Music
in nine Wizkid tracks
Afrobeats truly arrived on the world stage in the 2010s. Amidst a flurry of interest in culture, art, and life from Africa, popular music from the continent’s west - a distillation of highlife, reggae, R&B, and rap - stood out for its soothing grooves and infectious bounce that dovetailed perfectly with the vibrant youth culture in cities like Lagos, Accra, and Dakar.
Long before this explosion of curiosity, icons like 2face and PSquare among others had done the hard work of conceptualising what afrobeats sounded like for most of the early to mid 2000s; in dong that, they whetted the imagination of a generation of musicians to aspire to superstardom.
In more ways than one Wizkid is a spiritual offspring of this influence, rising from inner city Lagos to the top of the charts with deference to the formulaic subjects of popular music as laid down by the progenitors before him. Wizkid’s sappy interpretation of the sound and his ability to conjure hits have taken him from Nigerian upstart to genuine global superstar in a 10-year stretch that has entrenched afrobeats’ ubiquity and taken the sound to shores far beyond Africa.
As an evangelist for afrobeats, few can claim to have spread the gospel of our music as vigorously as Wizkid has done; or even have the catalogue that literally makes him afrobeats history. And with a widely-anticipated third studio album to come, Wizkid stands on the threshold of immortalizing himself in the annals of music history. These are the nine songs that show his come-up side-by-side with the rise of afrobeats.
- 1. Fast Money, Fast Cars” (From Talk About It)
Long before selling out arenas across the world, Wizkid was singing about all the perks of good living and what it can inspire in tandem with M.I. Abaga on “Fast Money, Fast Cars.” On the album deep cut, Wizkid provides pathos and liquidity allowing M.I. concentrate on providing structure to this collaboration that has, in later years, attained cult status.
Back then, the voice of the youngster from Surulere did little more than playing a luminous backdrop to the intense blitzkrieg of rapping that M.I. unleashed but it is on “Fast Money, Fast Cars” that the lore of Wizkid starts to be spun. The youthful cadence and breeziness are evident in his delivery and there are multiple references to the subject matters that will define his meteoric rise.
- 2. Holla At Your Boy (From Superstar)
As the 2010s approached, it was becoming clear that a vacuum existed in Nigerian music. All the stars of the previous generations had reached their commercial and critical peak necessitating the need for fresh perspectives on the music scene. Barely 10 days into the new decade, “Holla At Your Boy” dropped with Wizkid purring “It’s your boy Wizzy” at the start of the DJ Klem and VeBee-produced hit.
Over the four minute length of the song, Wizkid joyously details the carefree joys of being a teenage pop star with just enough restraint to maintain an innocent singer’s appeal. He breaks down the exuberant high of chilling with models, popping bottles of exotic drinks, and living the swagged-up dream of teenagers everywhere. Predictably, the song became ubiquitous, and its video nudged youth dress culture, for much of the early 2010s, in the spitting image of Wizkid.
- 3. Pakurumo (From Superstar)
Showing appreciation for traditional Nigerian music and an understanding of modern sonic palettes, “Pakurumo” was Wizkid’s deft synthesising of Fuji and pop elements into an undeniable banger. The song, coming after a number of R&B-inclined sultry releases, was a homage to the boundless, energetic music of inner city Lagos that Wizkid, a 90s child, had grown up listening to.
There are very few tracks that can top the flawless drum pattern that forms the basis of “Pakurumo” as Wizkid takes listeners on a hike through his besotting of a lover while expertly looping in homages to a number of wealthy patrons with the ease of a Fuji praise-singing veteran.
- 4. Azonto (Single)
In the gap between his debut and sophomore album, Wizkid went on a long run of oft-flawless, era-defining singles and features that firmly established him as the premier talent in Nigeria. At the same time, Ghanaian music was having a confluence with British culture courtesy of the popularity of the Azonto dance, connected to the Kpanlogo traditional dance.
Capitalising on the wave of that visibility, Wizkid’s “Azonto” is one of the most tuneful songs from the canon of singles that the dance inspired. Combining the buzz of the dance-phrase with sugary songwriting, Wizkid’s version presented the image of a young superstar unafraid of tapping into cultural roots even with the western world watching on.
- 5. Ojuelegba (From Ayo)
Wizkid spent a chunk of the earlier parts of his career trying to fashion an anthem for the streets that he came from. There’s shade of those attempts in songs like “No Lele” and “Wad Up,” but the focus often ended up in other places. Five songs into his 2014 sophomore, Ayo, on “Ojuelegba,” he had the song that would catapult his neighbourhood to global attention. Over airy Legendury Beatz production, Wizkid weaves a fitting tribute to his hustle, hood, and the people that make up its community.
The stories of struggles and joy that Wizkid tells lent a feel-good air to the song making it globally resonant and introducing the world to Wizkid and a genre ready to take over. Months later, the track received an official do-over with verses from Drake and Skepta, signaling the beginning of afrobeats’ active co-opting into global pop sounds.
- 6. One Dance (From Views)
The summer of 2016 will always be remembered as a watershed moment for afrobeats. Drake’s “One Dance,” leaning heavily on afrobeats and dancehall, spent 15 weeks atop the Billboard charts featuring Kyla and Wizkid who received writing and co-production credits on a song that brought further media attention to the thriving music from west Africa.
Afrobeats’ rhythmic drumming feature prominently adding an extra dimension to the song and Wizkid ably translates the sensuality coursing through our music for one of his most memorable features ever.
- 7. Sweet Love (From Sounds From The Other Side)
Perhaps the biggest strength of Wizkid has always been his ability to invite the audience into the innards of the song with him, gently coaxing a willing co-performer out of his listeners. On “Sweet Love,” the opening track of his debut American project, he pines for more affection over a splendid horn-inflected instrumental as he carried the flag of a nation - and genre - defiantly on the world stage.
- 8. Brown Skin Girl (From The Lion King: The Gift)
Afrobeats’ relentless incursion into western spaces always meant that its creators were going to have a head-on collision with American pop’s high echelons at some point in the decade. 2019 was the year when both worlds crashed into one another on the grandest stage courtesy Beyoncé’s The Lion King: The Gift album featuring a roll-call of afrobeats royalty and American heavyweights.
Leading the charge was Wizkid on “Brown Skin Girl,” a golden ode to black women of all shades across the world. On one of the most culturally-resonant songs of the year, Wizkid comes correct, declaring, “Brown skin girl, ya skin just like pearls/ Your back against the world/ I never trade you for anybody else,” and delivers his promise with melodious singing.
- 9. Blow (From Soundman Vol. 1)
By a stroke of happenstance, Wizkid released the last major afrobeats projects of the 2010s. Put out as a Starboy compilation, Soundman Vol. 1 further blurred the edges between Wizkid and the mellow leanings of his alter-ego as he floated over sanguine mid-tempo beats with a phalanx of collaborators.
“Blow,” the project’s second song featuring Blaq Jerzee opens with piercing strings leading into a track peppered with references to region-specific slangs that Wizkid has no problem attuning himself to and eventually bringing into his orbit.