Can the recent tunes be referred to as good music?

I feel that I have had the ear for good music for quite some time. As a young primary school student, play didn’t extend beyond doors unless on days both parents were out or my mum was extremely unwilling to be bothered about the little things three young kids make out as big issues. One of those days when mum was unwilling brought me in contact with music, I was very young, slightly taller than the TV in the divider but as I ran pass the noise box to enjoy the rare play time, my ears caught Tony Braxton’s music, there was something soothing there, and when my eyes decided to find out who made the joyful noise, I was glad it did, because there on the screen was a beautiful woman singing melody, I was in love, devoid of sex, pure love for something, the kind of love that controls attention. Momentarily I wasn’t sure if it was for Tony or for Music itself but I loved the woman for a while.
Then I grew to be fond of Music, it was sweet to my mind as it extended beyond the ears. There was something about Music of that time, they had content, even when they weren’t peacefully in rendition, they had soul, there was a story being told, about sex, love, blue moments, pain, joy of wealth etc. The music-videos further enhanced this, they were matching imagery to the words: If it was sex: bodies communicated, if it was sadness-the pains radiated same, need I say more. That was the 90s and music then was imported content. Those sang by Nigerian Old names were tagged Party Music or the Music for the Old.
Then the millennium came and Indigenous Music emerged with promise especially from artistes like Tuface Idibia. There was something in the flow that the first generation of this class had, it was there: that extra something that demanded interest. We followed, they industry grew, people came in and industry adulteration snowballed into a music offering that now lacks CONTENT.
Once it’s upbeat, it appealing. Check the recent music video, the obvious lack of content is apparent in the discord of the words and the dramatization. That bridge is not just there. Apparently, you can’t act out an empty script!
South Africans on the other hand are emerging contemporary music house, offering a bit more obviously, the popular songs from that export (apologies for using such word for a nation) have promise: flow, soul, some connection to the video imagery and sync of everything. That popular song (even the name eludes me) in their native dialect is also captivating, when it plays, I listen and enjoy even when the whole length is alien, but something says-Good Music!
Coming back home,30 years from now, will we be able to say  that-this time was a time good music was being churned out by Nigerians, except from  a very limited few?
So few it won’t exceed hand count.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Third Shift of the Sun

The Gambler

The Silent Conversation