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Cheques or dating scams? Online fraud themes in hip-hop songs across popular music apps

Lazarus, S ; Olaigbe, O ; Adeduntan, A ; Dibiana, ET ; Okolorie, GU (2023) — Journal of Economic Criminology

DOI: 10.1016/j.jeconc.2023.100033
Type:   Journal Article
Country:   United Kingdom
Tags:   Nigerian hip-hop, online fraud, Yahoo Boys, romance fraud, music lyrics, moral disengagement, cyber spiritualism, streaming platforms, hip-hop lyrics, music streaming, online romance fraud, music streaming platforms

Synopsis (AI-Generated)

The study qualitatively analyzed lyrics from 33 Nigerian hip-hop songs produced June 2017-July 2023 and available across major streaming apps. Songs explicitly referenced Yahoo Boys, fraud actions, prominent fraudsters, or relevant slang. Using a directed approach to qualitative content analysis, researchers applied predetermined moral-disengagement and Yahoo Plus codes, adding categories where needed. The songs blamed and dehumanized victims of online romance fraud. Cyber spiritualism was identified as a contextual theme in Nigerian fraud-related lyrics. The sample was limited to lyrics from 33 Nigerian hip-hop songs on popular streaming platforms, omitting interviews, surveys, field observations, social media, and other data sources.

Identified Gaps (AI-Generated)

The paper identifies limited criminological scholarship on cyber-fraud portrayals in Nigerian hip-hop, especially songs released after 2017. Earlier studies did not examine the supernatural dimension of fraud in lyrics. Mainstream online-fraud narratives are said to lack Nigerian scholars’ insights. The authors also argue that victim-only research limits understanding of scammers’ terminology, worldviews, ideologies, and motivations.

Methods (AI-Generated)

The study qualitatively analyzed lyrics from 33 Nigerian hip-hop songs produced June 2017–July 2023 and available across major streaming apps. Songs explicitly referenced Yahoo Boys, fraud actions, prominent fraudsters, or relevant slang. Using a directed approach to qualitative content analysis, researchers applied predetermined moral-disengagement and Yahoo Plus codes, adding categories where needed. Three team members coded all data; two reviewed 20%, yielding 92% similarity.

Limitations (AI-Generated)

The sample was limited to lyrics from 33 Nigerian hip-hop songs on popular streaming platforms, omitting interviews, surveys, field observations, social media, and other data sources. Its Nigerian hip-hop focus may not generalize to other regions or music genres. Directed qualitative coding may introduce interpretive subjectivity and bias. The authors also note that southern-Nigerian concentration in prior cybercrime research may affect generalizability regarding regional patterns.

Future Work (AI-Generated)

Future research should use unconventional, non-conventional data sources to capture nuanced cultural attitudes, epistemologies, and dynamics surrounding fraud. Researchers studying fraud victims should integrate unconventional perpetrator-oriented sources, such as music lyrics. The authors also call for more robust empirical exploration of lyrical messages, cultural influence, and unintended endorsements as a regional and global phenomenon.

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AI-Generated Content Notice

The synopsis and research notes on this page were generated with AI from available publication information and, when available, the uploaded paper text. They may contain errors, omissions, or interpretation issues. Readers should follow the DOI or source link, review the original publication, and make their own judgment about the content.

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