Nigerian Afrobeats and Religious Stereotypes: Pushing the Boundaries of a Music Genre Beyond the Locus of Libertinism

Abstract

The social morality of Afrobeats in Nigeria often evokes reactive emotions of approbation and obloquy. While some critics contend that hip hop has deleterious effects on youths, because it encourages permissiveness, others are of the opinion that the music genre performs certain invaluable functions, and should not be besmirched. The binary variables trailing hip hop have even been recast by religious mawkishness, as many adherents of Abrahamism dissociate themselves from Afrobeats claiming that it promotes vulgarity, and is not fit for the consumption of unfeigned believers. This bias underpins the emergence of a parallel religio-centric music genre which has Christian and Islamic eschatology as its central theme, though the music sometimes copies Afrobeats style. In this study, the antipathy of religious persons/institutions in Nigeria to hip hop is examined. Using sociological-functional theory, moral relativist paradigm, and (traditional/virtual) exploratory-qualitative research instruments; we argue that the music is functional and socially relevant, contrary to the stereotypical view of anti-hip hop proponents. The study critiques some Nigerian Afrobeats songs to confound the conventionalisation of the music genre as a site of libertinism or a locus for the thingification of femaleness. It advocates aggressive promotion of the music locally and abroad, since it bears Nigerian signature and serves as the country’s creative contribution to global hip-hop culture. We submit that the art form can be pruned of its smuttiness to augment its acceptability, just as it can be developed to an industry capable of generating foreign exchange for Nigeria.