By IFECHI OKOH                    

Talibanism has never been part of the evolution of the Nigerian beats scene. But with time, the disturbing level of the rich lording it over the poor for the fun of it; fired late Fela Anikulapo-Kuti to open the floodgate of the talibanistic lyrics purely meant to challenge our capitalist-oriented leaders. Years after along the line, he had a head-on collision with the federal military government which cost him his house, mother’s life and other unquantifiable losses. Disturbingly, such did not simmer his moral crusading spirit which sooner than expected started to impact on other younger ones like Eedris Abdulkaeeem, Chinagorom Onuoha, massive addressed as African China, Austin Amedu, popularly called Blackface, and late Sound Sultan. Now let’s focus on them one after the other, in descending manner, starting from late Abami-Eda, a siren in courage and bravery.

FELA ANIKULAPO-KUTI   

He single handedly started the war against insensitive leadership and corruption in high places in Nigeria. The height of his lyrical militancy hit the roof top with his 1977 monster release, “Zombie”, a release which mocked openly the military authorities and their zombie mentality. The concerned authorities went wild as a result, ordering stern-looking soldiers on a mission to accomplish within the shortest possible time frame. They closed in on Felas house hold, beating up anybody around, threw down his aged mother from upstairs, leading to her serious injuries and eventual death.  Their action elicited Fela’s all-time hits, “Zombie” and other releases like “Unknown Soldiers”, “Coffin for Head of State”. After this face-off, Fela became a regular guest of DSS until he died in 1997. 

EEDRIS ABDULKAREEM

This young man actually steeped into the big shoe left by Fela in 2002 when he came out with Nigeria Jaga-Jaga which brought the pair of shoes to him right away to wear. He wore them and they fitted him well too, interestingly. In the hit music, he lamented the pitiable state of Nigerians, suffering in the midst of plenty as a result of the stinking level of corruption which he maintained have since led to unhealthy rise to social menace. It was a timely release which Nigerians applauded to the high heavens, forcing OBJ and others in government then to cry blue murder, condemning it out rightly.    

AFRICAN CHINA

He actually stepped onto the podium in 2005 with “Letter to the President” in which he highlighted boldly the topsy-turvy state of things, insisting that food nor dey, water nor dey, our country nor goodooo...one man  wey steal maggi dem go show am for crime fighter...richman go dey shout, mo dupe, poor man go dey shout awunamo, meaning I don die. Imagine such disturbing contrast in same society. He cried seriously over it in the same militant spirit of Fela. Unknown to him, he never knew that the government had concluded plans to deal with him. The supposedly secret plan came to pass when an unknown soldier attacked him suddenly around the National Theater area, one fateful afternoon, almost killing him in the process. Imagine!      

SOUND SULTAN

This tiny voiced-act joined this league of musical talibans with his release titled “Ole”. When people heard it at first, it didn’t strike them that he was metaphorically referring to the powers that be then; over things being in disarray as a result of bad and corrupt leadership which have since pauperised the people; even with all the government’s laudable projects with big budgets that actually went down the drain as a result of oblivious and pitiable decay emanating from ineptitude governance and corruption.