Art imitates life, and song lyrics are no exception. They reflect both the artist and the society around them. But it works the other way too: popular music also shapes how listeners think and behave. So, what we excuse under the banner of “poetic license” also reveals what we’re willing to tolerate in everyday life. And if we’re honest, some of the lyrics that have gone mainstream say more about society’s blind spots than we’d like to admit. Here’s a small sample of lyrics from Nigerian songs over the years, so offensive that they should never have seen the light of day.
- “Brothers, if the girls tell you say your armpit dey smell, slap am!” – Darey, Fuji (Dance), 2006
If 100 Nigerians were asked to name a problematic Nigerian singer, Dare Art-Alade’s name would probably cross zero lips. That’s why it’s so unbelievable that he has a line just casually calling for violence against women on the dance floor in what’s otherwise a very fun song, especially as women’s safety in settings like clubs and parties still leaves a lot to be desired.
- “To ba sope ‘no’, maa wa persistent (if you say no, I’ll be persistent)” – D’banj, Tongolo, 2006
Actually, if someone says ‘no’, the appropriate course of action is to leave them the hell alone, and someone really should have told D’banj this, given the situation that unfolded a few years ago. Whenever you think about how legendary the man’s contribution to the Afrobeats scene is, please also remember the fact that he told us plainly what kind of man he was, 14 years earlier.
- The entirety of “Story For The Gods” – Olamide, 2014
The fact that this song reflects how anybody thinks, much less someone as respected and universally loved as Olamide, is bone-chilling. The phrase “story for the gods” is used to indicate that you don’t give a damn about what the other person is saying, in this case, his partner’s reasons for not wanting to participate. It gets even scarier as the song proceeds, describing what very much sounds violent and non-consensual. He thinks all of this should be excusable because he’s high, and “wants to do shina today”. HUH??? At every turn, the song seems to downplay the importance of consent, especially when it is (assumed to be) given and then withdrawn. The song rightfully sparked controversy at the time, and shockingly, Olamide never seemed to address any of it.
- “Uncle, stop touching…” – Kizz Daniel, Yeba, 2017
Kizz Daniel is the king of ruining a good song with unnecessarily problematic lyrics. At first listen, one isn’t really sure what to make of this line. But there’s no way around the truth: it leaves a sour taste in your mouth. He said he wasn’t making light of sexual harassment, but rather “teaching ladies to speak out and men to apologise and not go further”, but nearly everyone saw that as the attempted PR save it was. Maybe it would’ve worked if he hadn’t gone on to do the same thing on 2023’s Cough (Odo) with lyrics suggesting the woman could not refuse his advances because he’d spent money on her. And of course, we can’t forget the body-shaming mess that was “until your bobby touch your belle, wey man no wan collect” on 2020’s Pak ‘N’ Go. Honestly, we’re all tired of telling Kizz to do better.
- “You’re not Ayefele, so what’s your excuse?” – Zlatan, Killin Dem, 2018
Ah, yes, sure. Let’s encourage ableism in a country that’s already hell for people living with disabilities, why don’t we? Good job, Zlatan.
- “I no be one of those men wey dey fear toto, fuck nyansh” – Burna Boy, Wetin Dey Sup, 2020
Starting a song with a line that reeks of homophobia is… a choice. Especially when you’re a global superstar whose music travels across the world, AND you’re from a country that has one of the worst standards of living for queer people. When this song came out, there were tweets (which I can no longer find, but I swear I know they exist because I used them to gaslight myself into being okay with the song) positing that Burna wasn’t referring to gay men at all, but rather that it’s an expression popular in Port-Harcourt about heterosexual relationships where the participants find loopholes out of the fear of causing a pregnancy; basically used to call men cowards. If that’s the case, maybe he should have said that with words that couldn’t be misconstrued. As this stands, it’s a giant red flag.
- “If she no fuck, if she no suck, who go pay for her wig and handbag?” – Odumodublvck, 2023
Absolutely vile, alleging that women cannot afford nice things without selling sexual favours. This goes hand in hand with the “sleeping her way to the top” narrative that plagues every successful woman. It’s honestly such a played-out, unintelligent, ragebait take that does not deserve the energy it would take to explain why it’s wrong.
Dishonourable mentions: All the fraud and drug abuse songs. Let’s wrap it up, abeg. Act like we know better.
While nobody expects Nigerian music to suddenly become saintly or stripped of edge, there’s a difference between a little profanity and outright harm. If Afrobeats is going to keep conquering the world, then maybe it’s time we start holding our artists, who are cultural ambassadors, to a higher standard. At the very least, we should stop dancing blindly to lyrics that celebrate violence or discrimination against vulnerable groups, mock difference, or make light of consent. It’s never “just a song”.
