Representation of African Values in Selected Nigerian Popular Music

This study titled, “representation of African values in selected Nigerian popular music” was carried out to find out the dominant themes portrayed within Nigerian popular music, and the extent to which this music portrayed African values. The study adopted quantitative research design that employed content analysis as instrument for data collection. A total of 120 songs of 8 Nigerian popular musicians were selected from the annual lists of MTV Africa Music Awards. The investigation revealed that most of the values that distinguished African music culture from others are no longer intact because value in the music industry is understood primarily in market demand. Cultural theory re-echoes the fact that industrial treatment of popular music sacrifices important artistic qualities such as creativity, originality and integrity on the altar of economic gains. The study also found that most Nigerian popular music revolves around some unconventional themes such as disrespect for women, easy living and other forms of laziness, violence, and other anti-social activities. The study concluded that as an art, the processes of performing music should be value-laden, not commercial activities. Based on these findings, the study recommended censorship of the music industry, media education and proper mediation by parents/guardians.

Keywords: Representation, African values, Nigeria, and Popular Music