Analysis of Music Video Content and Youth Identity in South West Nigeria

This study analyses the content of popular Afrobeats music videos and their relationship to youth identity formation in South West Nigeria. Afrobeats has become Nigeria's most globally recognised cultural export, and its music videos function as powerful multimedia texts that encode messages about gender, wealth, sexuality, and Yoruba cultural identity for millions of young consumers. This study applies qualitative content analysis to 30 Afrobeats music videos by South West-based artists released between 2021 and 2023, selected by streaming count and chart performance. Analysis examines visual representation of gender roles, class aspiration, language use (Yoruba, Pidgin, English), cultural symbols, and narrative themes. A focus group component with 48 university students in Ibadan and Lagos explores how youth audiences interpret and internalise music video messages. Findings reveal that conspicuous consumption and wealth display are the dominant themes in 74 percent of sampled videos. Female representation is predominantly sexualised, with women occupying subordinate visual roles in 80 percent of videos. However, Yoruba cultural symbols including traditional clothing, proverbs, and language are increasingly integrated, reflecting a pan-African cultural consciousness growing among millennial artists. Focus group discussions reveal that young viewers are often critically aware of stereotyping but feel pleasured by the aesthetic and rhythmic appeal. The study concludes that Afrobeats videos present a complex negotiation between global popular culture norms and Yoruba cultural identity. It recommends industry-led content diversity guidelines and critical media education in schools.

Keywords: music video, Afrobeats, youth identity, South West Nigeria, content analysis.