Pop culture is an integral part of the entertainment industry, especially the movie and music industry. It is a medium for fans to connect with their favourite entertainers; via dressing, talking or modeling their life after their most ardent entertainer.
The rise of Hip-Hop and Pop music in the late 90’s and early 20’s gave birth to the popularity of Western pop culture in Nigeria, specifically American Hip-Hop culture. Things like baggy jeans, oversized T-Shirts with images or drawings of 2-Pac, G-Unit, Snoop Dogg or Jay-Z were extremely popular, some even imitated talking like Black Americans and adopting some of their slangs. In the midst of American Hip-Hop culture in Nigeria, some artistes managed to stand out and influence the youth with their genuine and indigenous style, here’s a list of some artistes that influenced pop culture in Nigeria in the late 90’s and early 20’s.
1.) Tony Tetuila: Tony Tetuila was a member of the pioneer Hip-Hop group in Nigeria, The Remedies. The Remedies had Tony Tetuila, Eedris Abdulkareem and Eddy Montana as its member before the group was disbanded. Tony Tetuila can also boast of a successful solo career after the group broke up. Asides his musical prowess, Tony Tetuila was popular for his blonde hair. The blonde tint style became his identity and at that time made it trendy and somewhat cool for everyone to try out blonde hair.
2.) Lagbaja: Veteran masked Afrobeat singer, Lagbaja, rocked the Nigerian airways with his distinct sound in the midst of the popular Hip-Hop culture in Nigeria. His songs were rich in the Yoruba culture, evident in his choice of instrumentals and his extensive use of the Yoruba language in his music. His songs were usually socially and politically conscious, criticizing societal and political ills. His song, Konko Below was a major hit in the early 20’s. As a part of Lagbaja’s artistry, he always wears a mask and Kito slides, he made Kito sandals extremely cool and popular around that time. Almost everyone young person had a pair of Kito sandals on their feet, all thanks to Lagbaja.
3.) Sir Shina Peters: Sir Shina Peters is a household name in the Nigerian music industry, he is popular for propagating the genre Afro-juju; a fusion of Afrobeat and Juju music. He started out playing music at a very young age and he later joined Ebenezer Obey’s band. He left Ebenezer Obey’s band and joined a couple other bands before he formed his own band; Sir Shina Peters and His International Stars. In 1989, he released his debut album Ace (Afro-Juju Series 1) and it became an instant success. Sir Shina Peters started wearing gold chains before it became a norm for artistes to rock gold chains.
4.) Don Jazzy: Ace producer, Don Jazzy is a household name and a very important figure in the Nigeria music industry with his immense contribution to the growth of Afrobeats both locally and internationally, also he is associated with grooming some of the best young talented artistes. He is famed for his works with the now defunct record label, Mo’Hits and his current work with Mavin Records. During the Mo’Hits era, Don Jazzy was responsible for producing numerous hit songs and albums that rocked Nigeria and the world at large. To maintain his “Don” status, Don Jazzy; he often walked around with a walking stick. Don Jazzy the walking stick popular, he made everyone feel like a Don while rocking the stick.
5.) Majek Fashek: As Reggae became a mainstream genre in Nigeria, Majek Fashek was the poster boy for its growth; he took Nigerian reggae to the international level. Following the commercial success of his Prisoner of Conscience album, Majek Fashek became a household name and a force to reckon with. His 1991 album, Spirit of Love further cemented his legendary status in the music industry on one hand while taking reggae further as a mainstream genre on the other hand. His hit songs; Send Down The Rain and Little Patience, were on the lips of everyone, they were an anthem on the street. Through his music, Majek made Jamaican reggae culture popular in Nigeria; the youths imitated speaking patois, they carried dreadlocks and often rocked t-shirts with Bob Marley’s face on them.
