Eedris' Song 'Tell Your Papa' Goes Viral Despite Ban
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Eedris Abdulkareem’s ‘Tell Your Papa’ Soars Despite NBC Ban
When veteran rapper Eedris Abdulkareem dropped his latest track Tell Your Papa, it was clear the song would shake a few tables. What no one saw coming was how fast it would blow up after the National Broadcasting Commission banned it from airplay. But in a country where censorship usually backfires, the numbers tell their own story.
Tell Your Papa is not your average protest song. It goes straight for the jugular. Eedris uses raw lyrics to call out the administration of President Bola Tinubu and express the frustration many Nigerians feel right now.
That kind of honesty made the track an instant favourite online. The same track that was supposedly too controversial for radio is now what everyone is talking about.
Before the ban, the video had already attracted some attention. It had about 87,000 views on YouTube and 1,900 likes. But once NBC tried to shut it down, things took a different turn. The views jumped to 234,000 and counting. Likes hit over 11,000. On Spotify, the song has passed 57,000 streams.
Eedris Calls Out the Government Over Censorship
Eedris did not keep quiet about the ban. He took to Instagram and spoke from the heart. For him, this wasn’t just about a song. It was about how the government treats the truth.
He said the government sees truth and constructive criticism as a crime. He compared the ban on Tell Your Papa to what happened with Jaga Jaga in 2004. That song also got banned for speaking hard truths. Twenty years later, nothing has changed.
PMAN and Wole Soyinka Also React to NBC’s Action On Eedris' Song
It wasn’t just fans who found the ban ridiculous. The Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria (PMAN) made it clear that the ban would only push more people to listen to the track.
Professor Wole Soyinka also had strong words for NBC. In a public statement, he called the ban a return to censorship. He warned that stifling voices in a democracy is dangerous. According to him, this kind of action threatens freedom of expression and creative independence.
It’s clear that the ban on Tell Your Papa did not kill the message. If anything, it gave it wings. More Nigerians are now paying attention. Not just to the song, but to what it says about power, truth and the state of the nation.
Eedris Abdulkareem did not write this song for applause. He wrote it because someone had to say what many are thinking. And thanks to the ban, more people are finally listening.