Internet fraud among other social vices can be glorified using the power of music. In recent times, artistes like FalztheBahdGuy have publicly condemned artistes who make to glorify such illegal acts and the people who perpetuate them.
But 11 years ago, Nigerians were blessed with an anthem. A song that reverberated through all corners of the country and beyond. Yahoozee by Olu Maintain was widely accepted by music lovers but the argument has been the same. Did the song promote internet fraud?
In an interview with Punch Newspaper, the artiste himself, Olu Maintain attempts to clear the air on the matter.
He said , “When you create a body of art, people can misinterpret it the way they see fit. I mean, Yahooze is 11 years old and if you watch the video of the song, it was centred around an upcoming artiste that got a million dollar record deal. That was the message I presented with the song. Does the music video in any way represent Internet fraud? The answer is no.
“I cannot be responsible for how people interpret a work of art. It is like a painting, a man would value a painting for millions of dollars but to the other man, it does not make sense. Art should be subjected to everyone’s interpretation. My interpretation of that form of art was made very obvious,” he said.
The Yahooze singer spoke further on why he’s yet to release a track that could match the popularity of Yahooze, saying, “It is a different generation and a different era with a different demography. As an artiste; as you grow, your core demography changes.
Yahooze came out in an era when there was no social media. Today, people’s patience to digest any material is very short; 11 years ago, it was not like that. If you had a hit song, it could last for about two years but these days you are competing with so many bodies of work and it would take something special for you to have the same kind of buzz that a song like Yahooze had.”