Photos: Nigerian rapper, Lyrikal, goes behind bars

Talks about prison life, freedom, oppression, success and religion Lyrikal (real name, Jesse James), has released some photos of himself behind prison bars. The concept driven photos are part of the rapper's personal campaign to communicate the challenges of the average young person living in Nigeria today.

According to Lyrikal; "Hip Hop is a form of self-expression that tries to challenge or merely evoke the mood of the circumstances of an environment. The bars are a metaphorical play on the musical jargon; where they represent a point in a verse which contains the punchline for a rap - this is why we used sixteen photos. But most importantly, the bars represent the physical oppression, mental captivity and creative limitations facing the Nigerian youth today" Lyrikal borrows quotes from William Glasser, Musiq Soulchild and Nelson Mandela in the expression of his call to freedom. I am a victim of my time;  A product of my age, There was no choosing my direction. I was a holy man but now, with all my trials behind me, I am weak in my conviction - Musiq Soulchild (Nothing At All) The shadow lurking in the dark is your own. The unknown is the knowledge that you have refused to own. To counter the avoidance of intellectual challenge and responsibility, we must reduce the domination of certainty in education. - William Glasser Religion is a drug for the slave behind bars. While God's plans remain unknown, we embrace the cage with the mortality of our body and let our minds roam free. Behind bars we are captives of the expression of our emotions, slaves to the whispers of a million blogs, a thousand radio stations, cables and TVs. Genres are lost and trends are found, music is bound and hits released. An artiste must never be a prisoner. Prisoner? An artist should never be a prisoner of himself, a prisoner of style, a prisoner of reputation, a prisoner of success, etc - Henri Matisse No escape for the lazy man. Strengthen your body. Strengthen your mind. Behind Bars, "Coerced, benumbed and captured in restraint. Through sober eyes; a thousand children slain behind thin wire; yet relief appears faint. Though cemented in an ongoing chain" - Holly56092 (Oppressed Wires) Behind these bars rests a rage that will not be aired. The perception of unrest is solitude. No pictures on the wall. Our minds are too terrified to dream and die.  We are not afraid to aim high with our thoughts. We are scared of the bars that will not let us rise and break through the storm. More photos of Lyrikal behind bars are available here http://lyrikaloffical.tumblr.com/