Music In The Late 2000s Era Is Better Than Present Day Music. Here's Why.

Many music fanatics today including me, who witnessed the late 2000s and early 2010s era which is now referred to as the term "throwback", would agree with the fact that the music created then is better than the music of today. Many reasons are given to why the difference is clear and why throwbacks are preferred. Following conversations I've had with friends and knowledgeable people in music, some of the reasons why throwbacks are preferred are based on the following factors;

First of all, There was little or no comparison and competition as we see in today's music. There's a lot of comparison for who's the number 1 artiste in Nigeria and competition to be the number 1 artiste in Nigeria in today's music which affects their creativity both positively and negatively. Due to the lack of this factor in the late 2000s, this made artistes make music solely from their hearts and display their pure talent. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying artistes today don't have any talent. My point is that artistes were singing what felt right and pure to them not what will gain more streams and give them bragging rights online like we see today.

Also, since most of the artistes back then made songs from their hearts, it made fans feel more connected to the people. Most of the artistes back then tackled real-life issues and sang songs the average Nigerian could relate to which compared to today's artistes, its a rarity. Also, when you think of this factor, it makes you know why Nigerians loved and celebrate Fela. He sang liberating songs, tackled societal ills, and corrupt politicians with his songs. Today what we have are most artistes who sing about exotic living and luxurious lifestyles.

Another reason why throwbacks are preferred when it comes to music is because of the freshly found Afrobeat sound. During the 2000s era, several Nigerian artistes who had made names were just crossing over from the western sound to the newly found Fela sound, Afrobeat. This created an avenue for the artistes to be creative and explore the new sound and this made way for several timeless records like "Gongo Aso", "Why Me" "Adara" "Gbamu Gbamu", "Pere", "Shayo", "Anoti", "Suddenly" and many more. The Afrobeat sound is still present in today's music only difference is that it's the same recycled Afrobeat sound we enjoy.

Furthermore, another important factor is that back then, there was no pressure to break into the international market like we have today. The artistes back then focused mainly on songs that are marketable to Nigerians. Any international focus or breakthrough was a bonus. Today's artistes are trying to break into several aspects of the music aspect. While this is positive and shows growth and improvement, it makes some of the artistes lose touch with heir local fans as some of the songs they make do not resonate with Nigerians at all.

Now, I'm not saying there hasn't been progress and improvement in the Nigerian music scene over the years. Also, I'm not saying that all artistes today make mediocre music. My point is that the quality in music has reduced over the years despite the advancement in technology and the ability to be able to reach more audience and connect to different parts and genres of music. What we have today are repeated sounds and not fresh ideas for music. If some of these artistes can take their eye off the monetary aspect of music and its perks, get creative and focus on making music from fresh and different sounds, the music quality will be much better than what we have today.