Rhythm and vulgarism: Musico-textual analysis of Naira Marley’s works as a Contemporary Nigerian Artiste

Nigerian hip-hop, commonly dubbed “Naija Hip-hop”, has emerged as a defining socio-cultural phenomenon among contemporary Nigerian youth. This study undertakes a musical and textual examination of selected musical works by Naira Marley, a figure whose fusion of rhythmic innovation and vernacular speech has both captivated a large youth audience and sparked scholarly debate. Utilising close readings of lyrics alongside detailed musical analysis of form, rhythm, harmony and production techniques, the paper elucidates the mechanisms through which vulgar expressions are embedded, emphasised and normalised within his works. Employing a methodology that combines music transcription and discourse analysis, it demonstrates how syncopated beats, chant-like vocal delivery and repetitive melodic motifs function to foreground the rhetorical force of vulgar language and implicit references to illicit behaviours.The findings reveal that, in Naira Marley’s works, musical structures do not merely accompany textual content but actively intensify its provocative impact. By foregrounding the interplay of sound and text, this study advances our understanding of vulgarism as both a discursive strategy and a performative device in contemporary popular music.