In his song “Corruption, Corruption”, Liberian rapper Amaze talks about corruption in Africa (specifically Liberia) and how it affects people. In the song, he further analyzes the concept of corruption by breaking it own into three main levels. First, he starts with corruption at home. He explains how parents will defend their children when they do bad instead of punishing the children. He further explains how corruption “matures” and worsens as the child grows older. In conjunction to this, Amaze states that children will go on to commit worse crimes as they get older. He links this to corruption and the lack of discipline enforced by the parents of the child. He urges parents to watch over their children as to prevent them from being corrupt. Further into the song, Amaze explains how political corruption affects the people of Liberia. He claims that politicians embrace corruption & do little to help the people of the country. Amaze mentions embezzlement in the song. This is important because this happens in a lot of African countries. He says that regular people are now starting to become aware of embezzling and the general corruption of politicians. Amaze also mentions the amount of power that the law holds in Liberia. He makes the claim that no man is above the law, but states that it is different in Liberia, claiming that men “step on the law” and manipulate it to their favor. An important aspect Amaze covers in the song is the rise of children’s school fees. Being said that most people in Liberia have trouble affording school as it is, raising the cost of school will only make matters worse. Amaze also addresses the rising exchange rate in Liberia’s currency. This is an issue found in many African countries. Furthermore, Amaze mentions how national funds are being mishandled, stating that the country continues to receives grants despite conditions not improving. In connection to this, Amaze talks about how companies continue to prosper, yet the people still suffer. He then talks about the false sense of democracy that is occurring , stating that elected officials lack sincerity & have done little to minimize corruption. In comparison to early American hip-hop, Amaze uses his platform to address the issues in his community. He also uses hip-hop to fight against the injustices that are currently happening in Liberia. Like early American hip-hop artists, Amaze clearly expresses his disdain with the government and how it is run. In conjunction, he reveals how the government cares little about the general population.
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