“It’s a coat of many colors” – Rarara defends controversial song against public backlash

Renowned political musician Dauda Kahutu Rarara has defended his controversial new song “Malam Kayi Rawa” (Scholar, You Have Danced), dismissing widespread allegations that the track was targeted as a personal attack against specific religious figures in northern Nigeria.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with DCL Hausa, the singer compared political songwriting to fashion, stating that a song is like a ready-made garment.

“I didn’t say ‘this specific Malam’ or ‘that specific Malam.’ You see, a song is like clothing—it is made to fit. If someone feels it fits them perfectly, they can pick it up and wear it. That is their business,” Rarara stated during the interview.

Rarara insisted that he carefully avoided naming any specific scholar in the track, emphasising that his lyrics focus on the broader socio-political landscape rather than personal vendettas. He noted that the public and critics are merely projecting meanings onto the song based on their own biases and political alignments.

Quoting a traditional Hausa proverb to the DCL interviewer, the singer argued that public figures who step outside their traditional boundaries to cause friction in the public domain make an artistic response inevitable.

“A madman, if he isn’t throwing stones, the government has no business with him; he can just keep wandering around,” Rarara argued. “But the moment he starts throwing stones and hurting people, that is when he gets locked up. If you cross the line into the field, you will see.”

Critique of Clerics in Politics

Addressing the intersection of religion and politics, Rarara suggested that religious leaders who enter the political arena must be prepared to face the natural friction of political discourse. He argued that once a cleric actively participates in partisan politics, they strip away their traditional immunity from artistic and public criticism.

“If you enter the field today, for example, just because you put on sports shoes, your jersey, and you start kicking the players inside—and then you expect people to just sit back and look at you? If one person tolerates it, another won’t,” Rarara declared.