<i>Oríkì</i> and trending hype performance in Nigeria: an aesthetics of cultural hybridisation for economic purpose

Traditionally, Oríkì, a praise poetic oral genre among the Yorùbá people, serves both socio-cultural (for the praised) and economic (for the performer) functions. Scholars have indicted modernity through colonization and westernization as great threats to the sustainability of its socio-cultural aspect. However, little is theorized about the contributions of such modernity to the sustainability of its economic function. Therefore, this study examined the features of Yorùbá Oríkì that are hybridized with modern musical entertainment in order to praise audience through what has been socially referred to as hype performance. The study adopted the qualitative research approach of the interpretive phenomenological perspective. The life performances of Segun Johnson, a popular hype performer in Nigeria, were purposively selected for this analysis. Ten (10) videos of his life performances were curated from his social media handles on Facebook, Instagram, X, YouTube and TikTok. The texts arisen from the transcription of the performances constituted the data. These data were analyzed thematically and interpreted using Bhabha’s theory of hybridity. The findings revealed the theatrical, orality and language features of Yorùbá Oríkì that were hybridized with modern entertainment mode (pop performance) by Segun Johnson in hyping and getting money from his audience. The article concludes that hyping has become a modern performance art similar to the traditional Oríkì performance among the Yorùbá. Therefore, it is recommended that upcoming pop artistes in Nigeria should adopt this strategy of blending traditional oral genres with their performances in order to contribute to the Nigerian creative economy and the modernization of their cultural heritage.