Naija boy remix: Afroexploitation and the new media creative economies of cosmopolitan African youth

Abstract

This article examines how young African cultural entrepreneurs harness the economic, technological and creative openings created by globalization with a focus on the Naija Boyz, two Nigerian-born, US-based brothers, who became YouTube sensations via their 'African Remix' genre of hip hop video parodies. With over 20 million views, the videos are situated within four converging movements within contemporary African youth cultural production: the maturation of African hip hop; the specific resurgence of Nigeria as a cultural hub driven by Nollywood and the local hip hop scene; the circulation of new media technologies; and, the formation of an increasingly cosmopolitan, tech-savvy generation of African youth. Using the Naija Boyz' images and lyrics, the YouTube videos are analyzed as critical commentaries of (black) American and African cultural scripts, which interrogate issues of gender, class, citizenship, and inter-/intra-diasporic relations. Moreover, the Naija Boyz are posited as archetypes of a rising generation of African youth, whose intercultural experiences outside of the African continent serve as a form of social capital that constitutes the basis of new (and potentially problematic) creative economies, which expand the presumed boundaries and concerns of African youth cultures.

Remix, literacy and creativity: An analytic review of the research literature

“…• muusika ja muusikavideote remiksimine (nt Domingo, 2014a;Gustavson, 2008;Skågeby, 2011;Stedman, 2012;Strong & Ossei-Owusu, 2014 (Knobel & Lankshear, 2007).…”

“…Artikli jaoks läbi vaadatud uurimustes kirjeldati remiksimist selgelt loomingulise tegevusena: kaks nigeerlasest venda remiksivad Aafrika ja Ameerika popkultuuri kirjeldamiseks hiphoppi ja videoid (Strong & Ossei-Owusu, 2014); fännid remiksivad videomängude muusikat, et luua uusi heliribasid (Stedman, 2012); mängijad modifitseerivad ja remiksivad mängumootoreid ja sisu, et luua uusi mängutasemeid või täiesti uusi mänge (Durga, 2012); veebipõhiste foto-ja pilditöötlusvõistluste tulemusena luuakse nupukaid ja naljakaid pilte (Keegan, 2010); meedias levivad uudised ja muud videolõigud remiksitakse tabavateks ühiskonnakriitilisteks kommentaarideks (Frølunde, 2012); noored miksivad veebis omavahel mitmeid keeli, et anda märku oma identiteedist ja rühmakuuluvusest (Domingo, 2014a(Domingo, , 2014b. Selliseid näiteid on veel palju.…”

Remix, literacy and creativity: An analytic review of the research literature

“…The range of remix types addressed in these studies was interesting, too (for citations, see Appendix 1). The bulk of these studies focused on fan fiction-where fans take existing stories and remix them to create new narratives (e.g., Black, 2008;Curwood, 2013a;Eleá, 2012;Thomas, 2006); space precludes an exhaustive listing, but other remix types included: • Music and music video remixes (e.g., Domingo, 2014a;Gustavson, 2008;Skågeby, 2011;Stedman, 2012;Strong & Ossei-Owusu, 2014) • Game modding communities and practices (e.g., Durga, 2012;Hayes & Lee, 2012) • Remixed videos (e.g., Keegan, 2010;Diakopoulos, Luther, Medynskiy, & Essa, 2007) • Language remix (e.g., Domingo, 2014a) • Remix practices within fan-based communities or affinity spaces (e.g., Curwood, 2013b;Turk & Johnson, 2012) • Memes (Knobel & Lankshear, 2007) Disciplines drawn on in the studies include sociology, anthropology, sociolinguistics, and cultural studies. Specific fields include composition and rhetoric studies, English and foreign language learning studies, literacy studies, media literacy studies, communication and journalism studies, and literacy and gaming, among others.…”

“…There is little, if any, monetary return reported, but many people spend countless hours on their remixes, honing their "technical" knowhow and expertise as well as polishing and repolishing the ways in which they construct and convey meanings in their remix. For some remixers in the reviewed studies, reward takes the form of recognition and status within the remix community (Black, 2008;Curwood, 2013b;Curwood, Magnifico, & Lammers, 2013;Domingo, 2014a;Strong & Ossei-Owusu, 2014;Thomas, 2007a). In many ways, Jenkins and colleagues' (2015) concept of participatory culture checks in here, where remix practices are marked by low barriers to joining a creative endeavor and where so much of these endeavors is really about extending the enjoyment to be had from the original source material by reworking or adding to it.…”

“…Two Nigerian brothers remix hip hop and video to comment on African and American popular culture (Strong & Ossei-Owusu, 2014). Fans remix video game music to create new tracks (Stedman, 2012).…”