What Zinoleesky’s Resurgence Reveals

Two years ago, the singer-rapper Ilerioluwa Oladimeji Aloba, better known as Mohbad, passed away. The news of his passing united the entire nation in grief and stirred collective ire towards his presumed killers. Naira Marley, the artist’s label boss, and Sam Larry, a socialite with close ties to Marlian Record (both of whom had been accused of repeatedly bullying the artist) were deemed the prime suspects in the case. The collective indignation towards these two, at the time, was so intense, so much that remotely affiliating with them was akin to self-sabotage. Social media throbbed with a deluge of tweets calling for their cancellation. Protests against these two were also held across the country. In a single phrase: they became radioactive. And Zinoleesky, owing to his affiliation to the pair, his decision to cling to them despite mounting pressure to disavow them publicly, became persona non grata. In internet-speak, he was canceled. 

The rules of cancellation are simple: resist fervently or do not engage. For a while, Nigerians seemed to cling steadfastly to these rules. His numbers suffered. He also slowly fizzled away from public conversations. Before his cancellation, he was widely regarded as a pioneer of Afro-Adura, a new wave of Street-Pop that marries the garish pomp of traditional Street-Pop with the mellow sensibilities of Soul. Post cancellation, however, his name was excised from such conversations; a result of a tacit agreement between internet denizens. In recent times, acts like Ayo Maff and Shoday have replaced him in such conversations. 

The past week, however, has occasioned something of a reversal of fortune for Zinoleesky. His debut album Gen Z has performed remarkably well on charts, especially considering that until very recently, he was left for dead. The album has now spent a week atop the Apple Music Top Albums chart, which becomes more impressive when you consider that Davido, who’s one of the biggest artists in this part of the world, released his fifth studio album 5ive, just a week earlier. In an age where social media has become an extension of our justice system, a place where erring individuals are jointly shamed by the public before being escorted to oblivion, Zinoleesky’s seeming resurgence raises a slew of questions. 

Much has been said of the limitations of cancel culture. Earlier this year, Culture Custodian published an article to this effect. Our moral compunction towards canceled musicians, it seems, tends to founder when they release compelling music. This appears to be the case with Zinoleesky. This simplistic answer however belies the layers of complexity around this topic. A significant chunk of the population, it appears, seems to be unburdened with the moral codes and virtue signaling that has found a home on X. This makes sense considering that only a small percentage of the Nigerian population actively uses the platform. 

There’s also the question of how much importance we should place on streaming services. It’s no secret that streaming numbers can, and often are, artificially inflated by unscrupulous artists and labels eager to make a statement. Putting aside the issue of artificially boosted streaming numbers, success on streaming platforms can often fail to translate to real-world success. Even if Zinoleesky continues to garner streams, if he doesn’t get booked for shows, if DJs continue to exclude him from club playlists, if brands continue to dodge him like plague, his success on Apple Music or Spotify will amount to little. These and more are the questions and possibilities that Zinoleesky’s resurgence forces us to grapple with. It’s not entirely clear what the answers are but the coming weeks and months will offer more clarity.