Glocalisation of Nigerian contemporary hip hop music

Abstract

This paper discusses the glocal trends in Nigerian hip hop music production in the age of digital communication technology. The concept of music glocalisation explains the local consciousness in music production, dissemination and consumption amid the forces of globalisation. Following the adoption of American hip hop in Nigeria in the 1990s, a renegotiation of hip hop’s cultural authenticity led to the production of localised hip hop with features of preceding popular music genres, especially highlife music. Although highlife was the most favoured popular music in Nigeria before the 1990s, it did not receive immediate global distribution and appreciation as localised hip hop did during the internet era from around 2004 to date. Increased internet access in Nigeria largely strengthened the access to global hip hop production and consumption. By focusing on the music of two Nigerian hip hop artists, 2face and Flavour, this discussion explores the production and transnational projection of transcultural hip hop identities amid global hip hop music flows. The paper contends that hip hop glocalisation promotes blending of hip hop practices of diverse locales, transcultural communication and global appreciation of Nigerian hip hop culture.