furthermore, Spyro has been seen performing at events associated with worldly themes and interests. Specifically, he’s been linked to an upcoming activation for Trophy, an alcoholic brand catering to nightlife and wine enthusiasts. These actions, Akan argues, contrast with Spyro’s overt criticisms of his colleagues who are active in the secular entertainment sphere.
The entertainment journalist went on to emphasize Spyro’s collaborations with DJ Neptune and Iyanya, both considered stalwarts of the mainstream music scene. Akan pointed out the inconsistency of Spyro’s affiliations with these artists, who are not aligned with the gospel genre, while simultaneously distancing himself from his faith-based colleagues.
This boy Spyro received his biggest ever song by working with worldly-adjacent artists. He chose Tiwa Savage for a collaboration over his faith-based colleagues.
Chioma Jesus and Dunsin Onyekan lost out on "who's your guy," remix.
He's also signed to a worldly label, performs… https://t.co/AZnAFEjmpR
— Joey Akan (@JoeyAkan) August 21, 2023
Akan also took note of Spyro’s avoidance of gospel-related podcasts, despite his efforts to engage with podcasts from a more mainstream, secular background. Akan perceived this as an attempt by Spyro to gain greater exposure through channels that don’t align with his professed values.
The journalist concluded his commentary by addressing what he saw as the crux of the matter: the apparent hypocrisy in Spyro’s stance. Akan called out Spyro for presenting himself as a promoter of Jesus and his teachings, while concurrently reaping the benefits of involvement in the lucrative secular music industry. The term “mammon,” often associated with material wealth and worldly gain, was used by Akan to emphasize his point that Spyro seemed to be navigating both religious and secular waters for personal gain.