Falz Explains Why He Sings Controversial Songs 

This follows the rapper’s release of his Marxist song ‘Yakubu,’ which features Vector.

By Omotayo Olutekunbi

Nigerian musician Folarin Falana, better known as Falz, has explained why he releases songs that cause controversy.

In an interview with Arise TV, the rapper stated his rationale, emphasizing that life in Nigeria is pointless. He claimed to be unafraid of death.

With the release of his most recent song with Vector, ‘Yakubu,’ titled after the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, the actor was interviewed on Arise TV on “Music as a Socio-political Tool.”

Vector and Falz criticize INEC, its chairman, and other political parties in the song for allegedly indulging in electoral fraud during the just concluded general elections. Falz said he would rather die fighting for justice than remain mute and die as a result of the country’s flawed system.

He attended the show via Skype from the United Kingdom, but the rapper said he was not there because he was afraid of conflict with state actors over the problematic song.

He said, “I knew that was going to come up when you announced that I was doing this from London. Like I said earlier on, this is not the first time, this is not the second time, this is not the third time.

“I have released tons of records that are very confrontational. And I was on ground. I’m always on ground when I released these records.It is not to say that I’m running anywhere. Absolutely not. Everyone know where to find me. If anyone wants to find me. But I have no reason to fear anything. And I always say this when people ask me ‘how do you do these things without any fear of consequences?

“And this is the same answer that I always give: the kind of life we are living already is one which we are more or less fading away already. It’s not a meaningful life what we have in Nigeria as a country.

What’s the worst that could happen? It’s death. I don’t fear death. I would rather go down fighting for a just cause. I would rather be remembered as someone that lived a life that was meaningful rather than someone that for example was walking down the road and got run over by a danfo [bus] because he was driving recklessly. Or, someone that got a heart disease and could not save himself because there are no hospitals capable of saving him in Nigeria.”

After the 2023 Nigerian national elections, which many believe were plagued by major irregularities, rappers Falz and Vector recorded ‘Yakubu,’ a rap song that captured the occasion while also highlighting the anomalies.