One of the strongest indicator's of a song's cultural impact is the number of parodies and tributes it spawns. Case in point: Childish Gambino's 'This Is America', which has inspired some very good takes, some very bad, and some just plain ridiculous.
One in particular has landed its creator on the ban list by the Nigerian government for being "indecent and vulgar."
In May, African rapper Falz released 'This Is Nigeria', which reworks the Gambino original to criticize the African nation's alleged corruption, drug crises, and religious tensions. The accompanying music video references the 2014 kidnapping of over 270 Chibok school girls by Boko Haram, and is already at over 13 million views and counting. A social plug from Diddy also helped the song go viral internationally.
Nigeria's National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) has censored the politically charged tribute, sending a letter fining a local radio station for playing the song, citing "indecent and vulgar" lyrics. They also claim that the line "This is Nigeria/ look how we living now/ Everybody be criminal" contravenes sections of the country's constitution. 
Falz, who was a lawyer before he became a musician/actor, says the ban is "ridiculous" and that he's aiming to sue the NBC if the band is not lifted.
"There is absolutely nothing vulgar about the song and I think it is ridiculous that the Nigerian Broadcast Commission singled out the least vulgar line in the song and ascribed it to be the reason they banned the song," the rapper told local media Punch.
"It is a very simple and clean song. The only thing is that I was very blunt about the way I talk about things," he said.
“However, there was absolutely no basis for the NBC to ban that song. I am going to have to write to them through my lawyers to find out what is really going on. When I find out the reason behind the ban, I could ask them to lift it if need be and if they do not adhere to my request, I might have to seek legal redress.”
It's not the first time 'This Is Nigeria' has courted controversy. In June, Nigeria's Muslims Rights Concern threatened to sue Falz and called for the song to be banned if he did not pull down the music video. The Islamic group took issue with the depiction of the female dancers in hijab, arguing that the clip misrepresented the kidnapped Chibok girls
abc.net.au
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