Silencing Nigerian rappers is not the answer to cybercrime
'Yahoo Yahoo' songs offer us an opportunity to assess the socio-economic conditions that help proliferate fraud
Nigerian Criminal Code Act, Section 419:
Obtaining goods by false pretences
Cash out by Bella Shmurda glorifies & encourages internet fraud.
— الكظم
(@Erl_Carxeeym) January 4, 2021
Since its October 9 release, Bella Shmurda’s inescapable “Cash App” has amassed as much controversy as it has plays – quite a feat, as it currently has over 25 million stream across YouTube, Audiomack and Spotify. Referencing his dubious mode of income, back when he was still hustling tirelessly to reach this point of success, Bella Shmurda has continued to receive backlash for his casual lyrics which explicitly mention the practice of ‘Yahoo Yahoo’, the ubiquitous term used to describe internet fraud in Nigeria.
In the past four months since the song has been released, internet users have continued to lambast Bella Shmurda for his ambivalent criminality, and the lack of remorse or accountability he shows when putting it on wax for thousands of impressionable “youths” to hear. Alongside comparisons to violence in Hip-Hop, petitions advocating that the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission ban “Cash App” off the airwaves emerged, indicating the double standards many Nigerians employ in praising one genre of music whilst deriding the other for being guilty of the same thing.
Having spent sleepless nights taking risks, he sings on “Cash App”, Bella Shmurda is not afraid to flaunt his newly acquired commas, regardless of the illegal ways in which they are gained. Like Davido on “Dami Duro”, Bella Shmurda is singing about his life experiences with wealth, bragging about the money he’s earned in his lifetime. The difference is, Bella Shmurda wasn’t born to a Baba Olowo, as Davido was; his concerns weren’t spilling Belvedere in the club, getting girls, or trying to fend off money hungry leeches. Featuring Olamide of YBNL (Yahoo Boy No Laptop), Bella Shmurda’s 2019 breakout hit, “Vision2020” provides a lens through which we can investigate the rough road that he has travelled, with no end in sight, that led Shmurda, and many other young Nigerians like him, to allegedly take a left into a life of crime. Singing from his mother’s words, “better get that money, son/we are starving,” Bella Shmurda raises the gender imbalance that places the family’s need at the feet of the “man of the house” and his finances. Telling us he “hustled for six months, [I] no get money,” Bella Shmurda continues into his verse finishing, “I’ve been thinking o, I’ve been thinking o,” illustrating the long-lasting, hopeless desperation that led him into scamming.
Whilst Bella Shmurda’s circumstances do evoke pity, at the end of the day, poverty is not an excuse to defraud innocent people who have their own – financial or otherwise – struggles to face every day. Many Nigerians in his position would continue to work honestly, one can’t condone cybercrime simply because it is a symptom of the government’s failings, as Bella Shmurda is quick to remind us of “Vision2020”. Still, by understanding his motivations, “Vision2020”, “Cash App” and music detailing and inextricably glorifying cybercrime in general, offer us an opportunity to assess the socio-economic conditions in which Yahoo Yahoo proliferates in Nigeria.
Like knife crime is to Drill music, or gun crime was to Gangsta Rap, cybercrime has been the illegal vice attached to the Zanku music trend, right from its onset. Zlatan, who features on “Cash App”, who was arrested alongside Naira Marley as part of an EFCC investigation, and has long since been affiliated with this infamy in Nigerian society, broke out with a verse on “Able God” which outrightly encouraged struggling young Nigerians like him to invest in a laptop and get online (“kuro n’be ‘to ye ko lo ra lappy/ tete connect ki wan na le collect”) – a euphemism understood by all Nigerians to basically mean, “get into fraud.” If we listen to Bobby Shmurda who says, “Run up on that nigga, get to squeezing, hoe,” or UK Drill rapper, A.M whose lyrics narrate, “3-2 shots make man disappear/Bare bluss tings all over the gaff/Leave man’s face all open and that,” it is clear that music not only glorifies crime, but also, in some parts, actively encourages it as a response to one’s own circumstances – be it poverty or disrespect. However, as British Journalist Andre Montgomery-Johnson says in his documentary of Drill and knife crime, titled Terms and Conditions, “there’s so many things that you can look at. The lack of father figures, the lack of economic structure, the lack of activities, the lack of opportunities.”
Montgomery-Johnson might be speaking specifically in reference to Drill music, but the same can be said about Zanku music. To understand the link between Zanku music and cybercrime in Nigeria is to realise it’s an effect not a cause, existing only because Yahoo boys exist. By simply denigrating Zanku music and focusing on its hardly proven effects on youngsters, we are ignoring the symptom and avoiding the disease that is cybercrime. In our hyper-religious society, with its moral superiority complex, this is of course the easy way out, to make ourselves feel better about condemning yahoo without actually doing anything about the fraudulent practices that characterise Nigerian culture, such as the victim blaming that occurs when prices are unfairly hiked due to client profiling, or the virtue ascribed to those who are able to evade customs officers both home and abroad. Fundamentally, our society has been desensitised to fraudulent behaviour over the years, so there is a hypocrisy in criticising artists singing about their own reality (and, this writer would argue, a sense of problematic culture tourism in consuming a culture which we are not a part of, to which we cannot relate, with judgemental intentions).
Globally renowned for our scams, it is understandable why publicising our prevalent fraud problem is a particular trigger to Nigerians. But it is incorrect to ascribe the blame of our cybercrime notoriety to musicians; fraud has been brewing on our shores far before Olu Maintain put a dance to it on “Yahooze”. For at least a century, Nigerians have been running their scams abroad, with one of the earliest 419 documents dating back to 1920, according to Stephen Ellis’ This Present Darkness: A History of Nigerian Organized Crime. P.Crentsil – “Professor of Wonders” as he signed himself – was a fraudster who would write to foreign countries, including Ghana, describing how his supernatural powers could be used to the benefit of his mark, for a fee of course. Dubbed the “advance-fee scam” Crentsil’s M.O. is a confidence trick, described by the US’ Federal Bureau of Investigation as a scheme which “occurs when the victim pays money to someone in anticipation of receiving something of greater value – such as a loan, contract, investment, or gift –and then receives little or nothing in return.” On the Wikipedia page for “advance-fee scam” it takes only three paragraphs before Nigeria is highlighted as one of the countries in which this type of fraud is most prominent, given as the first and most detailed example.
The “Nigerian Prince” scam is the most notorious iteration of advance-fee fraud, dating as far back as the mid 1900s, with notorious Nigerian conmen, Prince Eket Inyang Udo, Prince Orizu (aka Dr Abyssinia Akweke Nwafor Orizu), Prince Bill Morrison (who was actually a 14-year-old boy) and Prince Modupe coming up as some of the earliest Nigerian Princes. In the mid ‘40s Wayo Tricksters emerged alongside these highly successful “princes” – they were financial scammers who sold victims boxes of blank paper, promising that, with the application of a particular chemical, these sheets would turn into valid currency. However, in the ‘80s, during President Shehu Shagari’s regime, was when Nigerians really settled into our deplorable stereotype.
The Shagari Administration of 1979-83 led by poor example; their corruption and overspending not only brought about economic downturn but also bred a culture of greed, entitlement and crime, naturally resulting in the increasing prevalence of fraud in Nigeria. As ever, during the Buhari administration that followed, things only got worse, and our “whether na legal or illegal” attitude deepened. Coinciding with the growth of the internet, which brought about tools such as translators and voice modifiers (that have only improved over time), and gave out criminals even more access to countries all over the world. Cybercrime boomed throughout the ‘90s, damaging our international reputation and resulting in the formation of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in 2003, by President Olusegun Obasanjo.
With a history such as this, it becomes almost laughable to suggest Zlatan or Bella Shmurda are responsible for the cybercrime epidemic in Nigeria. For many years, fraud has been a lucrative mode of income and a well-practiced method of poverty alleviation. With our corrupt politicians looting from innocent people too – albeit for largely different reasons than to the disenfranchised youth – Nigeria’s problems do not begin nor end with “Cash App”, and pretending that shutting out the experiences of an entire demographic will somehow erase the problem, will only insulate the cancer of fraud from real and proper scrutiny.
Ultimately in the “Cash App” music video – where Bella Shmurda, Zlatan, Lincon and Dre Spencer (Mr Loader) rob the Bank of America – the criminal quartet end up trading their ice for prison stripes. Yahoo boys come and go, but unless Nigeria fully evaluates our values, customs and priorities, we’re going to be known as 419ers forever.
Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted his heel against me.
Psalms (41:9)
Featured Image Credits: Audiomack
ICYMI: CHARLES OKPALEKE ACQUIRES RIGHTS TO MAKE A BIOPIC ABOUT SHINA RAMBO, THE NOTORIOUS 90’S CRIMINAL
Skyla Tylaa Is Taking Off
For the next phase of her career, Skyla Tylaa is actively working on creating music while entertaining with...
As a child growing up in South-east London, Skyla Tylaa had a natural affinity for the arts. Whether it was music or stage performances, she found herself exploring these interests intently from a young age. That devotion manifested in multiple ways – her attending the BRIT School and Sylvia Young Theatre School where she performed in a West End production of Annie or her fiddling with several musical instruments while she figured out her creative identity. Through it all, music was a constant, the backdrop to her home life where she grew up between Jamaican and English influences. She remembers being exposed to Drum & Bass, Funky House, and Garage. “I think that’s had a big influence in my DJ career,” Skyla Tylaa admits.
Progressing into adulthood, those musical influences persisted even if she didn’t always engage with them professionally. Things changed when she started DJ-ing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Possessed by a visceral desire to experience the euphoria of interacting with people through music, she burrowed deeper into DJ-ing. “I couldn’t be in my room and just have people commenting,” she recalls. “I need to see people’s energy, and feel everything in the moment.”
Since then, she’s enjoyed a meteoric rise that has taken the world by storm. Mentored by DJ Tunez, she performed multiple times on the American leg of Wizkid’s ‘Made In Lagos’ tour and came out of the experience raring to go. “Opening for Wizkid on his tour was a transformative experience,” she says. “It taught me a lot about resilience and adaptability in my craft. I was still pretty much a start-up DJ when I went on tour and it made me really realise how important it is to connect with the audience. Touring from city to city with different crowds, it helped me to learn how to read the room and keep the vibe going.”
Almost as importantly for Skyla Tylaa, Rihanna was present at one of those tour stops and was impressed by her set, stopping by after the show to congratulate her. “After that I felt like I could conquer the world,” she says. Since then, she’s been selected by Rihanna to DJ at a Fenty X Puma Creeper launch event in London in 2024, marking a full-circle moment between the women.
Like Rihanna, Skyla Tylaa is inspired by music from the breadth of the Black diaspora, playing sets that take as much influence from the fervid restlessness of Hip-hop as they do the wavy melodies of House music, and the dancefloor summons of Afrobeats “I love partying! I genuinely love it,” she explains. “When preparing my sets, I’m always thinking of people having a good time. Whatever I can do to connect with them, I’m down to do it!”
In the last few years, few genres have shown the propensity for inspiring a great time with the regularity that Amapiano does. From Johannesburg to Windhoek, to Lagos, London, and New York, the log drums and mutating basslines of the genre have proven integral to a new Pop framework that is as amorphous as it is exhilarating. Since first hearing the genre while on a visit to Ghana years ago, Skyla Tylaa has been hooked. “It was the log drum, the sound, just the vibes that came with it,” she says. “I was like ‘wait – what is this?’ When you hear Amapiano, it’s one of those sounds that no matter what, you’re gonna dance.”
Diving into the genre, she’s picked up valuable lessons from important figures like Maphorisa, Uncle Vinny and Major League DJz while putting her youthful spin on the sound. It’s all coming together for the DJ who’s working with her sister, music heavyweight Jada Pollock, to figure it all out one step at a time. “When I found my passion for DJing, Jada was right there, urging me to dive into the ‘Made in Lagos’ tour,” she says. “I wasn’t sure I was ready, but she believed in me and knew I could handle it. My love for music has been with me since school; it just took some time for me to realize that this was the direction I wanted to pursue. Once I found my calling, her support became endless–she attended my early gigs and pushed me to perform at major festivals like Afro Nation.”
She’s since performed at leading festivals such as Wireless, Piano People and Australia’s Promiseland as well as selling out headline shows across London, London, and Ghana. For the next phase of her career, she’s actively working on creating music. This month, she released her debut single, “Bombshell,” a searing Amapiano banger that has all the hallmarks of a potential summer hit. “Bombshell” features Tanzanian Bongo Flava act, Diamond Platnumz, as well as South African acts, Tyler ICU, Khalil Harrison, and DJ Exit. It’s a blockbuster showing that sits well in the tradition of the genre. “The idea was initially played to me by Tyler ICU in March 2024,” Skyla Tylaa says. “He and I had a session while he was in London, and this was one of the ideas we worked on. Khalil was already on it, at the time, and I loved what I heard!”
After seeding it into her live sets last summer and starting live teasers with a dance challenge, Diamond Platnumz reached out about potentially working on the song and it was arranged. “I started teasing the new version of the song in my sets and then a whole new viral dance challenge came about online in December,” she says. “From that point, I knew the track had all the elements (features included) to be a big release in 2025 !” For DJ Exit, a chance to be part of a transformative song like “Bombshell” was an opportunity he didn’t want to pass up. “What drew me to this single was the chance to be part of something boundary-breaking,” he explains. “Gqom and Amapiano are both powerful in their own right, but fusing the raw, percussive energy of Gqom with the soulful, hypnotic swing of Amapiano creates a sound the world hasn’t fully experienced yet. This isn’t just another collaboration–it’s a cultural statement.”
The Xhosa word, ‘basazomangala,’ meaning ‘to be shocked,’ is uttered several times on “Bombshell,” and it reflects the message that Harrison was trying to pass on the track. ““Bombshell” is really about letting people know that there’s still so much more to come from me,” he says. “It’s a celebration of the present moment, but also a reminder that this is just the beginning. We’re all dancing to what’s happening now, but there’s an energy in the air that says the best is yet to come.”
In light of Amapiano’s rise to global prominence and the international acclaim it enjoys, Harrison is right about more things being on the horizon, and Skyla Tylaa agrees with him: “When I was introduced to Amapiano, I fell in love instantly and that time it was just on the verge of global appeal. It’s global now and still growing and that makes me appreciate it even more! I love it, and the world loves it! The feeling is mutual ! We can all enjoy it together!”
For Tyler ICU, having DJs from the diaspora like Skyla Tylaa engage with Amapiano and its culture is a win for the genre. “This shows the power of the genre–it’s not just a sound, it’s a movement,” he says. “When someone like Skyla, who appreciates the culture and brings her own flavour, plays Amapiano in places like London, New York or Toronto, she’s not just playing music, she’s building bridges. That’s how we grow–by letting the world feel it in their own way, but staying true to where it started. It’s important that the roots are respected, but the branches can reach far.”
Just a couple of weeks since its release, “Bombshell” has crossed over 650,000 thousand views on YouTube and continues to be a sensation on TikTok. Like everything Skyla Tylaa has done up till now in her career, it’s shaping up perfectly and has shown that she has a knack for the right collaborations. She intends to keep making music. “This year, my focus is all about music,” she says. “I recently signed with Robots and Humans (Sony) in the UK and Epic in the US, which has given me a different level of drive to really want to create good music. I’m also looking forward to exploring the Afro-house genre and collaborating with other talented artists.”
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What OdumoduBlvck’s Greatest School Tour Could Mean For Touring In Nigeria
The rapper’s decision to embark on a local university tour of this nature could go on to become a...
There’s no denying that OdumoduBlvck’s 2023 mixtape ‘Eziokwu’ established his musical genius. While the half dozen projects that preceded ‘Eziokwu’ almost served as target practice, largely showcasing the early iterations of Okporoko music – his unique melodious rap fusion – it was his major label debut that truly grounded the rapper in Nigeria’s rich Hip-Hop lineage. The album’s far-reaching success culminated in a historic joint tour with fellow 2023 breakout star Shallipopi, which saw the two share the stage across 9 cities in the United States. Similarly, riding the high of his latest mixtape, ‘The Machine Is Coming,’ the Anti-World Gangstar head huncho recently announced a new tour. This time, however, instead of taking his new collection of infectious bangers to stages abroad, the rapper decided to visit different universities across the country for what he calls the ‘Greatest School Tour Ever.’
Touring in Nigeria is a subject that has become somewhat controversial over the last few years, splitting opinions amongst many fans, industry experts, and artists themselves. Back in the mid-2000s to early 2010s, local touring was very much the norm. Platforms like Star Music’s ‘The Trek,’ as well as a few prominent local promoters, enabled some of the biggest names like 2face, Olamide, and M.I to hold annual nationwide tours. These tours included stops in cities like Warri, Makurdi, Owerri and many other places that artists are less likely to visit today. University tours were also popular as they presented an avenue for these artists to connect with their younger audience, who mostly served as the bedrock of their fan base.
The rise of digital streaming platforms, which has partly informed the industry’s rapid evolution over the past decade, coupled with other economic and infrastructural issues, has, however, forced a sharp decline in local touring, making it an almost altruistic endeavour in today’s Nigeria. Afropop gaining global exposure meant that the international market immediately became more viable and lucrative to our biggest stars, and this reshaped their priorities. The extensive, multi-city shows became reserved for diaspora fans, while the local audience, in most cases, are treated to a solitary annual show.
OdumoduBlvck looks to buck this trend with the ‘Greatest School Tour Ever,’ prioritizing his primary audience before tending to those abroad. In truth, the Lagos-born rapper is not the only one who has embarked on this type of tour in recent times. A couple of years ago, UK-based rapper Kida Kudz and Ckay also went on similar campus tours, with the latter making stops at 10 different universities across the country. Llona, one of the breakout stars from last year, is also currently on a nationwide tour coming off the success of his impressive debut album ‘Homeless.’ The ‘Greatest School Tour Ever,’ is however, peculiar and momentous because of its timing and OdumoduBlvck’s standing as one of the biggest names around.
At the recent 17th Headies Awards, the rapper became the latest recipient of the Next Rated award, a highly coveted plaque that’s historically reserved for standout acts whose music defines the zeitgeist at a given period. He received the award just two days after he gave an electrifying performance at Afe Babalola University. His latest mixtape, ‘The Machine Is Coming,’ a precursor to his highly anticipated forthcoming debut, currently sits at the No. 2 spot on the Turntable Top 50 Album charts. It is unheard of in recent times: that the Headies Next Rated act, who has one of the top projects in the country, is on a local university tour. The Abuja-native has, however, shown on numerous occasions that he has never really been one to abide by existing standards. The famous opening lines from his breakout single “Declan Rice” (I can do without their Policy I Know), did not only serve as a message to gatekeepers and naysayers but also as a manifesto that declared his mode of operation going forward.
At the time of this writing, the rapper has only made two stops on his ongoing tour, but his decision to embark on a local tour of this nature already looks to be paying dividends. The first two shows have produced viral clips that capture his star power, the hysteria of his headline shows and his rapidly growing influence, especially amongst younger listeners. The viral clips have already created an increased demand for shows, with many young fans harassing the rapper to add more dates to the tour. With the release of ‘The Machine Is Coming’ and his recent crowning moment at the Headies, it’s safe to assume there’s more attention on him now than ever. While it is, of course, still early days, the rapper’s decision to embark on a local university tour, especially given that he’s currently experiencing a career high, could go on to become a significant moment, one that potentially inspires a shift in the touring landscape in Nigeria.
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NATIVE PREMIERE: Tanika Is Stepping Out On Her Terms With The Kida Kudz-Assisted “FAST FWD”
From working her way out of London’s Myatt’s Field, Tanika is now setting her sights on the bright lights...
Across a career that’s in its second decade, Tanika has proven to be a force in her own right, holding her own on collaborations with Black British stars like Stormzy and Wretch 32, as well as popular record producer Naughty Boy–working with the Grammy-nominated beatmaker on his acclaimed ‘Hotel Cabana’ album.
Following a stint as an actor, she returned to the studio in 2021, releasing a new extended play, ‘333,’ in 2023. The project carried all the hallmarks of Tanika at her tantalising best: lilting cadences, well-paced narratives, a songwriting that reaches for the heart of the matter.
On her latest song, “Fast Fwd,” she’s growing into her own and stepping into a new era. In many ways, “Fast Fwd,” a hypnotic, sultry anthem, is landing just in time for summer revelry. Produced by her longtime collaborator, Naughty Boy, her silky vocals land effortlessly on the mid-tempo instrumental and pulsates with her desire for her love interest.
Joined on the song by her fiancé, Kida Kudz, they make an interesting duo and replicate the synergy they had on “Nobody,” off Kudz’s 2021 ‘Top Memba.’ Distinctively marked by use of neon lights, the video for the song captures the effervescence of romance that Tanika hums about throughout the song.
From working her way out of London’s Myatt’s Field to becoming a star with millions of streams, Tanika is now setting her sights on the bright lights of superstardom. Ahead of the official release of the single, we had a brief chat with Tanika about her career, the influences for “Fast Fwd,” and working with KIda Kudz on it.
Her answers, which follow below, have been lightly edited for clarity.
How would you describe where you are in your career right now?
I’m just enjoying the journey.
What does the release of “Fast Fwd” signify for you?
It signifies love.
Why is Kida Kudz a fit for the song? (
To be honest, we didn’t plan to do another song together. I have worked on two records with him before (“Nobody” and “Tasty Time” ) but we never thought to shoot a video for it.. “Fast Fwd” felt like a real testimony of our present moment in the relationship.
You’ve worked extensively with Naughty Boy and he’s helped with “Fast Fwd,” what’s your relationship like and why does it work?
Naughty Boy knows me very well. We’ve known one another for over 10 years, so he knows what fits me musically. We gel. I think him knowing me and being a fan of Kida’s music made it all work. Naughty Boy does his listening before he makes a beat for you. A lot of producers don’t really understand the importance of knowing the artist musically but he does.
What were you aiming for with the video?
To be honest, I’m aiming for nothing. I’m just enjoying the journey. It’s been a very long road and I know I still have a long way to go.
Catch an exclusive view of “Fast Fwd” below.
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