Nigerian music artiste, Eldee The Don has waded into the debate between celebrities concerning the activities of Yahoo boys. It all started when the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) raided Club 57 and arrested some internet fraudster. The news generated a lot of buzz with celebs divided on the priorities of EFCC.

One of those who has taken a stand against the activities of Yahoo boys is Eldee The Don who blames himself for a son he did which glorifies their kind of lifestyle.

Eldee The Don wrote on Twitter:

One day in 2010 while doing a red carpet interview, an interviewer asked me: “I listened to your song big boy, while I do like and enjoy the song, don’t you think the lyrics are a little misleading? I mean you’re glorifying a materialistic lifestyle..."

She contd...”How do you reconcile that with some of your previous more socially conscious music?” Without thinking deeply about what she said, I immediately responded that I wrote the song to motivate young people to be successful.

I added that I don’t understand why anyone would try to suggest a negative meaning to this amazing song that is doing so well at inspiring young people to be everything they can be.

We didn’t have time to talk any further because we had to move along quickly and do another interview and but I noticed as we walked away that she looked disappointed.

I didn’t think much of it at the time. I mean, she fell right into the category of the “haters” I was describing on the song, so I just moved on.

There was a part of what she said though, that stayed with me and continued to echo in my head. It was the part where she asked how I was able to reconcile “big boy” with some of my previous more socially conscious music.

A few years before, I had released another successful record titled “I go yan”. I go yan is a socially conscious song that tackles the shortcomings of African leaders.

When you place those two records side by side, the contrast is evident. The more I thought about what that interviewer said to me on the red carpet that day, the more clarity I had about the contradiction.



How can I care so much about the plight of my people and at the same time promote oppression and materialism? I struggled with it for a while but I eventually developed a coping mechanism that helped me get past the feeling of guilt.


My coping mechanism was that in the expression of art, it is ok to have contradicting positions from time to time so I thought it ok to one day feel like Bob Marley and another day feel like Diddy.

Even the late great Tupac Shakur made records that if placed side by side are contradictory. Compare “Dear mama” to “Hit em up” for example, same artist, different emotions. That was how I coped with my own contradiction. 

Truth is, people who are close to me know that I’m more of a Bob Marley than a Diddy. In my natural state, I'm more socially conscious than flashy. Much of my music doesn’t give off that vibe though, primarily because a lot of my music was made to cater to my audience.

Recently, I started wondering,...why do people connect so well with materialism? What is it about a flashy lifestyle that is more exciting? Why is more respect given to people who are considered to be rich and wealthy in society? 

The answer may seem obvious but the more I learn about human behavioral psychology, the more I realize that a lot of it lies in our personal insecurities.

Our insatiable need for acceptance and regard in our society drives much of how we perceive ourselves and the decisions we make in our daily lives.

And because of that, our perception of who we are and what we are worth has become one of our most basic human needs, right after food, and security.

Poverty has a strong impact on our self esteem as a people. The need to fill a low self esteem gap with material things is what has led our society as a whole to where we are today.

Today, we have a society that doesn’t respect honest work. A society that insists on the display of wealth for social status. A society that has raised the bar so high for everyone that even the rich have to lie about their true financial capacity.

We have a society that today finds justification for corruption, armed robbery and fraud...because it doesn’t matter anymore how you get it, just get it, and for no other reason than to flaunt it.

I made the song “big boy” and unwittingly contributed to the decay...I know better today.

https://www.wotzup.ng/eldee-the-don-decay-yahoo-boys/

...hmmm...
Poverty impact for 9ja for no dey dis bad if basic amenities dey in place... Light, roads, schools, healthcare, jobs,water,... Make I leave matter for Mattias[color=#990000][/color] jor ...

Good!I hope that bros that sang living things is reading this??.. .later he'll say he's praising hardworking socialites...

This is a celebrity unlike that riffraff called Efe that knows only how to shout "warri warri warri "

lalasticlala

Self reflection is key to positive personal development..

Note: he still does not feel Big Boy was a Yahoo song however he acknowledges that it in some way promotes vanity and materialism.

The ability for a human being to step back from a wrong turn or even an action that is borderline wrong and acknowledge one's error in judgment is very important

IF NOT

One may end up like the toad!

(You've heard the allegory if the toad in hot water experiment? -

a man put a toad in hot water and it jumped out immediately!

He then put it in cold water and the toad remained inside, he then put the pot on the fire, and the toad remained inside still... Slowly adjusting to the incremental changes in temperature till it was cooked!)

Don't be that toad...

shift abeg seeking relevance

Metuh:
This is a celebrity unlike that riffraff called Efe that knows only how to shout "warri warri warri "

You people created him in that garish laboratory in South Africa.

Some celebs self are yahoo

419 has been there since 1914, it was made in 1914. but it never went crazy like what we have now because we had working governments.. same for drug addictions, same for rituals, robbery, etc

These things go hand in hand and has multiplier effect.

What do you expect a graduate whom has been and still searching for job over 5 years?

Faced with:
-Ridicule he succumbs to drugs,
-Rejected by females, he takes on rape due to finances
-Intimidated by peers, he takes on kidnapping & robbery
-Rather than stare at the ceiling all day, he rather takes on yahoo atleast to be hopeful eventually adds ritual to plus it up.

And we all ask ourselves, he used to be a brilliant guy, straight A's, good result, Godly child... what happened to him. Well the Govt never provided the basics and he had no helper.

Look around you, we are all scattered around in different categories and stages.

Empathy and kindness changes the world.

Like Davido's Aye and Assurance


So contradictory

Eldee the retired yahoo guy

"Our insatiable need for acceptance and regard in our society drives much of how we perceive ourselves and the decisions we make in our daily lives"


"Today, we have a society that doesn't respect honest work. A society that insists on the display of wealth for social status. A society that has raised the bar so high for everyone that even the rich have to lie about their true financial capacity"


I couldn't agree more to the above. However, crime is a CHOICE, it doesn't end well and would never answer for being in abject want. Hard work still pays at the end.

Peace!

Am lazy to read this
My client don come online

Even the mob who lynch petty thieves and glorify yahoo thieves are also guilty of encouraging the latter.

The yahoo thieves have become so emboldened to even claim we are jealous of their success, and continue to flaunt their crime before our very eyes.

Imagine WE who should be clobbering their heads and burning them with the tyres we waste on petty thieves, are now jealous of a thief and destiny destroyer's success in his evil vocation.

We are suffering from Neocolonialism

All of this Yahoo this Yahoo that is getting out of hand, I should be quick to remind people that he who is without sin should cast the first stone. Sin is sin ,you can't be fornicating, masturbating, baby mama poo, pornography and the rest of this petty sins and still come around here castigating others delving into Yahoo. you're just plainly a hypocrite and totally delusional.

While his apology is noble and timely as well as his acknowledgment of his role in it all, it is pertinent to note, that the song it's self, is irrelevant today and 90% of Yahoo boys today, would probably not remember the song or it's impact

On the contrary, Olu Maintains Yahooze is the perfect example of a song that encouraged this decay, and is far more relevant

goldbim:
Good!I hope that bros that sang living things is reading this??.. .later he'll say he's praising hardworking socialites...

If fact I lost all respect for him because he sang it right after a failed contest for a political post.

Isn't that the mentality he would be projecting if elected? We need a lot of grow up to do on the issue of corruption and care for fellow humans in this country.

Very Sensible of Eldee.

Perhaps, if we can all start talking about morals, value system and negativity of hustling the wrong way, our society might be on its way to recovery. We need to start seeing that the rot in the land.

Moral decadence every!

Lol

Timinho23:
Some celebs self are yahoo

Most

Metuh:
This is a celebrity unlike that riffraff called Efe that knows only how to shout "warri warri warri "

Why hating bro
The riff-raff in question is a millionaire and still counting
Pray to God to give you money so that you will be extremely rich and make people call you names okay money is good

oshe11:
Most

Sure and drug lords sef

safarigirl:
While his apology is noble and timely as well as his acknowledgment of his role in it all, it is pertinent to note, that the song it's self, is irrelevant today and 90% of Yahoo boys today, would probably not remember the song or it's impact

On the contrary, Olu Maintains Yahooze is the perfect example of a song that encouraged this decay, and is far more relevant

Apt!

Also the guy, Kelly Handsome who sang "Maga don pay, shout hallelujah".

When people express shock and surprise at the alarming rate materialism is emphasized and glamoured, it's evident they do not read the Inspired word of God the - Bible which several years ago foretold what we see prevelent in the world of today.

2 Timothy 3:1-5 and 1 John 2:15-17 readily comes to mind.

Hence it is no surprise to us!

Even Yahoo boys they bash yahoo boys

Nawa