By CHIEDU UCHE OKOYE

The origin of music dates to an indefinite time in the very distant past. Over the years, people who lived in different periods listened to different types of music, which had utilitarian value for them. That is why William Shakespeare said that music is the food of love. Music is the organisation of disparate sounds for the purposes of making them euphonious and intelligible to people so as to convey information to diverse people and entertain them, as well.

In today’s world, each cultural and linguistic group has its own music, which is a component of its culture. For example, we have communal masquerade songs, which can be sung to the accompaniment of traditional musical instruments. The songs of the masquerades are qualified to be called pieces of music as they are arranged and sung to the accompaniment of traditional musical instruments. They entertain people and convey information to them, too.

In Dunukofia and Njikoka local government areas of Anambra state, we have these popular masquerades, which provide melodious and satiric music to the people. They are Atumma Ugonabo of Abagana, Atumma Ugonano of Abba, and Atumma Ogufoluchi of Ukpo. They perform during funeral rites, marriage ceremonies, and birthday celebrations.

These masquerades’ songs, which have satiric vibes and jibes borrow greatly greatly from our African orature. Most times, folklores are put to music by masquerades; at other times, the masquerades can improvise songs owing to the prevailing circumstances in which they have found themselves.

Again, we have other types of music such as juju music, pop music, highlife music, and reggae music. While juju music is popularized and sung by King Sunny Ade, Chief Commander Ebenezer Obey-Fabiyi, Sir Victor Uwaifo, and Shina Peters, the renowned highlife musicians in Nigeria include Bright Chimezie, Osita Osadebe, Oliver De Coque, and Celestine Ukwu.

As to reggae music, its high priests in Nigeria, then, were Orits Wiliki, Majek Fashek, Mandators, Peterside Otong, Ras Kimono, and others. And the pop and hip-pop genres of music have Alex O, Alex Zitto, Kris Okotie, Tuface Idibia, Burna Boy, Wizkid, Tiwa Savage, P-Square, Adekunle Gold, and Olamide.

Musicians use their pieces of music to achieve their diverse ends. For example, during the oppressive Apartheid era in South Africa, musicians, who hail from different countries in Africa, composed musical songs that condemned the white supremacist rule in South Africa.

Sunny Okosun, Mariam Makeba, and Lucky Dube used protest music to draw people’s attention to the oppressive and repressive Apartheid government that reigned in South Africa, then.

Again, music can be used to effect social re-engineering in a country. Misguided youths, who are morally decadent can be re-directed to the right path through music. For example, some songs together with their videos narrate the consequences of young people’s indulgence in drug abuse and promiscuous lifestyles.

And the teachings of a song can restore calmness to troubled minds. Those pieces of music, which have therapeutic value, are undergirded and underpinned by philosophies about life. They are the compasses that guide and help us to navigate past the vicissitudes of life. And they are our elixirs of life during troubled times.

However, nowadays, Nigerian music has evolved. And hip-pop music, which appeals to the youthful demographic of our population, is the in-thing now. The themes and sub-themes of hip-hop music centre on crime, love, and sex. In the not too distant past, Tuface Innocent Idibia, who has a sonorous timbre to his voice, rose to become the king of pop music in Nigeria. Then, a song in his album, “African Queen”, ruled the airwaves and became our national love anthem.

The pop and hip-pop artistes entertain us with their melodious songs, which do transport us to the mountain of ecstacy. Listening to their songs makes us have rapturous experience. Practitioners of these genres of music are billionaires, who have become our cultural ambassadors to the world. Those musicians include, but not limited to, Flavour N’abania, Davido, P-Square, Banky W, Burna Boy, Olamide, Adekunle Gold, and others.

Sadly, however, we have pop stars whose pieces of music have corrupting influence on our youths. During the early musical days of Flavour N’abania, he was an exponent of erotica. His songs were lewd and bawdy; and his musical videos filled with half-clad ladies in decolletage that revealed their erogenous zones. Then, he democratised and liberalised licentiousness, sexual promiscuity, and nudity. Flavour, thankfully, has evolved and become a consummate musician, who is conscious of his obligations to society.

While today’s pack of musicians are celebrities and billionaires whose musical themes revolve on sex, love, money, and other mundane matters, our musicians of yore did use their musical art and craft to produce songs that were lodestar for our earthly peregrinations. In this regard, we have such musicians as Osita Osadebe, Celestine Ukwu, and Gentleman Mike Ejeagha. The philosophical profundity of their musical pieces are balm to troubled minds and compasses for our earthly peregrinations.

Not a long while ago, a popular skit-maker, Brain Jotter, dug up Mike Ejeagha’s 1983 song and used its soundtrack and song for a Tik-Tok play. It became a sensation and brought back sweet memories of the iconic Mike Ejeagha to us. That song of his warns us not to repose trust in all our friends.

As Mike Ejeagha has been doing for a long while, our musicians should use their musical gifts to produce pieces of music for social re-engineering in our society. They should use their music to entertain us and fight for just causes in our society, too.

•Okoye, a poet and book editor, writes from Uruowulu-Obosi, Anambra State. He can be reached via 08062220654 and 09125204141

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