HISTORICISING HAUSA URBAN LYRICAL DEVELOPMENT: CONTEXTUALISING THE HASAN WAYAM SONGS IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF NORTHERN NIGERIAN MUSIC CULTURE

Abstract

This paper explored the historical trajectory of Hausa urban lyrical traditions, with particular emphasis on the sociocultural and musical contributions of Hasan Wayam to Northern Nigerian music culture. Drawing upon accounts, musicological analyses and historical documentation, the study traced the evolution of Hausa urban music from precolonial palace traditions through the colonial period and into the post-independence era. The article argued that Hasan Wayam's musical practice represented a critical juncture in the preservation and transformation of traditional Hausa kukuma (fiddle) music within urbanising contexts. By analysing Hasan Wayam's lyrical content, performance techniques and instrumental innovation, this study demonstrated how his work mediated between rural oral traditions and urban modernity, thereby establishing a template for subsequent generations of Hausa musicians. The findings contributed to broader scholarly conversations regarding the resilience of African traditional communication and indigenous Hausa musicological forms amid socio-political transformation, as well as the role of individual artistic agency in sociocultural preservation.