By Ugochukwu Ugwuanyi

The sensuous has always sought to subsume the substance in the Nigerian entertainment scene. Netizens who have been splitting hairs and spleen to push their stance on the trending Olodo Uprising debate forget that the pop culture conclave has been down this path before. Intellectualism apologists will therefore sleep easy if reminded that practitioners of an earlier iteration of the “Peller culture” carried the day. Their present-day successors are poised to prevail again. 

With social media algorithmic configuration, absurd and uncouth content can easily take over timelines in a far shorter timeframe than intelligent ones ever could. Nigeria’s attention economy is increasingly being propelled by shallow, low-cognitive content that promotes flamboyance, mockery, or “fooling”, female anatomy or conjured outrage, all for engagement rather than encouragement.

The Root: How It All Began 

Tied to Nigeria’s current socio-economic realities and misaligned reward structure, “Olodo Uprising” shattered online tranquillity after rapper YCee’s used the term to condemn the rapid rise and monetisation of “performative ignorance” by some social media personalities. Originally the Yoruba word for someone slow to understand and struggling academically, ‘olodo’ is now being used for mega skitmakers who achieve fame and fortune by milking their lack of formal polish, expertise, or education. These content creators unapologetically denigrate expertise yet expect to be esteemed and rewarded as experts. But confidence can’t compensate for competence.

The development has divided the online community into two major camps. Olodo Uprising opponents and intellectuals uphold academic excellence as a cultural priority that must be preserved, contending that society loses out when the performance of illiteracy is rewarded with noise and obscenity incentivised over education and competence. It must be pointed out that just as it has done with poverty, the Nigerian system has long sown the seed for the weaponisation of ignorance. Not considering this would be playing the ostrich.

Pragmatists and proponents of Olodo Uprising, on the other hand, argue that a university degree or artisanal training rarely guarantees financial success and worsens the unemployment crisis in Nigeria; hence any form of entertainment should be allowed provided it realistically paves the way to economic survival. To them, influencers like Peller and Javis should be encouraged, not blamed, for creatively profiting from a broken societal system.

A Re-play of the Shift in the Nigerian Music Industry 

It was in the 2000s into the 2010s and beyond that music with meaningless lyrics started “making sense” in the Nigerian music scene. Songs that have meaningful plots gave way to high-tempo, rebellious street anthems. That was the golden age of “zanga” and street-certified bangers with unapologetic energy and unhinged vibes.

Music producers and artists dropped wild, fast-paced street vocals and experimental beats that sounded like “nonsense” on the surface, but they completely took over the streets and dance floors. It was all about the melody side of music, where songs are guaranteed to become anthems provided they are pleasing to the ears.

In the art where music belongs, two major schools of thought exist. One demands that art be functional, while the other stipulates that art should be expressed just for fun or art’s sake. Evidently, local music artists have since that era subscribed to the latter.

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That year, there was a contestation between songs like 9ice’s Gongo Aso, Paul Play Dairo’s Forever, African China’s Mr President, Adaz’s Zarokome, Waconzy’s I Celebrate, MI’s Crowd Mentality, Sunny Neji’s Oruka, J Martins’ Good or Bad versus Terry G – “Free Madness”, Dr Sid’s Pop Something, P-Square’s Do Me, Bigiano’s Shayo, Jazzman Olofin’s Shake something, Mo Hit All Stars’ Booty Call, Iyanna’s Kukere, Olamide’s Science Student etc.

Even 2Baba, who gave Nigerians the politically conscientious “E Be Like Say’ song, was soon caught up singing the hook for Freestyle’s “Sip Easy”. Timaya started with sensible songs like ‘My Story’ but after catching the bug in no time, started making music like ‘Shake Your Bum Bum’.

Music enthusiasts of that era decisively opted for what livens their mood rather than enlightens their minds. The same preference is now playing out in the digital ecosystem. Content created solely for entertainment instead of thought was the order of the day, with proud dullards (olodos) holding court. It’s in line with the anti-perfect proclivities of Gen Z, where radical realness is the haymaker. Smart content creators are trying to align with an audience that has since embraced unfiltered, chaotic, and brutally honest self-expression as the norm. With raw being preferred to refined, Olodo is indeed rising!

Are Brands Now In Quandary?

On this matter, creators’ credentials are only a visage concealing the core issue in the Olodo Uprising – content design. These are 15-to-30-second reels that merely elicit laughter and shares, abridging the appetite of children and young adults for mentally demanding posts and inspiring the exchange of ideas. Brands will have to decide whether they want to be perceived as pedestrian by their presence on pages with such vain content.

When a brand partners with a KOL on social media, it is not only borrowing their followers but also giving itself away as a subscriber to the sort of influence wielded by that creator. As socially responsible entities, brands must critically weigh the arguments of the intellectuals and pragmatists before staking their reputation on the influencers they partner with. As digital PR scours for trending hashtags to jump on and culture movements to tap into, it must ensure that the ensuing viral moment is worth the cost in goodwill.

Given brands’ role as active participants in transcending trends into culture, they must be wary of the kind of society they are helping to build. Businesses must introspect on whether they would be proud of themselves for having helped in elevating idiocy to an industrial scale. They will be shaping perception by patronising pages that are focused on flaunting, fooling, and friction, leaving audiences high and dry. Based on the influencers they do business with, brands will be exposing who they think society needs more: celebrity olodos or experts. Whatever is consistently rewarded by society ultimately becomes aspirational.

Indeed, collaboration with culture and trendsetters portrays the propriety and morality quotient of an organisation. Therefore, the strongest brands shouldn’t be as bothered about what everyone is talking about as they are about “What conversation should we contribute to and what values will we be reinforcing by so doing?” This contemplation is necessary because while the vitality that comes with riding a pop momentum is momentary, PR sets its sights on something more enduring – credibility.

Not the First Rodeo; Fads Always Fade!

Who still remembers the so-called University of Wisdom and Understanding? Founded by the Nigerian content creator Geh Geh, the online entertainment movement dominated timelines in the second half of last year. One of his online classes had over 25,000 livestreamers, with his catchphrase “No spend on woman wey no fit spend on you” going viral.

Some brands must have salivated at the visibility that the audience could fetch them but exercised restraint because they don’t want their brand to be associated with a community that misuses academic titles and is dogged by allegations of misogynistic teachings and concerns over the promotion of rigid gender roles.

There was also the light-hearted Mr Meerkat; the animal’s meme adaptations that were the fad about this time last year. Images of the character without perception pitfalls were all over the place, yet serious brands knew better not to stake their reputation on the memes just for cultural relevance.

Society has since moved on from Mr Meerkat, just as it may with the extant Olodo Uprising. But even if the “Peller culture” eventually becomes entrenched as music with nonsensical lyrics was, there will still be popular content creators who are decorous in their online hustle. The fact that vain songs are chart-toppers doesn’t mean that decent music isn’t giving them a run for the top spot. A proof is the impressive ranking of Gospel music artists on music streaming platforms. As Olodos braggadociously rise on social media, content creators who are professional in their craft will be around to offer alternative platforms.

No Middle Ground 

Brand equity building doesn’t necessarily lend itself to a circus or charade. Here’s the question begging for an answer: is the revolving door that delivers only a brief moment in the sun worth the credibility capital or image inconsistency? It’s like news judgement, which editorial marketers can help companies figure out.

By looking inwards, organisations can ascertain where to perch in the ongoing Olodo Uprising debate without frittering away their PR stock. Given the glaring values driving the culture shift, brand custodians should weigh them against the values of their organisations. If there is an alignment, they can go ahead to be Olodo content creators’ cheerleaders and partners. If not, they should settle for their urbane, cerebral counterparts.

It’s ultimately a test of fidelity to what brands brandish as their very essence. And their publics are keenly watching to reward authenticity with credibility.

Meanwhile, not getting involved is also an option. But how will the neutral brand satisfy the business’s influencer marketing needs without inadvertently revealing its position in the debate?

Ugochukwu is a branding specialist, editorial marketer and media trainer who can be reached via nmiringwu@gmail.com