Award-winning journalist, Joey Akan has lamented the decline in the quality of music being produced in Nigeria.
He said that while general songwriting has improved and flow has become more inventive, “we’ve lost the art of storytelling.”
This, he said, was partly responsible for the short shelf life of most songs produced in the country in recent times.
The respected journalist said that emphasis is placed on going viral rather than depth of content that could make the production stand the test of time.
“While we might attribute hyperstimulation to our dwindling depth of connection with today’s music, we rarely talk about another equally important causal factor; the shift from creativity-induced music to vibey production.
“Nigerian aren’t creating anymore. They’re making content.
“Walk with me. At any point in time in the last 3 years, think of the top 10 songs in Nigeria. How many do you still listen to today? Almost zero.
“There’s little to hold on to. Everything feels fast and fluffy, to sweeten the moment, curate a feeling, and capture a vibe.
Our general songwriting has improved, as our poetry and flow have never been more inventive.
“But we’ve lost the art of storytelling, and the exploration of wider themes, limiting ourselves to emotional escapism via curating momentary vibes,” Akan said in a LinkedIn post on Tuesday.
According to him, music has become our distraction.
“It isn’t helped at all by the relatively nascent demand for “bite-sized, heavily-tailored, formulaic records for Tiktok, and the ever evolving quest for globalisation of music.
“Pop culture is minting a generation of artists: content creators, and community builders.
“Music is lubrication. And as it unites the world via today’s Tiktok-led market synchronisation, the demands upon creators is to find the best possible format to universally communicate.
“For a record to blow, everyone needs to find something to hold on to, from Lagos to Mumbai.
“Language is the first casualty. A Telugu-speaking banker won’t understand a word of pidgin English, but he knows a good vibe when he hears it.
“The reverse works here in Nigeria too. Vibe is supreme. It’s pursuit is sacred and pragmatic. And the music reflects that.
“Music has become our distraction.
“Afrobeats to the world demands that we globalize our uniqueness, to do that, we’re altering our creative process, across writing camps and dingy rented apartments.
“The diversity in Top 100 shows abundance in numbers and abandon in artistry.
“But low incision and precision.
“We are going wide, but never deep. Fast and fluffy wins the race.
“In the moment. Stay on the pulse, flick the hamster wheel. Give us more. Now. Again. Harder.
“But when we wake up tomorrow. None of it follows us home. Or past the weekend.
“That’s why we don’t remember.
“That’s why we don’t store.
“Globalisation is feeding us. Our pockets appear fatter. But it’s also killing us. Our cultural commitment is waning.
“Afrobeats to the world? Or is it truly African content creation to the world?” he queried.