Nigerian rapper Jude Abaga, widely known as MI Abaga, has characterized the supposed link between internet fraud and the funding of the Nigerian music industry as a significant condemnation of the nation.
The hip-hop artist shared his thoughts in a video posted by the So Nigeria Podcast on Tuesday, where he discussed the challenges musicians face in obtaining financial support.
“There’s a lot of debate surrounding Yahoo Yahoo because for many artists, that serves as their source of funding.
When the topic comes up, I want to be careful not to be misquoted or say anything misleading. What I mean to convey is that it reflects poorly on our country that we have such extraordinarily talented musicians and yet the main financial backing for the industry comes from abroad and from other sectors,” he stated.
He mentioned that this circumstance indicates something is fundamentally wrong in a nation that possesses wealthy individuals and gifted youth.
He continued, “This shouldn’t be the case in a country rich in both affluent people and talented young individuals. Why does this happen? Who is at fault? Should we blame the youth simply trying to get by? It's difficult to address this.”
The rapper emphasized that depending on dubious sources of funds for supporting artists highlights significant gaps in the country's creative economy.
“What I’m pointing out is that the fact that artists rely on this kind of money for investment is revealing. There isn't really any other source. It has to come from other young people who coincidentally have money,” MI explained.
He recalled being misunderstood on this issue nearly eight years prior, clarifying that his past remarks were taken out of context as endorsing the practice.
“At that time, as a CEO, I had artists I genuinely cared about. The pressure on me was immense to the point where I would find myself thinking, ‘Wow, I just met the right person.’ I wanted my artists to succeed. Hearing negative comments about Ckay bothered me because I wanted him to thrive,” he recalled.
MI emphasized that although he does not support criminal behavior, his experiences have given him understanding for those trying to navigate a challenging industry without access to proper funding.
“It's not to say that wrong is not wrong, or bad things aren’t bad. Evil is still evil,” he concluded.
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