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Paper short abstract:

I focus on popular culture in the discography of Temmie Ovwasa, a non-binary Nigerian music artiste. I contend that Ovwasa's self-outing and their representations of their experiences in their songs represent a deconstruction of the homophobic and misogynist space that Hip Hop culture vaunts.

Paper long abstract:

Spaces continue to be central to identity-formation and public representation. This acknowledgment has become even more vocal within narratives on queerness and self/other portrayal. In the more recent past, and following the rupturing of queer invisibility which has long been the reality within many homophobic spaces, literary texts and filmic productions have taken centre-stage in queer agentic proclamations. In this study however, I focus on popular culture with specific interests in the discography of Temmie Ovwasa, a self-outed queer-identifying non-binary Nigerian music artiste. I contend that Ovwasa's self-outing and their representations of their experiences in their songs represent a deconstruction of the homophobic and misogynist space that Hip Hop culture vaunts. Their discography further signals a disruption of heterosexual normativity within Nigeria's contemporary popular music front. I achieve the aim of the study through a discourse analysis of purposively selected songs from their three music albums. In the application of the tenets of Critical Discourse Analysis to the lyrics, I pay close attention to the thematic preoccupation of the songs as well as how queer identity and agency are asserted by the artiste. I complement these with self-representations from their social media pages. While there is a recognition of the limitations which a chronically homophobic milieu enforces on their agency, Ovwasa also acknowledges the redemptive role which their popularity and visibility through their discography enables in the politics of representation and conquering of hither-to disabling spaces.