International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) |Volume VI, Issue IX, September 2022|ISSN 2454-6186
Reading Nigerian Hip Hop Music through Nollywood Films: An Examination of The Wedding Party
Wale Adedeji Ph.D, Adegoke Afe
Dept. of Performing and Film Arts, Elizade University, Ilara-Mokin, Ondo State, Nigeria
Abstract: The symbiotic relationship between motion picture and music cannot be over-emphasised as both stands as an important aspect of the expressive art form. Movies represents and mirrors the society while music communicates emotions, complements the storyline and expresses the characters’ inner feelings. This study explores the interrelationship between popular music and Nollywood by investigating the occurrence and implication of hip hop music in the movie the Wedding Party. Through in-depth content analysis of the data (movie) a larger occurrence of hip hop music was isolated and classified which indicated the popularity of the genre and its acceptance amongst all age grades. The research also validates the argument that hip hop music and its associated culture is becoming the toast and major feature of the mainstream wedding ceremonies in Nigeria today
Keywords: Motion picture, Nollywood, Movie Soundtracks, Hip hop Music, Nigeria.
I. INTRODUCTION
There is no gainsaying the fact that music and films are a very important aspect of living in the modern age. Both being very essential within the expressive art form with an unprecedented influence in today’s popular culture making it almost un-imaginable to fathom life without both. Music has always been part of humanity which dates from time immemorial, having various description with the most definitive as being an organised sound which is pleasing to the ears. This supports the fact that every sound cannot be categorised as music while an un-pleasant sound will be cacophony or mere noise. As observed by Ogunrinade (2016) ‘music serves many purposes such as orientation, appeal, entertainment, and education and because of its high level of penetrative power, music seems to play a vital role in human socialization’ which invariably makes it a vital tool in film making, stage plays and theatre production. This article focuses on the interrelationship between music (hip hop) and motion picture in the Nigerian Nollywood movie industry isolating the occurrence, function and implication of hip hop music in the film Wedding Party. The research is based on qualitative analytical method and the data that informs this paper was derived through content analysis (textual and audio-visual) of the movie the Wedding Party.