Nigerian rapper, songwriter, and actor Folarin “Falz” Falana has, throughout his career, defined the shape of his musicianship with the mould of his multi-hyphenate persona.
His acting contributes to the deft impersonation and comical mimicry, while his inclination towards hip-hop outlines his sketches with carefully thought-out storytelling and sure-footed wit. With his latest single from BAHD (2022), ‘Yakubu’, alongside fellow countryman Vector, Falz calls upon the powers from his many different facets to document the struggle against the corruption of power-hungry officials in seats of authority.
‘Yakubu‘ is a narrative-driven rap song based on the reigning Independent National Electoral Commission chairperson, Professor Mahmoud Yakubu. Having helmed the recent elections in Nigeria, the veracity of the 2023 elections has been subject to public and critical scrutiny due to alleged irregularities which plagued the process. Falz and Vector make easy pickings of the bone of contention on the hook with blatant finger-pointing, “Mr Yakubu! e ma n se bi fraudster (Ah ah)”.
In the first verse, the Lagos-born rapper infuses humour into his socially conscious lyricism, aerating the honesty with light-hearted jokes (“You don’t want to prosper / Come and collect Oscar”).
Falz’s way of not shying away from exposing dark deeds in ‘Yakubu‘ borrows from his brazen approach to his previous studio album Moral Instruction (2019). In his pair of verses, he touches on themes such as police brutality (“When we protest, they shot”), the mismanagement of state funds (“Three hundred billion te gba lowo ijoba”), corruption (“Evidence everywhere, everybody capture / Wetin you come write for inside your report card?”)
Vector slides into the middle verse; however, unlike his colleague, his less guarded in his approach and appreciably more cut-throat in his analysis and judgment of Yakubu. His scathing remarks and interrogative nature (“The same Mr Yakubu? Who? / Oju at’orun? / Enu no dey work (Work) / Opolo ti burst (Burst)”. But the thirty-eight-year-old rapper is a complementary companion next to Falz, with his seriousness tempering the levity that Falz established in the first verse.
‘Yakubu‘ is a balanced verdict issued by two of hip-hop’s most socially awake judges in the continent. As insular as the matters discussed in the song are, concerning Nigerian politics, the eerie highlights Falz and Vector call to attention echo cosmopolitan struggles most countries deal with when it comes to figures seated in high positions of authority.
Watch Yakubu‘ here:
