Why is it that most Musicians of Igbo extraction find it difficult to promote their own language by singing in Igbo, instead they Sing with Yoruba.

like who please? and does it really matter? D'banj sung in igbo.

I love that you have taken up my topic, let's see what the responses are.

I reckon it is because for a song to be a national hit, it has to suceed in Lagos, in order for it to succeed in Lagos, it has to have some Lagosian flavour, that is Yoruba or broken English. D'banj can make a song in Igbo, it's safe and smart for him to do so, he has nothing to lose, he is already a megastar, but if an artist is looking to make it, they need some of that Yoruba(lagosian) flavour in their songs.


my two cents.

I wonder if Nigga raw did some yoruba flavor before he became a star.

It's not a crime, is it?

Lol, I would not call N.gga raw a star, he is known but he is not a star.

And am like how many freakn ibo artistes do we av?

And am like how many freakn ibo artistes do we av?

http://www.k16online.com

definitely repping for the ibos.

@Nkierubaby, but will he blow

tosinaded@:

And am like how many freakn ibo artistes do we av?

PSquare
Ruggedman
2 Shotz
African China
Kel
OJB Jezreel
Faze
DJ Zeez
Nigga raw
nnenna

and many more

AfroCynic:

Lol, I would not call N.gga raw a star, he is known but he is not a star.

Then who's a star

AfroCynic:

I love that you have taken up my topic, let's see what the responses are.

I reckon it is because for a song to be a national hit, it has to suceed in Lagos, in order for it to succeed in Lagos, it has to have some Lagosian flavour, that is Yoruba or broken English. D'banj can make a song in Igbo, it's safe and smart for him to do so, he has nothing to lose, he is already a megastar, but if an artist is looking to make it, they need some of that Yoruba(lagosian) flavour in their songs.


my two cents.

Is yoruba now spoken by all 140 million Nigerians?
Lagos is cosmopolitan for crying out loud, so lagos pop culture is not necessarily youruba.

There are few Igbo artist that will never be caught singing in another language other than Igbo or English

Obiwon
Nigga raw
2 Shotz
Ill Blisss

AfroCynic:

@Nkierubaby, but will he blow

No way of knowing for sure Afro. I Like his stuff sha. Been a fan for a while. There's a track he did called Iyabo which really appeals to me and i like the way he mixes up ibo, english and pidgin when he's rapping. Sounds cool. He has 2 videos done already (on YouTube). Not sure why he hasn't pushed into Nigeria yet. I know i haven't seen him on Nigeezie or AIT. The main thing is the success of any artist is decided by the listeners. He will only blow, if we blow him up.

Afamz, let me break it down for ya,

what is the name of Kel's current single? 'Waa Wa alright' is that Igbo?

To be honest, 2shotz is the only Lagos bron artist (I think he was) that expresses himself in Igbo and English, which is still a good look.

Rugged Man>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> what is his biggest hit to date? is it not that 'opomulero' joint?

How many songs have Psquare used Yoruba?

African China mixes it up with Yoruba all the time,  it's just standard practice to the guy.

Faze, he also mixes with Yoruba, Igbo and Pidgin.

I loved that D'banj made that song in Igbo, to me that it what it's all about, artists being able to express themselves in any language that can appeal to the masses.


Lagos might be a cosmopolitan city but it is without a doubt that the cultural theme of the state is Yoruba, to deny that would just be silly. I love that Lagos is mixed, it's beautiful but it's still what it is.

Btw, I cannot stand Ill Bliss, I think he suffers from ethnocentrism.

Lagos being a state to conquer with once music my be a reason also, but another reason i think is dat
If there is tobe a scale comprisin of the 3major ethnic group's language in 9ja, the yoruba language would be the one in the middle region. What i meant is that, its easier to do ur music in yoruba and sell to the other 2 parts than to do it in either of the remainin two and sell to the yoruba and the other remainin tribe.
The igbos don't feel the hausas and likewise, the Hausas don't feel the ibos but when done in mix with yoruba language, they both feel it,
Thats ma opinion

afam4eva:

PSquare
Ruggedman
2 Shotz
African China
Kel
OJB Jezreel
Faze
DJ Zeez
Nigga raw
nnenna

and many more

more . . . . . .

Kaha
Eddy Remedy
Kelly Hansome
Ikechukwu
Naeto C
Nneka
Biglo
Sky B
Flavour
Mr Cool . . . . .e.t.c . . . . . .


@ Thread,
Lagos is the capital of entertainment in Nigeria, it's easier to penetrate the market using a nice Yoruba chorus ; that is not to say you  cant make a hit using some other language.

Naeto C is th only genuine star from the above list and what is the name of his biggest hit please? I am not tryna say one language is better than the other, I just made an observation and people are getting all defensive about.

darequam:

Lagos being a state to conquer with once music my be a reason also, but another reason i think is dat
If there is tobe a scale comprisin of the 3major ethnic group's language in 9ja, the yoruba language would be the one in the middle region.    What i meant is that, its easier to do ur music in yoruba and sell to the other 2 parts than to do it in either of the remainin two and sell to the yoruba and the other remainin tribe.
The igbos don't feel the hausas and likewise, the Hausas don't feel the ibos but when done in mix with yoruba language, they both feel it,
Thats ma opinion

It won't really be an issue if some from a minority tribe like Edo, Ijaw or Ibibio sing in Igbo,yoruba or hausa, because he wants to appeal to so many people, but it sounds weird when it's someone from a major ethnic group singing in another language.

AfroCynic:

Naeto C is th only genuine star from the above list and what is the name of his biggest hit please? I am not tryna say one language is better than the other, I just made an observation and people are getting all defensive about.

How can you say Naeto Chukwu is the only genuine star from the list, what then will you call Ikechuwu,Kelly Handsome, Biglo etc

Baro:

more . . . . . .

Kaha
Eddy Remedy
Kelly Hansome
Ikechukwu
Naeto C
Nneka
Biglo
Sky B
Flavour
Mr Cool . . . . .e.t.c . . . . . .


@ Thread,
Lagos is the capital of entertainment in Nigeria, it's easier to penetrate the market using a nice Yoruba chorus ; that is not to say you  cant make a hit using some other language.

Thanks for the additional list

Afam out of those artistes u listed,mention the yoruba songs they av sang and tel me they av neva sang in igbo b4.
Stop being a bloody tribalist,wut do u mean its weird being ibo and singing in yoruba?
No be d same country?

tosinaded@:

Afam out of those artistes u listed,mention the yoruba songs they av sang and tel me they av neva sang in igbo b4.
Stop being a bloody tribalist,wut do u mean its weird being ibo and singing in yoruba?
No be d same country?

First, i'm not a tribalist, secondly, i never said this artist have never sang in igbo, it's just that they sing more in Yoruba compared to Igbo.

Ruggedman: Opomulero, Baraje, Banging(can't remember the title)

P Square: Omoge mi

DJ ZEEZ: Same ni, fokasibe

Kel: wa wa alright , just to name a few

I don't see the big deal. I know Yoruba people who use igbo words all the time and igbo guys who use yoruba words. I think if you are trying to go national, and not just appeal to your own tribe then its a smart move to try and make other tribes identify with your songs. That can be done in pidgin but could appeal to people more if you make the effort to commuincate in their own language.

I know that d'banj's stock increased  in Eastern Nigeria when he did the track 'igwe'

However, i think that igbo artist's  who think the only way they can get ahead in Lagos is to sing in yoruba are greatly mistaken. If your track is wack then singin the chorus in yoruba will not save it.

Just keep it real. If you want to sing in yoruba ( or another language) , fine, but also remember to lace some tracks in your own language so you don't alienate your own people.

my 2.5 cents

.

i agree with previous posters, it doesn't really matter what language you're singing or rapping in, but as an ibo girl, i will say it sounds good to hear records sung in igbo. I can't speak yourba, so someone like da grin is lost on me, cause i can't understand what he's saying. On the other hand, ibo artists are trying to get paid, so they sing in yourba as well to appeal to the Lagos masses. It's a tough one, i no go lie.

Guys read this, so u see why i'm worried about the extinction of the language


Igbo language and extinction theorists
By Robert Obioha Okere
Wednesday, January 18, 2007

*
Opinion Index

It is worrisome that of all the Nigerian major languages, Igbo language has been singled out as the only one under serious threat of extinction in the foreseeable future. At least, this was the view of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).

Since the UNESCO prediction a couple of years ago, the experts have gone to the market square to sound it loud and clear that Igbo language is on its way to extinction except urgent steps are taken now to stem the tide of its sweeping movement to oblivion.

But do languages really die? From my little knowledge of Linguistics and history of languages, it is a proven fact that languages do evolve and later die. Examples of dead languages are catholic that it is needless recounting how such deaths occur. But I remember my Linguistic teachers saying that Latin is a dead language even though it is still widely used by the Catholic Church in its liturgical services. It is no longer the language of state policy and imperial power as at when the Roman Empire was on its high glory.

Of the over 400 or more Nigerian tongues otherwise called languages only about seven or eight can be said to be effectively spoken and written. At best only the major three Nigerian languages of Igbo, Yoruba and Hausa can be said to have attained high level standardisation and can be studied in the universities.

The rest sooner or later might give way to other languages that are in use. In the Nigerian Linguistic landscape, Igbo is generally and widely spoken in the eastern part of the country and some parts of former Midwest now Delta State, Yoruba is widely spoken in the western Nigeria and some parts of Kogi and Kwara states while Hausa is predominantly the general language of the entire northern Nigerian.

In fact, of all the three major Nigerian languages, Hausa is the most spoken in Nigeria and some countries in the West African sub-region. It is closely followed by Yoruba and Igbo. In terms of language engineering and standardisation, Hausa has been the most beneficiary. Its use is beyond the frontiers of Nigeria as a language of commerce, media and education. The world acclaimed radio stations; the VOA and BBC have both Hausa services.

While Yoruba and Igbo languages are yet to attain this global attention, Yoruba has some advantages over the Igbo in terms of standardisation and widespread of usage. There is no doubt that all Nigerian languages face extinction if nothing is done to improve their usage and getting the young ones really interested in the study of these languages. Any language that does not boast of new speakers in the form of young ones is a sure candidate for extinction.

The views of the linguistic experts on the possible demise of the Igbo language should worry every Igbo person. The death of any language goes with a lot of loss to humanity in terms of cultural, linguistic, social and moral values imbedded in the language.

The offsprings of the black slaves today lament the loss of their African heritage especially the language and culture of their fore parents. For them, they knew that they came from Africa but cannot trace effectively the African nationalities they came from. They have lost their languages, their indigenous names and everything about their Africanness except their colour, mood, speech mannerisms, physique, music and other characteristics that make them African.
It is not far fetched to see the reasons why Igbo language is under threat of natural death. My earlier interviews and interactions with Igbo language teachers and professors in the universities of Lagos and Nsukka confirmed the fear of the experts.

According to them, new students are no longer eager to take up Igbo language studies except it is the last resort or except it is called Linguistics and Igbo or whatever name that will link it with English word. The teachers therefore are having students who are not interested in the study of the language itself. Igbo language speakers are not helping matters in the funny manner they speak the language with a lot of code-mixing and code-switching which has given birth to what is generally called Engligbo––some admixture of Igbo and English.

This is steadily creeping into Yoruba and Hausa and indeed other Nigerian languages. If Igbo language dies tomorrow, blame it first on the attitude of the Igbos to their language and the elevation of English as number one language. Many Igbos by their attitude are everyday contributing towards the quick demise of the language. They do not allow their children to speak Igbo language. Rather they encourage their wards to speak English first and then learn Igbo later. They do not see the need to speak Igbo first before any other language. To them, there is nothing to gain in terms of prestige or job in speaking Igbo.

The language is not been encouraged by the media. Many Igbo news print media are dead. There are no Igbo medium publication still in existence except the bi-monthly publication in Igbo of Awake, a magazine of the Jehovah Witnesses published in the USA. News casting in Igbo language by the local radio stations and Televisions are no longer a delight to watch because the Igbo they dish out is more confusing to the listeners who rather prefer watching the same news in English in order to have a fuller grasp of the message. The gains made by the Igbo language during Biafra and immediately after have been eroded by the “I don’t care attitude” of the users and speakers of the language. Those who write in the language are no longer turning out masterpiece like the distinguished late Igbo novelist, Tony Ubesie or the erudite and foremost Igbo linguist, the late F.C Ogbalu.

The worst thing that has befallen Igbo language is that the written form of the language does not quite reflect the spoken Igbo. And the reason for this linguistic aberration lies in adopting the so-called central Igbo dialect, which is an amorphous creation in language engineering, which is highly artificial in the evolvement of characteristics that are inherent in natural languages.

The war over which dialect to use as official Igbo between the Onitsha Igbo and the Owerri Igbo did not help matters in the early development of the language. The insistence of teachers of the language on the choice of an arbitrary central Igbo dialect is the bane of Igbo studies.

Like Prof. Chinua Achebe’s stand on this issue, which I highly support, is to allow every user of the language use or write it in his dialect for a richer harvest of the language because besides the general identified two major dialects, there are still other variants of the Igbo language among all the speakers of the language that are worthy of appreciation. This is noticeable during interactions, in traditional songs and music to the extent that the so-called general Igbo is lost.

The dialect division in the use of the language can be gleaned upon in the use of the varieties of the names of people and places as well as how people name other material things like money, wealth, woman etc. Another serious bane of Igbo studies is that Igbo is taught with English or through the medium of English in universities. The bachelors, masters and doctoral degrees researches/thesis in Igbo studies are written in English language. This is a great injustice to the Igbo language. Another crime of these Igbo linguists is that they carry over linguistic patterns of English and translate them wholesale into Igbo grammar.

But we know that there are linguistic similarities, we also know that of a lot more differ in languages than are similar. This is more poignant in the case of Igbo, a tonal language and English, which is a non-tonal but stress-timed language. Most Igbos conduct their village meetings and other discourse in English to the detriment of the Igbo language. Primary and secondary schools in Igbo land give few hours to the study of Igbo language and allot more hours to the teaching of English language.

More premium is placed on English than Igbo language. The home videos that debuted in Igbo language years ago no longer do that now. The government of Igbo speaking states are the worst culprit as every state activity is conducted in English to the utter neglect of Igbo. There is urgent need to ensure that Igbo language does not die for it is our only identity and cultural heritage in the world that we should bequeath upcoming generations. Spirited effort should be geared towards the propagation and use of Igbo language in Igbo speaking states. Those involved in language planning and engineering should take note of the varieties of Igbo language and tap on this resource to further develop the language.

Those writing Igbo should write it the way the people their writing is portraying speak the language. Effort should be made to further standardise and simplify Igbo so that it will attract young speakers. All lovers of the Igbo language and identity should not treat with levity the experts’ warning on the near death of the language. The time to act is now for tomorrow may be too late.

I sure don't want my language to face extinction.

@ afam4eva
While i  agree that the igbo language is dying to a degree, extinction is a very strong term. Besides, it's not the job of musicians to save languages, it is to entertain.

WTF?

@Afam

I don't think Kel, Naeto C  or Ruggedman e.t.c are responsible for any of this.

Looks like you have another agenda posting this thread.

And who the hell is Robert Obioha Okere anyway??

Afam ure a funny dude,u say they sing more of yoruba and all u cld list is one song each? Aint dat funny?
Besides dat a chorus is yoruba dsnt mean d song is yoruba!
Besides how come u no complaining that dey sing in english,or is eng our mother tongue?