Falz is, low key, one of the young and influential social commentators of our time. The lawyer-turned-rapper has found a way to speak on social issues even though he spends all of his time in recording studios and not in rooms where he can actually get up and fight for them – like his famous father.

The social message is deep in the rapper’s music, beneath the faux-Ibadan accent and in between bar-after-bar of lighthearted banter. But they say there’s some truth in every (good) joke and on his new song, “Weh Done Sir”,  Falz proves that saying to be true.

 

‘Well done’ is one Nigerian greeting that I never truly understood – you can see someone doing absolutely nothing on a hot afternoon and substitute your good afternoon greeting with well done. It’s a perfectly acceptable greeting.

But well done for what exactly? If you’re ever been stopped at a roadside checkpoint, ‘well done, sir’ is the cheat code for getting through unbothered.

What Falz therefore does with the greeting on this record is brilliant, he repurposes it to be a tongue in cheek acknowledgment of people involved in bad behavior. The acknowledgement also comes with a signature move that has spread on social media – a spoonful of sugar really does help the medicine go down.

False Life

Forget the Kardashians, some of us are preoccupied with keeping up with the Joneses. New cars, new clothes, new houses – the everything brand new lifestyle can be exhausting.

You dey pop bottle when you dey club

But your rent e dey hard you to pay up

You dey owe money since last year

But na brown new jeep way you drive here

G-Boys

If you can’t control your outflow, you better have an inflow that can support it. A lot of young men fall into this trap and when they can’t balance it out, resort to dubious means to level up.

You dey form big boy like you dey job bar

Meanwhile you’re internet fraudster

Player player

Take women out of the equation and men probably wouldn’t work as hard as we do to make money.

So you get 7 babes you dey take shine

And you promise all marriage at the same time

Falsifying Age

Nigerians are very touchy about their age, it’s a piece of information that they guard as seriously as they do their ATM pin. This secrecy allows a lot of us the space to manipulate our ages, especially for professional purposes. After all age is just a number.

According to your friends and your tight G’s

You were finishing school in the 90’s

But we read it in the paper and the magazine

That your present age is nineteen

False Prophets

One of the most controversial aspects of Pentecostal Christianity is having to give 10% of what you earn every month to a man who looks and lives like he uses every kobo of it for his upkeep alone. Tithing is a very touchy subject and requires nuance and knowledge, Falz proves he’s got both by speaking his mind on it.

You’re out here looking for more geez

But apostle is getting on Forbes list”

This is hip-hop satire at its finest, social commentary in its most digestable . There are a lot of messed up things happening in the world, Falz has become the voice of reason.