Even the mind that speaks at times finds it very difficult appreciating those things that it tends to present. Even the moment tends to forget at times its special quality and contents. Many music icons in this ever changing world have spoken to us via the music medium and their songs linger and echo in our memory, yet we have failed to look at the salient issues raised in the song. Many sing, making meanings out of life, preaching the gospel of change and hope, yet with little appreciation shown toward such act of patriotism born out of music which might be innate in them or made perfect through regular practice and rehearsals.
It is against this background that I respond in what I could simply call reasonable terms to the hit song ‘Implication’ by Innocent Idibia (2face). I respond to this song based on the declaration and the question he posed before all of us that he doesn’t know what he is singing right and whether we are still “feeling his lyrics as usual. “ I don’t know what I’m singing right now, tell me if you feel me right now, come to the dance floor… let’s get implicated together… ole..le” We would like to respond to his question by affirming that he knows what he is singing right now and we are all ready to join him in the dance floor to get implicated together in appreciation of his work….
The chorus goes thus;
ole le… ole le… ole jelo bunu le le,
ole gwa ole gwa ole jelobunu legwa- implication.
We would like to translate the above for universal acceptance and for the sake of clarity. Simply put, the chorus affirms that he ate, he ate and gave to his husband to eat, she drank, she drank and gave to her husband to drink- Implication. It then implies that through the eating and the drinking perpetuated by the wife, the entire family got implicated. Many have misconstrued the theme of this hit by 2face and just limiting it to religion, but this analysis will do justice to why one should look beyond the religious angle bearing in mind that 2face Idibia, one of the most celebrated artistes of our time has been able to kill two birds with one stone. He has just used the incident of Genesis to preach for sanity in our family and even the political environment.
If we analyze critically the biblical injunction of the Adam and Eve saga that has put us in this perpetual struggle and the penetration of evil into the lives of men, we will be quick to realize the need for sanity and harmony in our thinking, our dream and our general way of life. One would like to add that if Adam and Eve had sat to discuss, looked at the prone and cone of what the snake requested of them, the case would have been different today, but for the communication gap, we all live to regret their action today. The snake came to Eve, persuaded her against the will of God and she ate of the fruit even before consulting her husband. After she ate of the fruit which was termed forbidden by God, she became like the snake himself, she then possessed the power of trick and conviction wrapped in her charming and blemish appearance. Adam couldn’t have resisted her request, he could no longer reason with reason, he lost his sense of morality and all of them including you and I got implicated. 2FACE is not just looking at how Adam and Even got implicated to implicate us, he did not release this song to remind the Idoma nation of the importance of reviving an old abandoned Idoma chorus; rather, the song is simply a call to duty and harmony in the family and the political environment. It implies that whatever a man does in a house is capable of making or marring the whole family and vis- versa. A woman or a man who goes to steal and comes to the house at such an odd time with wonderful items in his or company deserves to be queried by the husband or the wife who must respond negatively to those things brought to the house. 2FACE has been able to establish that no matter the seal or the oath that binds a man and a woman, they should be watchful in order to identify those things that could impede the growth of the family. He has asserted, using the medium of this song that an agreement reached in a family must be seriously considered by the two parties involved so that none could just be lured into an act that could dampen the image of the whole family. The song was presented through the eye of a child who grew up in Idoma land. He is emphasizing on the need to adhere strictly to the harmonious existence of every Benue family and the oneness he has grown to know. He has been able to tell the world and the Benue people that whatever a man eats and gives to his family or his neighbor is capable of doing damage to all if it is not from a good source. Relatively, he has established that any man who has a stain of corruption on his cloth will transfer such to his family and this stain will continue.
The song has no doubt established that whatever that affects one individual in the home affects all, hence we should be careful with the way we join in a particular chorus initiated by a member in the family. (If you dey follow…follow make sure say your eye no go redaa…) The same is applicable to the entire nation. If as citizens of this great country, we continue to say yes to the leaders in whatever they do, in whatever request they make and whatever policy they initiate, we are bound to be implicated unknowingly. We might as well be cajoled into eating the forbidden fruit without putting up any kind of resistance like Adam in the Garden of Eden. 2FACE has emphasized on the importance of resistance to obnoxious laws and inequality that characterize our polity. Hence if one disobeys the Mother Nature, the natural laws found within the society, he is bound to face some kind of wahala.
”as I disobey my mother
I come dey get plenty wahala”….
He also emphasized on the need to be cautious with the way we are blinded into taking action without really looking at both sides; the follow- follow attitude is what he sings about here.
“As I follow the brother,
As he commit the disaster
Just because I dey there
I follow enter the yawa”
He emphasized again on the effect of the notion that if you can’t beat them, join them. 2face has clearly established that you must not always join them even if you can’t beat them.
“If you dey follow follow,
Open ur eyes and your mind
Make sure say ur eye no go redaaa…”
The song might though be a dance track as you can’t stop moving your head and your legs to the beat that moves even the motionless or still object, there is just more to the song than dancing… it is just more than hearing and dancing. It demands your total and absolute absorption or assimilation of the message so that these didactic themes of the song do not become passive or transient as days run into days and the hit of the song disappears for other new tracks from the same artist to find their ways into our CDs and Tapes. We disagree with 2face on his statement that he doesn’t know what he is singing right now. It is Ironical to say you don’t know what you sing yet your music is full of messages. I’m not surprised at the statement since I know that 2face is a man full verbal Irony while rolling out his lyrics.
Ordinary you and I will always think with so much prejudice that 2face doesn’t really make sense in his music and videos. The conception of such notion about Innocent Idibia is due principally to the appreciation of his songs with an everyday brain. You need to be sharp and literarily inclined while listening to Inno’s song. If you still doubt, dare to listen to this track objectively and relate it to life. It is only then that you will stand tall to affirm that this son of Idibia is exceptional in this large music industry. Na who wan try the heavy weight Champion?
WRITER: ADOYI ABAH ALI
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