Is it mesmerising, is it triggering, is it cake?
"I want to marvel at the talent, but I feel deeply uneasy seeing an onion with naturally flaking skin sliced open to reveal sponge."
“These Are All Cakes” tweeted Tasty, the foodie vertical by Buzzfeed, dedicated to sharing the latest food fads through delicious recipe videos from their community and also compilation clips showing what other incredible chefs have cooking. Their July 8th tweet falls into the latter bracket. For Tasty’s unsuspecting social media team, “These Are All Cakes” was an innocent tweet, shared to wow their million plus followers as they do on most days with their tantalising content – they could never have predicted what would follow. Over the weekend, what was simply a jaw-dropping, mouth-watering exhibition of baking talent turned into a collective existential crisis on the Twitterverse (and beyond, of course).
These Are All Cakes pic.twitter.com/ejArkJHaid
— Tasty (@tasty) July 8, 2020
For those who live under a rock, the ‘cake’ trend coursing through Instagram, Twitter, TikTok and perhaps Facebook (maybe, who really knows what goes on there?), is a baking scam which sees cake moulded and iced into everyday objects, items of food, whole meals and even body parts. As early as January we saw a tattooed hand sitting next to an apple, cut to reveal that it was no hand at all, but in fact what looks like a vanilla and strawberry cake. Of course, the apple wasn’t much of an apple either, and throughout the year, we’ve spotted several different deceitful depictions. Over the weekend, however, following Tasty’s now-infamous tweet, there seemed to be an assault of trickery, leaving internet users genuinely uncertain as to whether the raw chicken breast brought right out of the supermarket packaging is in fact chicken or…
Is it a cake?
Thus, the meme was born. Suggesting the entire universe may indeed be made out of cake – I might be cake, this device might be cake, your eyes might be cake – the trending topic “Is It Cake?” poses a ridiculous, yet still incredibly triggering, existential question. Shrouded in the absurdity of the meme, is the very real fact that we know very little about the world we’re living in. There are so many questions about life at the moment – far more unnerving than whether or not we’re all made out of cake – uncertainties which have come rushing to the foreground of public debate over these past few months. Though presented as a joke, going down as one for most people, for some (like me, who gave up on R.S. at 14 because there was too much philosophical thinking involved in our studies of Plato’s Cave and The Truman Show) the joke has turned into a mild existential crisis.
Whilst I do want to marvel at the talent these baking gods are flaunting, I also feel deeply uneasy seeing an onion with naturally flaking skin sliced open to reveal sponge. These videos have shoved me down a rabbit hole echoing existential doubt: What is real? What does ‘real’ even mean? Is my life real? What even is ‘life’? And as if the puzzle of ‘reality’ sparked by this inescapable internet craze isn’t confusing enough, I’m even more perplexed with how to react to it. Am I being irrational for freaking out about life over a meme? Should I focus on the artists and their culinary dexterity? How do I react to seeing the abnormal yet skilful amalgamation of two of my favourite foods (McDonalds’ McMuffin and cake)? Is it mesmerising? Is it triggering?
An argument can be made for the two, but I’ve found peace in the only affirmation we know to be true: it is cake.
* looks at LEGO collection* are you cake? pic.twitter.com/FrBCP8qNYv
— Nerdist (@nerdist) July 12, 2020
It’s mesmerising!
As disturbing as this newly spotlighted movement, long existing within the baking scene is, one can’t help but sound a round of applause for the cake bosses that are able to guilefully pull off this mass trickery. German-Nigerian Heather Moradeyo, who runs a London-based bakery, Happy’s Bakery, is one of such wily talents. Sharing her own contribution of to the Cake trend on Twitter on Sunday afternoon, Heather tells me things have been going crazy for her since, as her cake rendition of a hearty Nando’s meal garnered huge attention owing to her artistry. Though Heather doesn’t think her food cakes look particularly realistic, watching her slice the quarter chicken into cake was a heart-breaking sight for many – her Nando’s cake and the other food cakes occasioning Happy’s Bakery’s Instagram page are a far cry from her first-ever ‘food cake’, a ‘burger cake’ made for her brother’s birthday, which Heather refuses to share because it’s now that “embarrassing”.
“It was good for my first time. Obviously, [it was] nothing compared to [what I’m making] now. What I will say though, everyone always says ‘what does it taste like’? It tastes good! Ok? These cakes have buttercream, these cakes have ganache [laughs], these cakes are made by a pastry chef who understands flavours – they just happen to look also nothing like a cake.”
Just 24-years-old, Heather Moradeyo is a certified pastry chef, professionally trained through restaurants and hotels to deliver Michelin-star desserts and fine-dining standard cakes. So when she decided to venture into cake-making, inspired by the grandeur of the Cake Boss himself, Buddy Valastro, Heather was well-equipped to become the cake-art sensation she is today.
“Modelling chocolate is great!” She tells me before ploughing into a bunch of techniques she uses to recreate familiar dishes with the unfamiliar ingredients.
“Not only does it smell great it tastes better too! It’s like working with clay or plasticine. I use anything to make my cakes look realistic. From rolled up foil to scratches using my fork. The trick is to have an image you want to replicate and look at it in detail – all the scratches and the marks etc.”
Speaking to me about her early days teaching herself how to master this dupery, Heather says:
“it was basically working with edible colours, working with different elements. So, for example, Rice Crispies is a really good way to replicate rice. You can [also] mould different shapes out of cake if you just add a bit of icing to it – it almost becomes like clay and then you’re basically eating a cake pop. So, just with experimenting and with YouTube and all these things, I was learning how to create more realistic cakes.”
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This is something Heather promises me she will continue doing. Heather and other bakers have been concocting these marvellous abominations for quite some time – the practice is nothing new, but simply becoming more mainstream. So, especially now that she sees people enjoy her creation for entertainment purposes, Heather will “100% be making more realistic cakes”.
“People are starting to recognise that cakes aren’t just round and piped with flowers anymore. That’s what’s so great about it though! The possibilities are endless… It’s very hard to tell when something isn’t cake, and I say this because I am surrounded by the most talented bakers. Every day I discover a new cake artist and go ‘how the hell did they do that?’ So, it’s very hard to tell. I mean they could place something in front of you and you’d be like ‘na that’s Jollof Rice’, but it’s actually just cake.”
It’s mesmerising, but also…
It’s triggering.
When you can’t trust what you see, it’s hard to trust anything at all and therein lies the problem. Innocent as these cakes may be, the memes surrounding them trigger a dark train of thought, for me at least. Magnetising, we can’t seem to get enough of these masterful creations; we can’t stop looking, which means we can’t stop ourselves from ushering in another massive question mark to a life that was already full of them. This year, in particular, didn’t need a meme posing an existential question, however, here we are, our minds are once again in the middle of a civil battle debating the existence of reality and other profound (un)truths we tend to spend our days avoiding.
Am I the only one these cakes are upsetting? I really don’t like these videos
—
(@DamDamxx) July 13, 2020
It’s REALLY upsetting tbh
— Be Kind To One Another (@feyi_bello) July 13, 2020
To some people, this will all sound rather hyperbolic, but if you know you relate, first of all, congratulations on manoeuvring your way through the minefield of triggering content to reach this stage. Secondly, so as not to leave you scarred and stranded, we’re rounding off with some steps to pull you out of this and any other existential crises you may encounter. This year has been especially harrowing, so it is ever more important we stay informed on how to take care of ourselves mentally. There are many different types of existential crises – questions of death and mortality, life and purpose, freedom and choices – but these steps are from a range of healthcare resources that should help you overcome all.
Reframe your mindset
Existential crises often come with big unsettling questions such as “what’s the point of life?” or “what will happen when I die”. Breaking down these bigger questions and reframing them into action points can be a really helpful exercise in reducing anxiety. For example, questioning your life’s purpose could turn into challenging yourself to do something of value, pondering death could turn into a determination to work towards being less scared of death. These latter questions are not easy, however, they’re plausible points to work through.
Controlling your thoughts in this way, you can flip this crisis into an opportunity to grow and to learn.
Research, but be prepared for persisting unknowns
It can be a good idea to research the questions and worries you have, in order to find out how other people perceive the issue that is currently troubling you. Take lots of notes and find answers, help or guidance to your smaller, broken down questions. However, you must also learn to accept that you might not be able to find all the answers. Life is full of many things unknown, and it’s incredibly scary, but going back to tip one, it is useful to reframe your mindset and strive toward accepting the unknowns.
Journal
Putting pen to paper to purge yourself of all your negative emotion is a useful practice that most healthcare professionals advise. As well as writing down, expressing and freeing all your negative thoughts, gratitude journals are also a great tool for combatting existential crises, particularly to do with crises of purpose or fear of freedom and choices, as these help you highlight the positive’s in your life, thereby bringing your mind to a place of peace.
Get active and outdoors
When you’re in a thinking rut, it is very easy to neglect your body, which in turns leads to a worse-off state of mind. Exercise is another go-to recommendation for healthcare professionals as it is indubitably effective in clearing out your mind. Fresh air and a change in scenery are also helpful in cleansing your thoughts, removing you from the mental rabbit hole and enabling you to reframe your thinking.
Seek professional help
All these tips are much easier said than done and sometimes even when you’ve checked off everything anxiety and depression can still persist; in this case, it’s best to seek a mental health professional. If you have a history of mental health issues, seeking professional help is an advisable first step.
Featured image credits/@shaqaveli_182
Wojumi is a bad bitch & she’s going to brag about it. Tweet her your latest cultural exploits @dewoju
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NATIVE PREMIERE: Rigo Kamp Runs Ahead Of The Pack With The Visuals For “Marathon”
Rigo Kamp’s Marathon video is an intimate Afro-juju revival that pays homage to Sir Shina Peters and stamps...
Last Friday, Rigo Kamp, a NATIVE uNder alum and one of the architects of an equal parts nostalgic and refreshing sound released his self-titled debut EP, delivering a propulsive fusion of Alte, R&B, Funk, and Soul-infused rhythms.
Featuring previously released singles “Morning Sun” and “Summer”, the six-track eponymous EP executively produced by Odunsi The Engine sees Rigo lean heavily into his element as a sonic alchemist, jumping from silky falsettos to gritty grooves without losing an ounce of cohesion, and ultimately stamping the Abuja-born, Lagos-based singer-songwriter as a mad scientist of sound.
Just last November, Apple Music named Rigo Kamp as its Up Next artist, an acknowledgment that underscored his potential and confirmed what the tastemakers and underground scene already knew. Weeks later, he delivered an exhilarating live set for Spotify Fresh Finds in Lagos, proving he’s just as compelling live as he is in the studio.
On “Marathon”, the refreshing opener to the Rigo Kamp EP, Rigo borrows the bounce and swagger of Afro-Juju legend, Sir Shina Peters’ golden-era, fusing nostalgia with re-imagination to birth a vintage performance that feels like a private party for two, where it’s just Rigo, and you.
Get an exclusive first look at the video for Marathon here:
Listen to the Rigo Kamp EP:
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These artists produced nigerian music’s best 3-album runs
These artists produced nigerian music’s best 3-album runs Santi, Reminisce, Asa and more. Written by...
These artists produced nigerian music’s best 3-album runs
Santi, Reminisce, Asa and more.
Written by The NATIVE – 12.Oct.2024
In late 2020, just a few days after Wizkid released his seminal album ‘Made In Lagos,’ the megastar went on a country-wide press run that detailed his frame of mind while working on the project as well as the rigorous and lengthy process that it took to carefully compile his magnum opus. “Believe it or not, there’s been like 10 [versions of] ‘Made In Lagos’ before this one,” he said nonchalantly on air in conversation with radio host Osi Suave.
Pulling off one great album with that level of diligence and care is a triumph for any artist. Being able to deliver multiple strong projects consecutively, though, is a feat that’s reserved for acts who are well versed in the science of making an album while constantly showing artistic progression without a trade-off in quality. This year, the release of ‘Lungu Boy’ capped off a near-perfect trifecta for Asake in the space of three years. In the list below, we’re going to discuss some of the best three-album runs the country has ever seen. While there’s a large pool to select from, and a case to be made for several other artists whose projects might not have made this list, we’re keeping ours to just seven spots (with a few honorable mentions) and we’re keeping the timeline to the year 2000 up until now. Let’s get into it.
7. Cruel Santino – ‘Suzie’s Funeral,’ ‘Mandy & The Jungle’ & Subaru Boys: FINAL HEAVEN
There was something special about Cruel Santino right from the start. His early works, the 21-track mixtape ‘Diaries Of A Loner’ and ‘Birth Of Santi’ introduced him as a reclusive rap artist who was not shy to experiment. While there was still some restraint on his first two projects, largely favoring Hip-hop inspired production and flows, ‘Suzie’s Funeral’ represented a turning point that would kickstart an impressive run that established him as a shapeshifting musical genius. The release of the project also coincided with the rise of the innovative alte scene and Cruel Santino’s successive releases – 2019’s ‘Mandy & The Jungle’ and the conceptually dense follow-up ‘Subaru Boys: FINAL HEAVEN’ – not only enforced the Edo native’s ingenuity but it also contributed heavily in giving legitimacy to a scene that has been met with apprehension and scrutiny since its inception.
6. Reminisce – ‘Alaga Ibile,’ ‘Baba Hafusa’ & ‘El-Hadj’
Although ‘A Book Of Rap Stories,’ Reminisce’s debut, mostly highlighted the rapper’s hit making abilities, it was through his latter three albums that he truly established himself as a gifted lyricist and a well-rounded act who is not afraid to take risks with his styles. ‘Alaga Ibile,’ his sophomore, showcased his musical dexterity as well as his rap credentials: cuts like the Sarz-produced “Fantasi” find Reminisce employing an infectious Fuji flow over a beat that sounds like it takes influences from both Electronic music and Afropop, while the Olamide and Endia-assisted “Government” served as a ceremonious call-to-arms that proved Reminisce was not one to mess with. ‘Baba Hafusa’ and ‘El Hadj,’ both of which debuted on the US Billboard World Albums chart, also put the 43-year-old’s eclecticism and, most importantly, his mastery of words, on display; cementing him as one of the best rappers of his generation.
5. Asake – ‘Mr Money With The Vibe,’ ‘Work Of Art’ & ‘Lungu Boy’
After years of tinkering with various styles and sounds, Asake found the perfect formula in the early parts of 2022, blending Afropop, Fuji music and Amapiano together for distinctive medleys that were garnished with choral vocals and became one of the long standing highlights of his breakout year. This unique alchemy is what powered his first two hit-laden projects ‘Mr Money With The Vibe’ and ‘Work Of Art,’ both of which are undeniably modern classics. ‘Lungu Boy,’ his third album in as many years, stripped back some of the vim and the turbo-charged production of his earlier projects and while the result is perhaps not as impressive as what he managed with his debut and sophomore, the album still delivers a handful of memorable records that underscore the 29-year-old’s dynamism and ambitions to push the boundaries of his highly infectious sound.
4. Asa – ‘Asa (Asha),’ ‘Beautiful Imperfection’ & ‘Bed Of Stone’
Asa has a near-perfect catalogue. Across her illustrious career, the acclaimed singer-songwriter has delivered five stellar studio albums that have helped distinguish her as one of the most gifted and eccentric artists of her generation. It’s, however, her first three records that really made her standout. ‘Asa (Asha),’ her compact, eponymous debut which was largely constructed alongside legendary artist-producer Cobhams Asoquo, introduced the singer’s moving soul-alto which sat comfortably atop gentle guitar strums and Reggae-Gospel arrangements as she sang passionately about estranged lovers and the dire state of the country. Her 2010 follow-up ‘Beautiful Imperfection’ trades some of the melancholy of her debut for a wider range, delivering evergreen cuts like the upbeat “Be My Man,” while ‘Bed Of Stone,’ which came four years after her sophomore, completed an impressive trifecta, once again delivering a memorable body of work that proved the singer is in a league of her own.
3. Olamide – ‘Rapsodi,’ ‘YBNL’ & ‘Baddest Guy Ever Liveth’
Two things are consistent about Olamide: cigarettes and projects. Since the rap veteran debuted in 2011, he has released a body of work (collaborative and/or solo) every year since, barring 2019. It is, however, the YBNL boss’ first three albums that are arguably his best yet: ‘Rapsodi,’ which was released under ID Cabasa’s Coded Tunes label, earmarked Olamide as a highly talented rap star in the making, but it’s 2012’s ‘YBNL,’ which he released under his newly formed label at the time, and his magnum opus ‘Baddest Guy Ever Liveth,’ that established him as a superstar who was largely responsible for ushering in a new era of indigenous rap music.
2. Burna Boy – ‘Outside,’ ‘African Giant’ & ‘Twice As Tall’
The release of ‘Outside,’ Burna Boy’s third studio album, represents a watershed moment in the self-proclaimed African giant’s distinguished career. A few months prior, the fusion artist who had showcased his immense talent on earlier albums ‘L.I.F.E’ and ‘On A Spaceship,’ was struggling to connect with his core audience due to his inconsistency and numerous public antics that alienated a large swath of his fanbase. ‘Outside,’ however, signified a fresh start for Burna Boy who went ahead to have arguably the greatest creative run the country has ever seen following the album’s release. ‘African Giant,’ which came in 2019 earned him a nomination for Best World Music Album at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards and his follow-up ‘Twice As Tall,’ helped him make history, as he won the Grammy award for the Best Global Music Album, becoming the first Nigerian artist to pick the highly coveted music award.
1. P-Square – ‘Get Squared,’ ‘Game Over’ & ‘Danger’
It’s a testament to P-Square’s insane depth of quality that any three of their first five albums could make this list. While the famed duo boast a pristine discography, albums two to four are where their legend was truly cemented. Even though their 2003 debut ‘Last Nite’ helped the duo gain some recognition – especially with classic cuts like “Senorita,” – ‘Get Squared’ is what really launched the duo to superstardom. The follow-up, 2007’s ‘Game Over’ was revolutionary, as the duo embraced a slightly different but more ambitious stylistic approach to both their music and the accompanying visuals. The decision paid off massively as the album reportedly sold over 10 million copies worldwide and they capped off their awe-inspiring run with the release of ‘Danger’ which bookends perhaps the greatest three album run the country has seen since the turn of the century.
Honorable Mentions
Kizz Daniel – ‘New Era,’ ‘No Bad Songs’ & ‘King Of Love’
In retrospect it’s hilarious that Kizz Daniel was thought of as a one-hit wonder who was limited in his stylistic scope early on in his career. He beat those allegations fairly easily with the release of ‘New Era,’ his incredible debut that scooped up the Best R&B/Pop Album award as well as the Album Of The Year award at the 2016 Headies. His ambitious follow-up ‘No Bad Songz‘ was arguably even more impressive but 2020’s ‘King Of Love’ unfortunately pales in comparison to his first two works. While the album houses a few hit records like “Fvck You” and “Jaho,” the memorable moments are few and far between, something that his earlier projects had in abundance.
Wizkid – ‘Superstar,’ ‘Ayo’ & ‘Sounds From The Otherside’
Not much needs to be said about ‘Superstar.’ It’s an undeniable classic and one of the greatest debuts in Nigeria’s music history. While ‘Ayo’ didn’t quite receive the kind of acclaim ‘Superstar’ got, it’s a very strong body of work in its own right. Evergreen cuts like “Jaiye Jaiye,” “Show You The Money,” “In My Bed,” “Joy” and the timeless “Ojuelegba” ensure that the album is also firmly etched in Nigerian music canon. Wizkid had lofty ambitions with his third studio album, showing his versatility as he attempted to bring more global exposure to Afropop. While the album remains significant in Wizkid’s career and our collective musical history for a number of reasons, it sadly failed to resonate with the singer’s home-based fans the way his earlier projects did.
M.I – ‘Talk About It,’ ‘M.I 2: The Movie’ & ‘The Chairman’
Of all the albums and mixtapes that M.I has put out over his extensive and decorated career, none has been below par. His strongest run, however, remains his first three studio albums. 2008’s ‘Talk About it’ introduced M.I as the hottest rapper on the block but it was the cinematic ‘M.I: The Movie’ that truly established the rap legend as a creative and lyrical genius who stood head and shoulders above his peers. 2014’s ‘The Chairman’ would have completed a perfect three album run but the project suffered from a lack of focus and a host of supporting cast (26 features in total) that left it feeling stuffy.
LET US KNOW WHO YOU THINK WE’RE MISSING OUT OF THIS LIST
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How Zinoleesky Fell From Grace
We take an introspective look at cancel culture across Nigeria, and what this means for Zinoleesky's career...
‘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.
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