Some Nigerian Artistes Benefit From Cybercrime Proceeds — MI Abaga

Nigerian rapper Jude ‘MI’ Abaga has alleged that some artists fund their careers through proceeds from cybercrime, commonly known as ”yahoo yahoo”

Speaking during a recent episode of the ‘So Nigerian’ podcast, MI argued that internet fraud has become a major source of investment for up-and-coming musicians, which he describe as both troubling and reflective of structural problems in the creative sector.

He said, “There’s a lot of controversy when people talk about Yahoo Yahoo because for a lot of artistes, that is the funding that they have.

“It’s an indictment on our country that we have such talented musicians and that the major funding for the industry comes from the West and this other industry.”

MI stressed that the situation exposes Nigeria’s lack of proper funding structures for the arts, which leaves talented young musicians dependent on informal and sometimes illegal sources of capital.

While giving a hypothetical example, he said, “Let’s even say I’m a Yahoo boy, I’m not, but let’s say I was and I just made N100m. I’m now a criminal who made N100m but still don’t have to give it to an artiste. I can blow it however I want, or I can put it in real estate.

The rapper noted that while society rightly condemns illegal earnings, the underlying issue is that there are few legitimate pathways for aspiring artistes to secure investment.

The rapper said as a result of that, wealthy young people, some with questionable sources of income, often end up backing their musician friends financially.

He said, “Society will criticize the method of legal money, but what is relevant is that there are other young people who have money and are just trying to help because they’re seeing their talented friends, and that is a statement about Nigeria.”