Complete Podcast

"Collateral Damage" by Burna Boy is a song that addresses the corruption in Nigeria and West Africa. The podcast discusses the historical and social context of the song and its impact. Corruption in third world countries is often overlooked, but art, like this song, can bring attention to political issues. The song highlights the deep corruption in West Africa and calls for action. It has a large African audience who relate to the struggles of corruption. The song's structure is rooted in Afrobeat tradition with complex rhythms and catchy melodies. It addresses themes of injustice and violence. The song resonates with West African immigrants in America, who use music to stay connected to their home countries. Overall, the song and its message have brought people together and raised awareness of corruption. Collateral Damage by Burna Boy isn't just a song. It's a political discussion about the corruption occurring in Nigeria and West Africa that brings together a large audience to call for action against such corruption. In this podcast, I discuss the historical and social context of the song and its structural characteristics and bring in a guest speaker from the West African community in America to talk about the vast impact of this highly catchy song. So let's get into it by talking about the corruption in third world countries because corruption in third world countries is a topic of political discussion that many outside those nations tend to overlook. In fact, there may be occasions when those country's citizens dismiss it as well. However, art, as we all know, has a staggering effect of having an eye-opening effect on politics among many other formidable topics. For example, during the revolutionary era, Ben Franklin's join or die snake cartoon had such a big effect on bringing together entire colonies to have a more unified front in the war against Britain. African American music has a rich history derived from the work field songs that made the labor and hardship feel more unified and understood. Similarly, Collateral Damage by Burnaboy is a contemporary R&B piece that delves into the deep corruption ensuing in West Africa. West Africa, specifically Nigeria, has dealt with corruption in its political sectors for nearly three decades. Corruption can be found in nearly every level of the Nigerian government. These include like contract fraud, petty bribery, money laundering schemes, embezzlement, seizing salaries from fake workers, and so many other illegal activities. It is estimated that corruption within the state apparatus costs the country billions of dollars annually. This crisis ranked Nigeria 154 out of 108 countries in 2021, where the country ranked last is perceived as the most corrupt. Collateral Damage sings about this impact and how it must be stopped. Reviews and comments on the song show that its listeners demographic is mainly African, with over 20 million viewers and 2000 comments on its official audio on YouTube relating to the struggle of dealing with corruption in these countries. Upon moving to America, my family and I often watched the Sri Lankan news and worried about the state of our nation, no matter how far away we were from it. Similarly, the community of West Africans living in America also likely have the same experience of stressing about their home country due to corruption. Listening to songs like Collateral Damage helps this community of individuals feel more unified, united, and understood, just like how art has been used throughout history. Moving on to talk about the structural characteristics of Collateral Damage. The rhythm of Collateral Damage is deeply rooted in Afrobee tradition characterized by complex pulsating percussions and grooves and rhythms. The melody of the song is catchy and memorable using a combination of vocals and instruments. The harmony features rich and colorful chord progressions that add depth and emotion to the music. The use of harmonies enhances the song's dynamic range, creating moments of tension and resolution that contribute to its overall impact. The timbral qualities of the instruments, such as the bright tones of the horns and the rhythmic texture of the drums, further enrich the song. The texture is multilayered and creates depth and complexity. The form is a traditional verse-chorus form. The text is in English, although it may contain occasional phrases or lines in other languages, such as Nigerian, Pidgin, Yoruba, or other African languages. It addresses themes of societal injustice, political corruption, and the impact of violence on communities. Here's an example of what we just talked about. Two moments that stand out the most in Collateral Damage for me were the introductions, rhythmic groove, and the middle harmonic shift. The introduction grabs your attention right away with its catchy Afrobeat-inspired rhythm. It sets the tone for the whole song. Here's an example. Then, in the middle, there's a sudden change in harmony that adds depth to the song. Upon my first encounter with Collateral Damage, I was immediately drawn to its rhythm and beat. However, as I delved deeper into the song's lyrics and musical intricacies, I discovered a profound depth and transcended mere surface-level enjoyment. With each subsequent listen, I found myself uncovering new layers of meaning and nuance. Bernard Gorey integrates deep meaning in his lyrics in Collateral Damage with a catchy beat and harmonies. The lyrics are a bit hard to understand as he combines a multitude of languages. However, delving deeper into its meaning gave me a much richer experience as the lyrics convey many political and social issues ensuing in West Africa that affect many. Is the community of Nigerian immigrants or West African immigrants like in the United States? In terms of like, you know, the community activities that they would be able to do back in their home countries, they really only have like music and food and language here in the United States. That's kind of what you'll see most often. So the song touches on various social and political issues. How did you interpret Bernard Gorey's commentary on these topics? Like I said before, I kind of like associated it with the political corruption that goes on in a lot of West African countries. He goes on to say like, you know, in the song, like people are like too scared to speak up or to try and fight back because, you know, they feel like they have no one on their side. Like even the police are corrupt. Yeah. So I think we both agree that this is a great song, right? Yeah. Yeah. So yeah, I think that is all the questions I have prepared for you today. And thank you for your participation. And and insightful input. And to conclude, my experience with interviewing Marva and diving deeper into collateral damage has shown me the similarities between immigrants in America as we all turn to music and art to feel a connection to our home countries. West African immigrants in America rely on songs like collateral damage to stay in touch with their origin and to feel connected to their community back home. Music has once again proven its ability to bring together a group of people for a greater cause. And with that, that is the end of the presentation.