It’s been more than a month since the American artist Childish Gambino (aka Donald Glover) released the song and video for his song, “This is America.” The music video, like the song, a sharp piece of commentary on contemporary US politics, has drawn the most attention. At the time of writing, the video has received more than 219 million YouTube views. It has also been the subject of many remakes, cover versions or parodies. One of those, is “This is Nigeria” made by Nigerian rapper Falz and is crew. It has gained some traction (he’s been on a bunch of TV chat shows in Nigeria, see here, here and here). It has also gone viral outside Nigeria (not surprisingly it has received the AJ Plus treatment).

Falz’s version borrows the original’s hook and some of its lyrics—even imitates the original’s video’s set up—but is a comment on Nigerian political and social life: It opens with Falz claiming “Everybody [in Nigeria] be criminal.” From there, Falz goes on to list and depict some of what he identifies as Nigeria’s major problems: crime, terrorism, Boko Haram, random violence, Fulani herdsmen, Bring Back our Girls, corrupt officials, electricity blackouts, a codeine epidemic, religious hypocrisy, lack of electricity and even the country’s national police commissioner who can barely read. Falz ends the video, standing on the hood of a car in Fela pose. That it was Falz who would make the song and star in the video, is part of the debate. He is not known for political raps and is himself part of the country’s elite: His father, Femi Falana, is a well-known lawyer with access to President Muhammadu Buhari (the president lengthy absences from the country, to treat a health condition, gets no mention). Others don’t take kindly that it was a rip off (Falz calls it a “parody”) of Gambino’s song. As is our custom, we organized an office conversation about it.