Moral Instruction - Falz, Review by Faithfulness Okom
Folarin Falana better known by his stage name Falz, 3 days ago released the lead single off his album, ‘Talk’ to widespread listener and critical acclaim, the concept was outside the box and there was plausible and bold lyricism. He criticized the government, sex workers, internet fraudsters and a host of others in a Fela esque musical tirade. It was the perfect harbinger or ‘John The Baptist’ if you like, for the proverbial ‘Jesus’ of the album itself ‘Moral Instruction’.
The moziac art work of the album was designed by the legendary Lemi Ghariokwu who designed some excellent works for Fela back in the days. The artwork is world class and is a pot pourri of the various messages embedded in the album, depicted in ink and paint. This aspect of albums in Africa is never really taken seriously as many mainstream artistes just use bland photos of theirs for their album covers. Falz does something different here, even though his face features prominently, the themes of the album are made conspicuous.
The album is a conscious magnus opus by all standards, the kind of work Nigeria needs but Nigerians don’t realize. If Falz was a tailor what he did here was deliver an exquisite slim fit, no adjustments whatsoever needed, it is the perfect message by the right man at the right time. He brazenly takes on the Nigerian ‘power’ bastion and establishment and challenges all notions of values and beliefs we hold onto as a people. Most importantly Falz is incredibly consistent lyrically, he doesn’t for a second deviate from the central focus of his very sprawling masterpiece, this is made easier by the relatively short 24 minute length of the album. ‘Moral Instruction’ is Nigeria’s 'To pimp a butterfly’ he doesn’t sample Kendrick Lamar the greatest album maker of all time but this work even though inferior is reminiscent of Kendrick’s 2015 gem where he coverered the themes of race, culture, discrimination and materialism, Falz just like Kendrick Lamar doesn’t flinch for a second and takes no prisoners while suppressing his comical side. He however samples Nigeria’s musical genius and Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti, who he has been compared to in recent times and to my mind deservedly so. The musical genres in this album range from afrobeat to jazz and the production is tame leaving a lot of room for Falz to shine. Here is a breakdown of the themes explored in the 9 tracks in the album:
1) Johnny - In the opening track he tells a short story about Johnny a victim of police brutality, while bashing the trigger happy police personnel in Nigeria. He uses an impressive punchline here, “They kill am for Jos for no Just Cause”. He also briefly speaks about the ills and meaninglessness of Tribal wars.
2) Follow Follow - The themes covered here are mainly Materialism and Greed, explaining the mindset of Nigerians and “by all means" attitude towards acquiring wealth, while brilliantly sampling Fela Kuti.
3) Hypocrite — In Hypocrite he addresses Domestic violence by men, Christian hypocrisy, Politicians and their pretense, he emphasizes Voter responsibility and the role the Nigerian electorate plays in Nigeria’s misery, vitally he lastly disavows minor abuse and debunks the myth of ‘minors consent’.
4) Talk — He is expansive here touching topics ranging from the upcoming Nigerian election, Internet Fraudsters, Buhari’s cavalier method of governance, the rascality of the Nigerian Senate, to Sex workers who to much criticism he described as (Cash and carry girls), the megalomania of men of God, and Insecurity in the country.
5) Amen - In Amen he Samples Fela again. The track is a critical appraisal of Religion and it’s bullshit and the double standards we frequently see. He also samples some background skits here reminiscent of the skits in Be Free by American rapper JCole. This is my personal favourite.
6) Brothers Keeper - Here he explains the need for personal responsibility and how interconnected Nigeria’s problems are, Sexual Slavery, and the need for Selflessness. Some of the lyrics embody George Bush’s 2000 message to the Americans imploring them to " Be citizens and not spectators". He speaks about predominant things like Health Care service providers wanting to see police reports before treating people with medical emergencies and the problems that ensue.
7) Paper — Here he launches a staunch attack on the culture of Ritualism, Fraud (Internet and Physical), the problem of impatience among Nigerians and crucially criticizes parents who give their kids away in Child Marriage.
8) E No Finish — In the penultimate track he samples Fela once again while continuing to speak against the greed of politicians and the causal link it has with the vices, desperate masses resort to.
9) After All Is Said And Done — He concludes with some spoken word poetry, he explains he isn’t a saint or moral entrepreneur but just a concerned guy. Clearly he doesn’t just dole out blame without accepting any.
I have no doubts this is a classic album. Perhaps not the best we have heard from a Nigerian rapper as I reckon MI Abaga and Mode 9 have dropped some paragons in the past. This work though is game changing and culture redefining and definitely one of the most impactful works of the last two decades.
My score: 8/10
