Evolution of protest music in Nigeria’s end SARS ERA

Protest music has long served as a potent tool for resistance and collective consciousness in Nigeria. From the defiant anthems of Fela Kuti in the 1970s to the bold lyrical activism of Falz during the End SARS movement of 2020, music has evolved as a socio-political force. This study investigates the transformation of protest music in Nigeria, focusing on the End SARS era as a historical turning point. The problem lies in the underrepresentation of music as a core driver of political awareness and youth mobilization in scholarly discourse on End SARS. The objective is to explore how contemporary protest music shaped public opinion, documented injustice, and connected generations of resistance. Framed by the Framing Theory and Cultural Resistance Theory, the study adopts a qualitative content analysis of selected tracks by Fela and Falz. Findings reveal a stylistic shift from Afrobeat’s didacticism to Hip-Hop’s narrative realism, with both artists addressing systemic corruption, police brutality, and governance failures. The study concludes that protest music remains a bridgebetween memory and activism. It recommends integrating protest music into civic education to sustain democratic engagement.