Echoes of deviance and the evolution of the principles of Marlianism in Nigerian popular music

Abstract

The emergence of the Marlian movement in the Nigerian popular music arena has been largely perceived by some concerned Nigerians as a novel cultural event loaded with moral ambivalence and anarchy. This essay engages in an analytic study of the movement, revolving around the persona and music performance of Azeez Fashola, a.k.a. Naira Marley. Applying hermeneutics and contextual analysis, the author seeks to investigate the extent to which Naira Marley, as a music star, functions as a powerful influence on Nigerian youth culture. From research findings, this study argues that while the music of Naira Marley serves as entertainment, especially given its extraordinary appeal to mainly the class of the youth, it is, in fact, an instrument of cultural protest as well as a tool of enactment of non-conformist and deviant morality. Simultaneously, it (the music) establishes a peculiar pattern of social identity through upholding anarchic principles thereby, giving the Marlian devotees some sense of belonging within the movement. Ultimately, the specific functionality of Marlian music within the contemporary Nigerian youth culture is rooted in the fact that music can function as a tool for the marketing and diffusion of ideas, values and political ideologies. Given that Marley’s music is imbued with some ethically dubious values that can adversely affect the worldview and mannerisms of Nigerian youth, the study proposes a paradigm shift from the Marlian music culture to a classical music counterculture––characterized by beauty and moral genuineness––that could possibly yield better results in the solid character formation of the young.