Jesse James, a Nigerian rapper with the stage name Lyrikal, has released some photos of himself behind prison bars.
According to the 30-year-old, the concept-driven photos are part of a larger personal campaign to detail to the public, the everyday challenges of the average young Nigerian.
“Hip Hop is a form of self-expression that tries to challenge or merely evoke the mood of the circumstances of an environment”, Lyrikal said.
“The bars are a metaphorical play on the musical jargon, where they represent a point in a verse which contains the punch line for a rap. This is why we used 16 photos. But most importantly, the bars represent the physical oppression, mental captivity and creative limitations facing the Nigerian youth today”.
Lyrikal borrows quotes from William Glasser, Musiq Soulchild and Nelson Mandela in the expression of his call to freedom.
