Olamide Baddo Is Unruly Or We Are? -By Oladele Orepo Oniororo

Give a man a mask and he would tell you the truth they say. However, I like my truths to have a face, that’s why I often would say that I could fund the lifestyle of rappers, if I had the means. This fantasy I just blurted out is simply because I understand that rappers, musicians or artistes generally have the artistic license to use their muse, and for a person of status and societal

Art being the creative representation of our humanity tells us the story that we already know, stories that we live on a daily basis, stories about ourselves and especially stories we don’t want to open our mouths to tell directly, except maybe in our safe spaces. Regardless of how safe the space may be, the imagery we still have about ourselves is that although we may be walking around, but we do the walking in chains, even if we don’t admit it, but with the societal restrictions around, it is the case.

Take the lines of 21 Savage, the American rapper, who often talks about Glock, gangbanging, violence, toxicity and the likes. These kind of messages, due to the embrace and popularity, are an outline of how the society is, and not the artist alone dictating it. In fact, it would be near impossible for an artist to try to reshape the perspective or events of the society, as we often enjoin the artistes to do. They don’t call the shots as much as we claim they do. It is just like it is in writing or journalism. No story is absolutely new, only the way it is told.

Olamide (popularly known as Baddo), the popular, respected emeritus hardcore Nigerian rapper has hinted about the upcoming album, Unruly, which by its title, one can tell what may be its content. Olamide as well has given a caveat to his listeners ahead of the album release. He said no one should have any moral expectation from the album, as it is strictly for the baddies and their lovers. Hence, the content would be strictly explicit.

Despite this disclaimer from the rapper, this album that is yet to be launched would effortlessly be able to garner sufficient moral critics and this piece would live to explain the cognitive dissonance, hypocrisy and the lies we experience in our society.

In every society, it can be said that people are categorised into either being a part of the rule or they are exceptions. We can also make an analogy from this to mean that people are either of the majority and the minority. The proles being the majority and the rule, while the bourgeois are the minority and the exception. By the dominant population of the proles, we can agree that they fit being called the majority and they make the rule.

In the Nigerian society, the rule(proles/majority) set the standard, but feign involvement and act completely ignorant of where the standard came from. This can be better explained using the mightly criticised hookup culture. By the massiveness of those involved in hookups on our streets, one can tell that it is almost like there’s a one voice that it is a norm, or that it is allowed. If that is the case, where are the critics from? Are the hook up servicers not relatives neighbours and friends of its critics? It is closer to us than our hearts within us.

We should try to forgive ourselves by trying to state things as they are, even if we don’t want to encourage them. Meanwhile, as we try to restructure ourselves to live the way things should be against how things are, the anticipation is on of how we truly are, Unruly.