The Nigerian music world seems to be bading goodbye to naira Marley bit by bit. In a recent move that has started a revolution in the industry, two major music channels, Soundcity and MTV Base, have taken a bold step by canceling Naira Marley’s songs from their playlists.
This decision comes in the wake of the artist’s alleged connection to the tragic passing of Mohbad.
For those following the relationship between Naira Marley and Mohbad, the news might not come as a complete surprise. Mohbad, who had been a part of Naira Marley’s Marlian Records label, parted ways with the record label in 2022. Since then, tensions between the two artists have escalated, leading to public disputes.
One of the most memorable incidents occurred in October of 2022 when Mohbad shared a live video, capturing a distressing moment where he was seen crying and fleeing from a building in Chevron, Lekki. Since his passing, eyes have obviously turned to none other than naira Marley.
Soundcity and MTV Base’s decision to pull Naira Marley’s songs from their playlists is a solidarity move in response to the ongoing controversies. While they haven’t explicitly stated the reasons behind this decision, it’s clear that the cloud of controversy surrounding the artist played a role in their choice.
Recall that yesterday, Kemi Filani had reported that Splash FM, another major player in the music scene, has also joined the ranks in discontinuing the play of Naira Marley’s songs. They’ve taken a stand, urging other stations to follow suit. This collective action sends a powerful message that the music industry is not willing to overlook controversies or alleged connections to tragic events.
For the past week, Naira Marley has also experienced a noticeable drop in his social media followers. His followers count, which stood at 7.5 million at the time of the news of Mohbad’s passing, has since decreased to 6.9 million.
KEMI FILANI