Money is a blessing, but it’s also a curse to the Nigerian music industry

Money is a blessing for Nigerian musicians, but the pursuit of it can be a curse for the industry.

Wizkid flaunts a wad of cash in a selfie with a friend.  (Instagram/Wizkidayo)

You know that stuff they say to you all the time about money being the number one thing in the music industry? Well, it still is. Both negative and positive.

Money generally is the number one substance on earth. In whatever form it appears, it commands huge respect and dictates the way the world is run. Countries go to war over money, people kill each other to get their hands on some, and it is a huge determinant of class and social status all around the world.

The people with it rule, and the people who don’t have it are technically slaves of the people who do.

In Nigeria, money rules. We live in an aspirational country where everything and everyone are driven by an insane drive to make money. If you succeed, you win. If you don’t have money, well, may the good Lord be with you.  Small Doctor, the great musician and wisdom, captured the reality of the situation in the magical lyrics of ‘Penalty’: “If you no get money, hide your face.”

Vavavoom of Skuki poses with some of his earnings.  (Instagram/Skuki)

The entire Nigerian music industry is driven by money and the pursuit of it. It’s a huge industry, built with the sole focus of making money via the art. Everything created is geared towards the generation of money. That’s why it’s a huge part of ‘showbiz’ (Show-Business).

In the music industry, there are two types of upcoming artists: the ones with money and the ones without money.

To both sets, the possession of money is extremely important. Making music and promoting it in Nigeria is capital-intensive. You need money to stay alive, get access to a studio, record, shoot a video and promote it across all platforms. As the years go by, the cost barrier to entering the music industry continues to increase.

To artists with money, either from their parents, or internet fraud, or a lucrative side hustle, this is soft work. Money opens doors to every platform, and projects can get financed easily. Everything works smoothly when you have the right cash to throw around.

Artists without money will have to scrap and beg, to even get a record out. It’s tough. If they get lucky, their dreams would come through, and someone with money can bankroll their project. If they don’t, frustration and depression set in, until they slowly lose hope, and abandon the art altogether. They would have to ‘hide their face’.

But possession of money doesn’t necessarily mean you will blow. You still need to use it effectively to push through the music. You also need the talent to maximise the effect of the money. Money works best when it is combined with talent.

MC Galaxy relaxing with his loot, after an honest day's work.  (Instagram/MCGalaxy)

But there’s a downside to this. At the core of Nigerian music is survival. The music is a reaction to the desperation of poverty. Artists from humble backgrounds hustle extra hard to hone their skills with the aim of cashing in on it to survive. That gives them an edge that carries through into the music. Statistically, the core of Nigeria’s music stars come from humble background. Survival teaches hustle, and hustle makes great music.

But then, there’s a problem. When these artists chase money it affects their artistry. Money blesses them, but it does deliver a curse.

Go close to many Nigerian artists. Discuss music and the concept of greatness in the art. You will be amazed at how little motivated they are.

But discuss money, and how much they plan to make from the art, and you will see their energy levels skyrocket. They are triggered by money and everything it stands for. For many of them, that’s the sole purpose.

This is because many Nigerian musicians are not artists. They are simply hustlers; businessmen who are more concerned about increasing profit by cutting costs to the barest minimum. Artistry is a myth to this people. They take no pride in it, hence they only lean on their bank account balances as a validation of their work.

“I don tire for all these self-acclaimed critics in this Nigeria. They don’t do any form of research, they don’t listen to the artistes’ songs, then they just say sh-t. I’m sorry for some people that call themselves critics oh. Hmmm, I’m smiling to the bank, you’re not…”– Yemi Alade, 2016.

These people take no pride in performing and recording. All of these are means to an end. That’s why they keep searching for new ways to cut spending and focus on what would generate the cash. And for many, they have found the sweet spot where they can do the barest minimum, which would cost them nothing, and give them the money.

Check out many live performances by Nigerian artists. They put in the barest minimum, and treat the emotions and expectation of the fans as an avenue to make money. Everything else is abstract.

And the Nigerian society helps them get away with it. The artists understand that a huge amount of Nigerians who attend these concerts have not experienced better. They are simply just happy to experience their favourite artist on stage. So the performers take advantage and deliver horrible performances.

B-Red is living the good life with dollars decorating his hand.  (Instagrm/Bred)

But to discover the root of these, you have to factor in the society in which they grew up. The Nigerian society has one true aim for everyone: survival.

Everyone is looking to survive. We are a rich country with a general populace steeped in poverty. This lack of money has eventually created a value system, where the pursuit of paper is the Holy Grail, and everything else is secondary. True value in the Nigerian society is placed on escaping poverty via the acquisition of wealth.

And the people who find new ways to do that are celebrated as gods.

Our Nigerian artists are products of that system. Long before they were artists, they have been conditioned to be hustlers. Money is their god, and artistry is their ticket to his place of worship. That’s the sole reason why the art isn’t elevated in Nigeria.

For many of the young acts, the art is their ticket to wealth, not an expression of their talents and passion. And many get into the game and improve on their craft until they hit the spot where the cheques become constant. Once that aim is achieved, they lose focus, kick back, smoke a cigar, and chill. Their purpose in the game is done. They can buy their mama a house.

Money is important in the art. It is what fuels the cost of productivity, and also provides a reward for hardwork. But as long as an artist ties his entire career growth to his bank statement, there’s almost no possibility of hitting new levels once the money begins to come in.

It is this mentality that also drives the generality of Nigerian fandom. Their favorite artist is wealthy, and everything else fails to matter.

Ideally, every artist should make money. People should get rewarded for their craft. That way, they are encouraged to keep creating. But true value should optimally be placed on the quality of your work and the impact it has on society.

But don’t tell that to a Nigerian artist. He is making money, and you are not.