Illbliss, the Renowned rapper has warned that Nigeria is navigating a perilous period in its history.
In a recent appearance on the Real Shareholders podcast, Illbliss expressed deep concern over the country’s escalating insecurity, economic hardship, and rampant corruption.
He also criticised the government’s increasing reliance on propaganda to suppress dissenting voices.
Illbliss shared his personal experience with censorship, revealing that his 2020 song “Country” was pulled from radio stations due to its critical stance towards the government.
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He noted that his previous conscious tracks, such as “A Different Kind of War” and “National Cake,” had also faced similar resistance from radio stations, which cited fear of government reprisal.
The rapper lamented the growing trend of digital propaganda, where artificial online campaigns are orchestrated to counter criticism and spread falsehoods.
Illbliss observed that this phenomenon has become increasingly sophisticated, with some individuals proudly promoting the government’s agenda on social media despite evident flaws.
He emphasised that Nigeria is at a critical juncture where the government’s efforts to control the narrative match its critics’ energy.
He questioned whether the government is funding distraction theories or has become more advanced in its tactics, urging Nigerians to examine the state of their country more closely.
The rapper said, “I had this record in 2020 called ‘Country.’ It was taken off the radio. Before ‘Country,’ I released other conscious songs like ‘A Different Kind Of War’ and ‘National Cake.’ But OAPs are always saying that they cannot play such songs because they could get fined.
“Every now and then, you put out a record and you see like a 100 or more tweets come at you like, ‘Why are you always trying to make a mockery of the country? The country is not as bad as it is.’ And you just now that it is an artificial pushback, perhaps, a digital response to whatever. Because I know that propaganda can’t just be on traditional media anymore.
“Propagandists can have a podcast just to say the government is doing great. And you will see people from our generation sit proudly with their faces showing and say, ‘But this government has created jobs. You can tell.’
“That is where we are. We are in a very dangerous part of our history where the government is matching our energy. We thought we had social media but so much happens on the same social media space and you begin to wonder the government had begun to fund theories of distraction or is this government a lot more advanced now? I mean, look around us.”
