Re-imagining Afrobeat(s): juxtaposing Fela and Falz’s social commentary and lyrical activism

Abstract

Within the African setting, music serves purposes beyond entertainment. It is functional and used for documentating experiences and challenging unwholesome social structures. In the Nigerian context, the late Fela Anikulapo-Kuti and, more contemporarily, Falz stand out as formidable anti-establishment forces. In this article, I interrogate six purposively selected songs – three for each artiste, and identified based on their intersecting thematic focus – to engage how these artistes remark on Nigerian postcolonial challenges. I lean on the theoretical dictates of Linguistic Stylistics which analyzes language use in texts with focus on their purposive functions and effects in context. The selected songs demonstrate how Fela’s music and musical style invigorate and influence Falz’ lyrical compositions and outlook. Through their songs, the musicians intersect concerns on people, power and activism, infused with genuine social commentary and the promotion of human rights. It is concluded that, while there are intervening decades between the creative energies of these musicians, the thematic issues which they engage are similar. This reality remarks the festering of the challenges facing the Nigerian nation. However, the unrelenting lyrical activism reinforces the long-held ideal that literary creators are consciences of society. This, the selected artistes, ensure in their songs.

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