‘I left dem posts on my Instagram, so you can see there was a turning point.’ Those are the famous opening words from “Gone Far,” one of Zinoleesky’s many inescapable hit singles from early in his career. The posts on Instagram that the Lagos-born singer references are the numerous freestyle videos that he and a bunch of other spirited street artists from Agege popularized in the late 2010s. While these videos were mostly populated by eager, high school graduates with lofty ambitions of blowing, Zinoleesky stood out for his dulcet style which favored Fuji-inspired melodies instead of the more traditional rap style that his friends and industry peers opted for. 

This unique and assured style coupled with his sharp, witty lyricism is what helped propel him to fame; scoring a sleeper hit with the Lil Frosh-assisted “Who Knows” before eventually signing to Naira Marley’s Marlian Music in December 2019 after attracting interest from several top labels in the country. In the years that followed, Zinoleesky stood out as perhaps the most exciting Street Pop artist to have emerged in Nigeria in the last decade. The singer’s relatable tales of strife and hustle, memorable one-liners and salient counsel from his sage mother were expertly folded into melodious and irresistible earworms that helped earmark him as one of Afropop’s next great hopes. Not even the web of restrictive COVID-19 regulations that plagued his breakout year nor an inauspicious encounter with operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency a couple of years later could derail his seemingly unstoppable momentum.

The evening of September 12, 2023, however, represented another turning point in Zinoleesky’s career when news broke that close collaborator and one-time Marlian Music signee Mohbad had died at the age of 27. While initial reports indicated that the “Feel Good” singer died from complications linked to a respiratory infection, the wider details of his illness and eventual death remained suspiciously vague as conflicting narratives began to emerge. This inspired a fiery #Justice4Mohbad outcry on social media which prompted the Lagos Police Command to launch an independent inquiry into the mysterious circumstances surrounding the singer’s death. The public curiosity also began to unearth details about Mohbad’s hostile exit from Marlian Music, as many pointed accusatory fingers towards label boss Naira Marley who Mohbad had previously accused of sending hooligans to physically attack him after he left the label.

While Zinoleesky stayed silent as the entire ordeal unfolded, a heart-rending clip of Mohbad expressing how he felt betrayed by Zinoleesky during the NDLEA fiasco and the ill-treatment he received from Naira Marley surfaced online, causing many angry fans to demand that Zinoleesky speak up and give some clarity to the accusations made against him and his label boss. The sort of maltreatment and bullying that Mohbad was subjected to was something a lot of young Nigerians could relate to, so they were not going to let up until they got some answers. The 24-year-old, however, maintained his silence, causing many to believe he was complicit in Mohbad’s abuse and eventual death. Days after the clip went viral, numerous radio and television stations across the country placed Zinoleesky and Naira Maley’s music catalogue on an airplay ban. Wale Babalola, a United States-based music promoter who heads Fathia Entertainment Showbiz, also announced that he had canceled Zinoleesky’s scheduled US tour. The entire Marlian Music label was caving in on itself and Zinoleesky’s seemingly unstoppable career was trapped under the rubble. 

Months after Mohbad’s death, Zinoleesky resurfaced online, announcing the release of a new single titled “Sakara.” The reception to his comeback was predictably sour as many Nigerians had seemingly canceled him and vowed to never support or listen to any of his music, new or old. In addition to radio and TV stations banning his music, he’d also been blacklisted by numerous platforms and online publications. Several reputable brands and fellow artists also distanced themselves from him as he was noticeably not getting booked for any shows or collaborating with his peers. He had become bad market – a pariah. 

If there was any doubt about where public perception of Zinoleesky stood in 2024, we can look at the public reaction when rising talent Minz released his official debut album ‘By Any Minz’ which included “Sokoto,” a pre-released single featuring Zinoleesky. Even though the song was recorded and released prior to the Mohbad debacle, it didn’t stop many fans from questioning Zinoleesky’s inclusion on the album. A tweet by Minz defending his choice to include the singer on his debut was met with even more backlash, highlighting how opinions about the once-beloved singer have drastically changed as well as the efficacy of cancel culture in Nigeria. 

The independent investigation that the police launched into Mohbad’s death is still yet to be resolved. A contentious autopsy report from earlier in the year stated the cause of the late singer’s death could not be determined and there’s yet to be any notable progress since then. So it only makes sense that many Nigerians are still furious about the situation as details of Mohbad’s unfortunate demise remain vague while Naira Marley and Zinoleesky, who many still believe are somewhat culpable, roam free. And while this is not the first time an artist has been accused of committing a crime or being complicit in harmful behaviour,  it appears this is the first time cancel culture is having any real effect in Nigeria.

In 2020, the same year that Zinoleesky broke out, a woman named Seyitan Babalola accused D’banj of forcibly gaining access to her hotel room as she slept and raping her. She made these allegations on Twitter (now X) and made an official report to the police three days later. D’banj publicly denied the allegations and days after Babalola had made these allegations, she posted another statement on Twitter, describing how officers had forced their way into her apartment, arrested her and detained her overnight without charge. She further explained that she was coerced, and intimidated in person by D’banj and his team to retract all statements and to announce that her testimony was all a publicity stunt. Shortly after this statement, all of Babalola’s posts were deleted from her personal Twitter account and replaced with tweets claiming to retract her allegations, along with videos promoting D’banj’s music. 

While this situation also sparked some online outrage, it was not nearly as serious as the outrage sparked by Mohbad’s death. And for his part,  D’banj simply carried on with business as usual even though he had allegedly raped, abducted and coerced a woman into retracting her statement. The famous singer was neither deplatformed nor particularly blacklisted in the way Zinoleesky and Naira Marley have been. Two years on from the rape allegations, D’banj was revealed as one of the judges of Nigerian Idol and he continues to be celebrated even to this day, underlining the levity with which many Nigerians regard an endemic problem like rape and sexual abuse, a grossly inefficient justice system as well as the considerably high bar for getting ostracized or canceled in Nigeria.  

For many who have refused to boycott some of these controversial acts, the rationale ranges from outrightly choosing to believe the allegations levied against them are false even in the face of overwhelming evidence to the agelong concept of separating the art from the artist. The latter is more common; trying to focus on the intrinsic value of art rather than the actions or transgressions of the artist. While this concept is as nuanced as they come and I believe that art can and should be separated from the artist, ultimately it boils down to what your values are. Unfortunately, it appears for many Nigerians, the bar for refusing to separate an artist from their art is when it involves death.