![]() ![]() Olu Maintain had struck a nerve, affected pop culture and resurrected his solo career in 2008, Yahooze won the Song of the Year category at the Headies – Nigeria’s equivalent of the Grammys. Unlike Owoh’s song, this was a celebration of materialistic culture.Īfter its October 2007 release, it quickly became a viral hit. Authorities banned airplay of the song as its lyrics mirrored Nwude’s modus operandi.Īnd then there was Yahooze (a derivative of ‘Yahoo’) a comeback record for Olu Maintain (born Olumide Edwards Adegbulu) who had split from the popular boy band, Maintain, three years earlier. In 2005, Nollywood star actor Nkem Owoh released the satirical track I Go Chop Your Dollar, as the soundtrack to the movie The Master – playing an internet fraudster who dupes “greedy” white people. Young men began trooping to cybercafes to send “Nigerian prince” letters and a culture of flamboyance from ill-gotten gains followed, so the EFCC had its hands full. Internet connectivity was on the rise and cybercafes were dotting small towns across many parts of Nigeria. One of its first high-profile cases was the trial of Emmanuel Nwude, a former bank executive who impersonated the central bank governor and defrauded a Brazilian bank of $242m. In 2002, Nigeria had established the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). I think the biggest flex in the history of Nigerian Music was when Olu Maintain brought out The US Secretary of State on stage to come and dance to a song about fraud. ![]() That dance – as well as the song – remains pivotal in the genre’s story arc. “The perpetrators are known as “Yahoo Boys” after their email service provider of choice.” “The Nigerian hit is a celebration of that country’s most infamous export, advance-fee email fraud (sometimes called 419 fraud, after the relevant section of the Nigerian penal code),” the article read. The irony was highlighted by The Guardian two days later. In doing the Yahozee dance, Powell, one of the most idolised Black men in the world even after his October 2021 death from COVID-19, had unwittingly given a stamp of approval to an ode to flamboyance underwritten by internet fraud. It also highlighted the significant role London would play as an amplifier of the genre that grew from the streets of Lagos. It was also a seminal moment for the burgeoning but mesmerising genre known as Afrobeats, long before its global domination today. Keep reading list of 4 items list 1 of 4 US National Security Agency unveils artificial intelligence security centre list 2 of 4 Few customers but plenty of cash?: N Korean restaurants remain open in Laos list 3 of 4 Evolving threats: The state of personal data protection in Brazil list 4 of 4 Jordan’s king approves ‘draconian’ cybercrime law end of list
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |