Popular Songs, Literary Texts: a Linguistic Approach to the Music of 2 Face Idibia

Abstract

The hip hop culture has dominated the Nigerian music scene in such an unprecedented fashion. The musicians operating in this medium have successfully combined unique western hip hop elements with existing African musical elements giving it a unique style now come to be realized as „Naija‟ hip hop. However, this genre of music has attracted little attention from the scholarly terrain. This paper looks at this musical phenomenon with an analysis of the music of Innocent 2 Face Idibia to illustrate the aspect of hybridism inherent in the lyrics. Through an interpretive lens, the articles identifies specific themes, messages, and linguistic features pertaining to the lyrics and explore how these lyrics relate to shifting trends and to issues of race, class, and gender in the Nigerian society.