Social Cognition and Advertisement in Yusuf Olatunji’s Music

Abstract

This chapter examined how Yusuf Olatunji has used his Sakara music to market the businesses of his patrons. This was to determine the manner of his presentation and the sociocognitive features deployed in realising his goal. The chapter was situated within Teun van Dijk’s sociocognitive approach to Critical Discourse Analysis. Nine albums that contain elements of advertisement in Yusuf Olatunji’s music were purposively selected for analysis. Yusuf Olatunji indicates the specific locations of the businesses and presents the products or services and the business owners as the best. He sings the praises of these business owners. He appeals to the desire of the audience to belong to the upper class of the society of his music, who used the products he advertises. He links the business owners to most of the social clubs that feature in his music. He utilises the socially shared knowledge and socially shared cognitions of his immediate audience to market the products/services. His music is historical documentation of some aspects of the lifestyle of the Yoruba of southwestern Nigeria, particularly in the 1960s and 1970s. His music remains relevant at all times.