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Music serves diverse purposes for different categories of people. To some, it is for entertainment, while to others, it is where they get reminded of the benefit of the morality of the world. Some people turn to music when they are being overwhelmed with some problems. Instead of giving up, they search for songs that would motivate them to keep hope alive. We have another group, which I can consider relatively new, that is moved by songs that preach the fraud of objectifying women. These are just a few of the purposes that music serves for different people.
The unfortunate reality is that artists that write songs to glorify nakedness tend to get known far and wide before the artists that are guided by some values and principles. In any profession, your aims and objectives have a lot to do with how you go about plying your trade. If a musician's aim is to make money irrespective of how the money comes, they will key into objectives that will help them achieve that. But one thing that I am certain of is that if the driving force is money, such a legacy can't last beyond a generation. On the other hand, if the aim is effective change, the objectives are tailored towards achieving just that. One thing I come to understand about such artists is that along the line, while being guided by some values and awesome principles to change the world, money comes into the equation.
I have many musicians that I adore and respect till tomorrow. The top among the list is Bob Marley, the late Jamaican reggae artist. One thing important to note is that this legend died a few years before I was born, yet he is the number one artist that I can boldly say has affected my life positively. He fought for the freedom of the people with his songs. I have many of his songs that he used to advocate against apartheid regimes in Africa. He didn't sing those songs for the sake of just making money but to leave an everlasting legacy. Decades later, emerging generations still value his work and play his songs.
Another great artist whose work I love is Fela Anikulapo. He was a man that slept in the majority of Nigerian prisons because of the line of music that he chose. Whenever I listen to his songs, it feels as if they were sung just recently. The reason being that he sang like a prophet who foresaw where Nigeria was heading to. Instead of heeding his patriotic call, he was haunted for daring to criticize the government of the day. He has done his part and gone to rest, but Nigeria is still grappling with the menace that he spoke against.
The third in this tripod of legends that I admire and adore is Lucky Dube. He, like others before him, died in the struggle to change the world.
Like I stated earlier, what made them stand out was their aim for writing songs. The aim is about adding value to the world and not only about making money. This set of musicians was concerned about what would become the world order if people lived by their lyrics. It pains me that today, some artists write songs to preach making money at any cost. Fraud, money rituals, and any other devilish ways of making money are advanced among the people.
To change this trend, artists must always be reminded that whatever contribution they make to the world, whether positive or negative, outlives them. It should also be noted that money can still be made by doing the right thing and preaching the right message.
At the level of the community, youth should continuously be enlightened to desist from preferring songs that degrade the morality of the world. An artist is empowered to do more if his work is received by a large population. Otherwise, he will adjust and write the kind of songs that people want.