Nigerian Hip Hop and the Yoruba Influence: “Rugeddy Baba” and the Negotiation of National Identity

Abstract

Identity is an integral part of human existence and as a cognitive phenomenon it is regarded as a basis for selfrealisation and actualisation. Popular culture is an important conduit through which identity can be formulated and expressed. Music on the other hand as an expressive art is a major appendage of popular culture and a fertile ground for identity negotiation and formulation, in this instance through language use. This paper investigates the music- Hip hop, the language- Yoruba and examines how the artiste- Ruggedman employs the use of the mother-tongue while exploiting the general acceptability of the Yoruba language to popularise hip hop music in Nigeria .The research argues that, through the artiste‟s Yoruba linguistic affiliation he is able to formulate a national identity with a language not his own in a country where there is an overt subscription to ethnic loyalty rather that national.