Social Consciousness in the Lyrics of Folarinde Falana (Falz): A Critical Discourse Analysis Perspective

This paper examines the nature of social consciousness in the music of Folarinde Falana (Falz) with a view to unveiling how language is steeped in critical social engagement in his art.Data for the study comprises lyrics of nine songs of Folarinde Falana (Falz).The selected songs are Talk, This is Nigeria, E No Finish, Brother´s Keeper, Hypocrite, Wehdone Sir, My People, Child Of The World and Amen.The songs were purposively selected because they feature moral instructions on different aspects of the life of a normal Nigerian and also challenge the government by showing the inadequacies in the actions and treatment of the citizens of Nigeria.The gathered data was analysed through the analytical lens of critical discourse analysis.The analysis revealed that Falz focuses on the issues of religious manipulation and deception, gullibility of followers in religious circles, social pranks and irresponsibility of the Nigerian masses, the socio-economic struggles of the masses and leadership failure.The musician uses everyday language to stir the consciousness of the general public for the apprehension of the nation´s woes.Even though as a musician, Falz injects a lot of fun into his music on social problems in Nigeria through the use of slangy expressions and exclamations, he still keeps his eyes on the seriousness of the issues he raises.