My life was in danger for making conscious music, African China reveals

​The veteran singer behind the iconic social anthem “Mr. President,” African China, has opened up about the harrowing personal cost of using his music as a weapon against injustice, revealing that his commitment to “conscious music” nearly cost him his life.

​Speaking on the Beer Parlor Talk podcast, the singer, born Chinagorom Onuoha, painted a vivid picture of a career spent looking over his shoulder. He disclosed that the very lyrics that resonated with the masses also drew the ire of powerful entities, including the police, the Oodua People’s Congress (OPC), and volatile “Area Boys.” According to the artist, the pressure became so immense that he had to go beyond the typical lifestyle of a musician, arming himself with both physical and spiritual defenses.

​African China shared that he attained a black belt in martial arts specifically to survive the physical altercations of the era and even admitted to using voodoo to ensure his safety during a period when he was constantly on the run. He recalled high-tension moments where fans would signal him from the crowd that security agents or OPC members were closing in, allowing him to make swift escapes that led many to believe he had supernatural abilities to vanish.

​The revelation offers a sobering look at the era of Nigerian music where activism was not just a creative choice, but a dangerous gamble. For African China, the fame brought by his vocal stance against corruption came with a permanent state of alert, as he relied on a network of informants and personal combat skills to navigate a landscape where his music had made him a marked man.