Music has the power to move us and stir up emotions. It’s incredible how a simple melody or beat can make us feel alive and energised or bring tears to our eyes.
This power can be used to make singers massive stars or promote ideas and there is a fine line between singing about what is ‘going on’ and endorsement of activities.
Recent research focused on thirty-three Nigerian hip-hop songs that have captivated audiences from June 2017 to July 2023, show that they depict and rationalise online fraud and dehumanise victims.
The lyrics of hip-hop music reveal diverse motives that provide justifications for the activities of internet fraudsters. While it’s crucial to clarify that music lyrics themselves do not cause crime, the influence of celebrity is undeniable. Lyrics offer rich vocabularies that rationalise illicit actions and foster a nuanced understanding and appreciation among listeners. This influence can shape how music listeners perceive and react to cybercriminals and cybercrime victimisation. Specifically, as shown in the figure below, some songs glamorise offenders and depict these victims in a dehumanising light, exacerbating and mocking their already challenging circumstances.
Such portrayals can be characterised as passive dehumanisation, marked by a conspicuous absence of empathy while portraying internet fraudsters positively. It is, therefore, critical to underscore the global influence of musicians whose songs downplay the plight of online fraud victims and inadvertently encourage unintended endorsements.
Inclusion in a song or enjoying a song does not always imply an endorsement. The 65th United States Secretary of State, Collin Powell, unknowingly sang and danced to a song that glorifies internet fraud and scammers. Despite this caveat, Nigerian hip-hop music has evolved into a dynamic platform for cultivating fresh imaginaries previously unexplored in cultural and cyber practices associated with online fraud. It has become an active site for portraying these practices positively instead of condemning them.
