Music and society

Music from time has been known to influence society, making sure that people change in perceptions and even instructions.  Music in Nigeria has continued to offer continuity in their culture. Mainly people think of music as a form of enjoyment but many people consume music for different reasons. In this article, we try to look at how music has changed society. It is referred to as Najja music. Below are some of the impacts on society.

Currently among the youth music has become a mode of socialization.  The content that is offered by the artist, it has helped reduce barriers among young people in Nigeria making it possible for young youth to drop their racial lines. Much of the artists’ content is served to all people in the country and out of the country.  This has helped to create unity among the people.

In the country mostly among the youth drug addictions have become a big challenge.  Due to the outcry, the Nigerian drug law enforcement agency has turned to musicians to spread awareness. Many continue to spread awareness for the young generation to drop these vices. Many youths are encouraged to join music and other talents through the support of the artists. 

Music has changed the ways of life among many Nigerian artists. Young artists can showcase their talents and earn a lot of money from the music industry. This has helped lower cases of unemployment in the country. This has helped to increase literacy and intellectual development. Through this music, the well-being of many families is improved. 

Music continues to criticize the discrimination among the people. Many people have been discriminated against on many bases in Nigeria through religious basis and racial lines. Since Nigeria has a high population music has been instrumental in uniting all the immigrants and the local people. There is a lot of harassment during the current terror attacks by Boko Haram we can try to use music to talk to the youth to ensure they stop engaging in terror activities since crime does not pay.

In society, music has been used to fight bad vices in the government for example corruption. The Nigerian government has been having many cases of corruption. This helps to educate even those that have not gotten a chance to get employed to be ready to change in case they get those jobs in the government. These will help people to stay positive in life since corruption leads to poor levels of development in the country.

Music has been a very important tool in creating awareness of challenges facing the community directly. For example, the observation of human rights, and creating awareness of HIV, help educate people on the issues of the Covid-19 pandemic awareness through educating people on the different measures people should take to ensure they stay safe and stop the spread of the virus. 

Through music in Nigeria, many people can air the challenges that common people go through in their everyday lives. Since many people listen to music it is easy for people to hear about what many people are going through with most social issues. Through good messaging music will continue to offer social change in society. 

Music in Nigeria has also negatively impacted society. Most of the artists in Nigeria sing about money, drugs, guns, and girls. To the young generation, this has made young people engage in drug abuse and even trafficking affecting their lives negatively. Through these music videos affect the young generation is likely to enter dangerous activities. For example, the typical rap music that is mostly loved by the young generation is mostly associated with violence. This will make them engage in violent activities which will affect people who don’t watch those videos.

This does not mean that music is not good for the young generation but it can be used for the well-being of the community. Through more creativity and offering good content music will continue to foster the well-being of the community. Everyone is happy when new music has been released but more importantly, that music should be good, hit music, and inspiring at the same time.

Many things put people apart in every society. The role of music in this situation is to bring people together and to inspire hope. That has been very helpful in guiding people toward their places of destiny. When politics, pandemics, financial meltdowns, and other evils that separate people come, music is used to inspire hope. There have been many musicians in Nigeria who use their songs to preach hope to the people in times of difficulty. All these musicians are committed to ensuring that people are connected and that they can see light in the middle of darkness. 

Even the government at times has changed the singers in the country to hold rallies and campaigns of love. They have asked them to pass across certain messages that are vital to the government through music. It is therefore undeniable to say that music plays a leading role in ensuring that people are connected. The messages preached through music help to unite people despite their differences. That is where the excellence of music comes into the scene. In addition, some are paid huge sums of money to perform even in national events to bring people together and inspire hope. 

In conclusion, music is also used to preserve heritage in Nigeria. Many traditional songs used to play the airwaves since independence. They speak about the journey that the country has been through since it gained independence. Whether these songs are in Yoruba or Ebo, they are equally important because they hold people and society together. Even the National Anthem is a good example of how the society in Nigeria values music. We therefore can agree that there is something great about Nigerian people and their music. Their many genres of music are used to bring people together, inspire them, and spearhead peace in season and out of season.