In August 2012, US rapper, Rick Ross was in Nigeria for a show.
While in Nigeria, Rick Ross shot a music video for his controversial
'Hold Me Back' song. The Nigerian version of music video has, after its
release, been criticized for the bad portrayal of Nigeria as a slum
country.
Quite a number of Nigerian celebrities and musicians have aired their views on the video.
Quite a number of Nigerian celebrities and musicians have aired their views on the video.
MI posted on his website in response to the video after it was released "does it make you angry? Does it rile you to see your country portrayed as poor and suffering and full of struggle?
"It burns you, does it not? To have some foreigner- who knows nothing of your history and pain, of the stories that flow within your blood- to have this foreigner come in and tell your story?
"Is it not the height of disrespect and insensitivity? Does it not chafe against the thick skin you have grown to cover your other wounds? Does it not make you angry?
"It burns you, does it not? To have some foreigner- who knows nothing of your history and pain, of the stories that flow within your blood- to have this foreigner come in and tell your story?
"Is it not the height of disrespect and insensitivity? Does it not chafe against the thick skin you have grown to cover your other wounds? Does it not make you angry?
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| M.I. Not happy with the Rick Ross Video |
"We should wax sanctimonious about national pride being slighted. We should vent our displeasure online. We should occupy something. Because God forbid the truth ever be told about what things really are.
"God forbid a stranger remind us about those things we choose to ignore everyday. God forbid we ever face the truth about ourselves. God forbid we do not go on the internet and rail about how our country is being cast in bad light.
"God forbid we do not talk about how there is a small minority which lives better than portrayed. God forbid we do not ignore truth one more time. God forbid we don’t."
Just recently, one of the pioneers of Hip Hop in Nigeria, Ruggedman, had his own say on same issue, but this time, he sits on a different side of the fence.
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| Ruggedman, not disturbed by the video |
I will start by saying that some people in the international community
already have a bad image about Nigeria. This is due to the dubious
actions of some bad Nigerians they have encountered, both government
officials and normal Nigerians. So I don’t see how one music video shot
in the Nigerian slums (which we know we have) will tarnish the image of
Nigeria.
When Nigerians go abroad,we snap pictures and make videos all over train stations, car parks, airports. We “choose” where we want to do this. This is the same way Rick Ross decided to shoot his Naija version of his song “Hold Me Back” in Naija ghetto areas. If you check his other version shot in America u will see that it was also in the hood; not as grimmy as ours but still the hood and I don’t hear any American saying he is portraying the slums and poverty in America to the international community.
Rick Ross did not sneak into Nigeria. He came in legally. If he showed anything in the video that some Nigerians find offensive, my question is “why was he allowed to shoot it in the 1st place?”
When Nigerians go abroad,we snap pictures and make videos all over train stations, car parks, airports. We “choose” where we want to do this. This is the same way Rick Ross decided to shoot his Naija version of his song “Hold Me Back” in Naija ghetto areas. If you check his other version shot in America u will see that it was also in the hood; not as grimmy as ours but still the hood and I don’t hear any American saying he is portraying the slums and poverty in America to the international community.
Rick Ross did not sneak into Nigeria. He came in legally. If he showed anything in the video that some Nigerians find offensive, my question is “why was he allowed to shoot it in the 1st place?”
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| Rick Ross, his video for the song, 'Hold me Back' shot in Nigeria, still generating controversy |
Someone on the internet said, after this video, no one will like to
visit Nigeria. I just laughed. Is this video as bad as the Ogoni 9
killing? Is this video as bad as people being killed in the Northern
crisis? But it hasn’t stopped foreigners coming to this country. During
the Dana Air crash, local stations were going about their normal
business but international news was already covering it. If we cared so
much about our image to the international community what are we doing
to clean it up?
It’s Nigerians in foreign countries that should check how they act. Once outside Nigeria, you become a Nigerian ambassador and should act like one. If you steal, you are a thief and you paint a bad picture of your country. We really need to get our priorities right. We need to find a way to make our leaders stop embezzling the Nation’s money right under our noses, calling us fools and bullying us.
Now take the situation of the masses in Nigeria e.g no light, education, shelter, good roads, medical care, security and put it beside the Rick Ross video then tell me which is more important to worry about. God bless and save Nigeria, God bless us all in Jesus name. I am a proud Abia man, I am proudly Nigerian and I am Ruggedman.
It’s Nigerians in foreign countries that should check how they act. Once outside Nigeria, you become a Nigerian ambassador and should act like one. If you steal, you are a thief and you paint a bad picture of your country. We really need to get our priorities right. We need to find a way to make our leaders stop embezzling the Nation’s money right under our noses, calling us fools and bullying us.
Now take the situation of the masses in Nigeria e.g no light, education, shelter, good roads, medical care, security and put it beside the Rick Ross video then tell me which is more important to worry about. God bless and save Nigeria, God bless us all in Jesus name. I am a proud Abia man, I am proudly Nigerian and I am Ruggedman.
Where would you stick your finger in this pie that's starting to get messy? Is the video an insult to Nigeria and Nigerians, or is it just a statement on what the lyrics of the song portray? I think we are yet to see or hear the last on this subject.
M.I was not against the video. He was rather against the fake hypocritical Nigerians (the 20 or so percent) who choose to ignore/overlook the poverty that exists in most parts of the country for the sake of perceptibly self-beneficial vanity. He was putting sarcasm to quite tactical use. But many do not understand, and that's kinda sad, the state of many minds, tending towards played down ignorance and subtle illiteracy. Come on mehnnnn.... There is no "M.I vs Ruggedman" here please. Damn it!...
ReplyDeletePersonally, I think that this complaint, from where ever it may have emanated, is completely petty.
ReplyDeleteThat said, both M.I and Ruggedman, based on their write ups concerning the shoot, are certainly not on different fences, rather they are saying the same thing in different ways.
M.I made use of Poetry, thereby giving poetic justice -lyrically- to his beautiful piece on the subject. On the other hand, Ruggedman, simply told it like it is making use of realistic events to compare his reasons.
I repeat, they are saying both the same thing, just in different styles.
As for Rick Ross/Rossey, God bless him for coming out with the courage to talk about the ills of another man's society, simply because he felt their pain. Indeed, it hurts us that a foreigner would come to portray to the entire world, the mess our nation is in. It's gotta hurt!!!