Naira Marley, His Music And The Youth -By Ezinwanne Onwuka

Today, youths learn mostly from the entertainment industry and they model their lives after their favorite artistes. Unfortunately, some of the current artistes in the entertainment industry do not possess the necessary depth needed to be role models.

With their morally bankrupt and deficit songs, some of the artistes that the youths look up to do not possess the necessary virtues and values sacrosanct to building the next generation.

Azeez Adeshina Fashola, popularly known as Naira Marley is an artiste, whose vulgar musical outpourings and lewd lifestyle, has held most Nigerian youths spell bound.

From the dance step, ‘soapy,’ that has popularised the habit of masturbation to his show of obscene visuals in ‘Opotoyi’, to his recent music video, ‘Coming,’ that sexually objectified women, Naira Marley almost on a regular basis releases musical hits that soothes the young ones, but which preaches immorality and indecency.

Uncountable are such disapproving content and messages that he constantly feeds the younger generation. It is disheartening that in the midst of this, his fans, whom he flamboyantly christened Marlians, stand up tall in defense of his sheer crassness.

With his penchant for and addiction to weed, portrayal of women as sex symbol in his music videos, character-assasinating response to his critics and disregard for authority, the artiste is the embodiment of everything that conservative Nigerian society and cultural purists dislikes, particularly in its youth. He is the physical manifestation of parents’ fears over their children joining “bad gang” – boasting of “no manners”, and rubbishing education.

With the likes of Naira Marley in the entertainment industry consistently dishing out uncouth and morality-damn lyrics to the younger generation, is it any wonder that we have many youths with ‘entertainment value,’ but no intellectual value?

Nowadays, the fastest way of getting any message to the youth is through the entertainment industry. Sadly, artistes, like Naira Marley have thrown caution to the wind, as the content of their songs now revolve around nudities, violence and drugs, among others thereby influencing the youth negatively.

It is imperative that artistes make a conscious effort to project positive values and preach a positive message in their songs. This way, the youth can embrace virtues and shun vices. Artistes should put their influence into good use.

Ezinwanne Onwuka is a teacher and writer. She writes from Cross River State and may be reached on ezinwanne.dominion@gmail.com and/or +2348164505628.