Wizkid (aka Starboy)

Today, we have a stone cold classic from 2013, before Maleek Berry found out what he really wanted to be:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrhyYcSrQkY

Maleek Berry ft. Wizkid • The Matter

...and over here in the brand-new crossover corner, it’s:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drchDpoX0wo

Normani x Calvin Harris ft. Wizkid • Checklist

Wizkid teaming up with his long-time Ghanaian buddies R2Bees again:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRiYk1nLc20

“Supa”

Back in Crossover Corner:

I’ve been fantasizing about a Wizkid / J Balvin collabo ever since I heard Balvin’s “Tu Verdad” and... it’s here?!!?!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLs4Ia-MIys

Metro Boomin ft. Wizkid, Offset & J Balvin • Only You

Now all we need is a Fever-type video featuring the two lovebirds...

(btw, there’s also a Wizkid x Swae Lee track on the Metro Boomin album)

The problem with “Borrowed Love”, the Swae Lee track, is that Wizkid is on it for barely 30 secs.

damn "Only You" is good. not totally feeling Balvin's part, but everything else is so pretty

New one, for domestic use only:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcsMPSdJ1Y8

Starboy feat. Wizkid & Slimcase • Gucci Snake

(produced by Northboi and Killertunes)

He's on such a roll right now it's pretty much unbelievable, lol.

Some of these Killertunes tracks are starting to blend together for me I have to say. I mean, I kind of like all of them (I'm listening to and loving Tiwa's "One" while I write this), but I'd love to hear Wizkid on something really different

Be careful what you wish for, rob. Wizkid has been in the studio with... Naughty Boy.

haha, I was going to say the same to you after visiting the singles jukebox :/

tbh I'm not very familiar with Boy's oeuvre, but I'd settle for Killertunes not using that synth marimba (or mbira maybe?) sound for a change

I love Killertunes’ work and I’m glad he found success, but his sound is the mainstream now, so it’s bound to lose its luster at some point. As long as he keeps coming up with breathtaking new approaches like on Olamide’s “Logba Logba” (of which I feel “One” is an extension) I’m not too worried though.

As for Naughty Boy: there’s too much UK-chart tackiness in his MO for my liking. Having said that, this single from last year is the most likely blueprint as far as Wizzy goes and if nothing else, the percussion on it slams:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86MV-8gC5uw

Naughty Boy ft. Kyla & Popcaan • Should’ve Been Me

And yeah, that TSJ review of “Fever” was rough. “Great instrumental, shame about the vocal”, that was about it for the most part.

(Pleasantly surprised that they ran both of my suggestions though, making it three African selections in one week, surely an all-time record. You or longneck should send in some dancehall suggestions!)

I think I too often complain on these threads instead of expressing the enthusiasm I actually feel. I love the Killertunes sound and generally what's been so exciting about Nigerian music for the past several years is the energetic and constantly developing production approaches. A few years ago it felt like the Tekno sound was going to take over everything, but jump to 2018 and we've got this lush kinda rnb-highlife fusion stuff, more afropop than afrobeats, everywhere. The range is super thrilling, plus there are of course other things happening, e.g., Burna Boy's Outside is still a major highlight of the year for me.

I wrote a whole thing about TSJ and deleted it. Let's just say while I like some of the individual writers, the format doesn't work for me.

I made a Spotify playlist out of my favorite wizkids this year.

It’s missing “For You” with Kizz, Kiddominant’s “Alright” and “Psycho” with Kcee - unless you don’t rate those of course.

I like them but still think they're all a notch below the ones I included on this one. I'll listen again if you think they're on the level though.

I have a more comprehensive playlist of wizzy's 2018 here.

“For You”>”Alright”>”Psycho”, and I’ll take all three over “Bella” in a heartbeat.

But it’s your playlist - as long as you don’t put this Stargate/Coldplay conconction on it I’m fine with it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvoVjUE-FGg
If you don’t want to listen to it: Wizkid is relegated to hypeman status and Tiwa is supposed to be on it too.
(Meanwhile, Davido is featured on a track on the Clean Bandit album, but at least he’s allowed to recognizably be himself)

Also, this old footage of Wizkid is amazing:

http://thenativemag.com/music/legacy-wizkid-throws-down-legendary-freestyle-car/

I somehow never got into For You, but as it’s Kizz Daniel season I will give it another shot. He somehow kept it off his album, though?

Yes, that kind of surprised me too.

Hmm, a few things on longneck's list I don't think I've heard. Plus I forgot "Commando" was 2018--he really put out quite an oeuvre this year.

Glad to see Master Groove. It's kind of the perfect b-side to Fever but might be more palatable for some.

Could this where Wizkid’s 2019 begins for real?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5iLw28GzHg

Larry Gaaga ft. Wizkid • Low (produced by Blaq Jerzee)

A collaboration with Teni is forthcoming and he’s still teasing us with the Made in Lagos album.

There have been some activities on the Ghanian front though:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIA1ok6bszY
R2bees ft. Wizkid • Straight From Mars

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGQ1KAJQPQ0
King Promise ft. Wizkid • Tokyo

(Seriously though, what is Larry Gaaga’s story? I never paid attention before, but how does he get all those Nigerian superstars to do his records for him so he can sip drinks and smoke cigars in the videos?)

(Others have asked this very same question: https://www.pulse.ng/entertainment/music/larry-gaaga-how-is-he-making-hits-without-actually-doing-anything/hql7n5p)

sounds like a dj khaled situation

both "low" and "baba nla" are great tho

Oh, this one dropped/leaked recently as well. Recorded with Ghanaian producer Killbeatz, probably in 2013 or thereabouts. Wizkid goes drum n bass!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhMW7MkEp48

Wizkid ft. Killbeatz • Jah Bless Me

“Low” is very good. I have to say though, the melody veers quite close to that of “Fever” at times.

Five generous minutes of goodness!

New song, nominally by Starboy Records signee DJ Tunez, Wizzy’s tour DJ (i.e. the same set-up as last December’s “Turn Up”):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GxzBuHAavo

DJ Tunez ft. Wizkid & (producer) BlaqJerzee • Gbese

Oh man, come on with that Made in Lagos album already. I mean, if you’ve got stuff like this to spare...

“Gbese” is exceptional - not just in that it’s a beautiful jam, but also quite literally. I can’t get over the five minutes thing. I guess it’s the natural consequence of Made in Lagos-make Wizzy’s vibe-mindedness, but at the same time it feels like a kind of breakthrough, a barrier being broken. You’re just not supposed to make 5-minute songs in present-day Naija pop, but BlaqJerzee and Wizzy (plus some musicians?) are just taking their sweet time with a close-to-2-minute coda.

Really nice! My only reservation is maybe not loving the drum sounds, but the last 2 minutes are very sweet

Some context.

love this

The BlaqJerzee-produced “Fibadi” with Chidokeyz is (by some distance) my favourite of the three Wizkid features that dropped in the past two weeks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NpO67-MnS-U

Wizzy’s part on the remix of Soft’s awesome “Money” is good, but doesn’t add much of a new twist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f73VasaeafY
The original version will remain in heavy rotation - I will post it in the Rolling thread.

“Totori”, (producer) ID Casaba’s track with Olamide and Wizkid, is definitely enjoyable, but doesn’t sound very... current? It is the biggest hit of this bunch though: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgzrVs2eilU

Meanwhile, we’re still Waiting for Joro.

Loving that "Fibadi"; "Money" is great too, though agreed on the superfluousness of Wizkid on the remix

Update: “Fibadi” now has a video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6iNAHCWEO0

And so does DJ Tunez’s “Gbese”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cu17dCsPElE

Remember that long coda? Well, Wizzy added a little something (from 4’05).

POLL? (ah, don’t bother, it’s too hot)

Option 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAcXCdMiuEo
DJ Spinall ft. Wizkid & Tiwa Savage • Dis Love (produced by Spellz)

Option 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXrhqhW2kiU
Beyoncé ft. Wizkid, SAINt JHN* & Blue Ivy Carter • Brown Skin Girl (produced by P2J)
(Of note: no writing credit for Wizzy on this one, unlike SAINt JHN*. I was wondering why he* was even tagged)

Expecting “Joro” this Friday 🎈

A one-week delay, but here it is. First official single since “Fever”/“Master Groove” and the kickoff of the Made in Lagos campaign. “Joro” has become “Ghetto Love”, Killertunes producing:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WoxN3b0jmlY

Rema has been on his mind, that’s one thing I can say.

It wasn’t won over immediately but man, that beat, that flow. Killertunes, fuck it up!

I love that there doesn’t seem to be a whiff of crossover concern, just Wizzy going about his impeccable business.

Bodes extremely well for Made in Lagos, which according to Northboi will feature work by him, BlaqJerzee, Killertunes, Kel-P and P2J.

Killertunes, fuck it up!

the production is really nice, though yeah on first listen I'm not wowed by Wizzy. I could def see this growing on me though, and it would sound great slotted nearby Fever and Master Groove

Happy to see I’m not the only one left on ILM who cares about Wizzy!

well, relieved rather than happy, I guess.

I still care about Wizkid--frankly, it's ILM that I have less energy/attention for these days (not entirely the borad's fault...I started a phd program this fall)

Ah very cool - though it does feel to me ILM is becoming flimsier by the month

I'm still here, lol, just a bit overworked at the moment. Was a bit underwhelmed by Ghetto Love on the first listen, but it picked up serious steam on the second play.

hi longneck! I predict numerous even steamier replays in your near future

Loving the first 2 mins lol

made a thread for it in my sleep:

wizkid • made in lagos (2020)

Video for Ginger
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSy2lBZ1QrA

I really wanted to stress the level of professionalism that is peaking in Nigerian pop right now and becoming the norm for top artists. Wizkid has made a string of them by now, so maybe what I'm saying is helped by the fact that we just invested in a videoprojector and we're able to enjoy them cinema-size. But seriously, I find the blend of aesthetics, fashion, beauty, color very alluring. They seem purely artistic too, they're not popular or vulgar (rather a bit elitist), and I'm sure some would find they miss a narrative, but beauty is fine by me.

For sure there are juicy deals with the fashion industry behind this (better than alcohol at least). If you're interested:
https://afrobeats360.com/2020/12/21/2020-fashion-trends/
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/04/business/media/nigerian-fashion-magazines-women.html
https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/news-analysis/why-africas-musicians-are-a-marketing-goldmine

I can confirm that that video looks amazing on small and large screens. When Burna shows up in the rainbow sweater after all the beautiful earth-tones, it's a genuine shock

harder better faster stronger:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqPOXESGcJI
Reminisce ft. Wizkid • Eleniyan

(from 2013)

let's not forget it was produced by Sarz

one more time, from the very early Samklef days: this came out almost simultaneously with "Don't Dull", in december 2010:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUFDMWYEGjI
JayRu ft. Wizkid • Familiarity

the ultimate accolade?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjMts2i93-0
Justin Bieber ft. BEAM • Freedom

i do not know who this clown is but the real whiz kid is here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaaqj9EQ6h8

^can we ban this prick already? adding "unprovoked hostility" to your "just youtubes" posting style was not a move in the right direction

seconding, these were my exact feelings as well. I hardly ever fp, but I made an exception for this.

haven't seen anyone post this dj tunez x wiz amapiano-flavored banger

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ut4uAVjRxns

new single w/ brent faiyaz this coming friday. tripling down on the made in lagos sound but the snippet has me intrigued

yeah, i’m thinking he’s back

kinda feels more like faiyaz feat. wizkid than the other way around but it's good

WizKid's new album 'Morayo' will be released on November 22. pic.twitter.com/GeJSKt6JVA

— chart data (@chartdata) October 18, 2024

“piece of my heart” is definitely obviously heavy on brent’s vocals but it’s so deep in wiz’s sonic world that it almost feels like a song of mutual appreciation or something

i think the production is fantastic, adding some new textures to this sound he’s sorta created, just a lot of cool things happening at diff points in the song. the second half … i wonder if they’ll end up being two songs … is particularly great to me, brent sounds amazing singing that at hook and i like the interplay between their vocals. “essence” was really a tems heavy lift, so wiz has done this kinda thing before. i dig it

between this and “MMS” i’m pretty excited about the album. very few people in human history will make a better album than ‘made in lagos’ but to me those two songs feel more like he’s found new pockets in his sound, where the last album stuck in the mud

i love "piece of my heart" and have been playing it constantly

a lot to love on this album imo

it's lovely on first listen, he's done it again

great album. “karamo” is my early favorite. he’s such a natural collaborator, wouldn’t expect faiyaz to fit so well in wiz’s world, but that song works much better than i thought it would. bringing in jazmine to do another essence was inspired

I like the parts (groove, soulful production), it's all in good taste, but the songs seem to enter one ear and leave immediately, especially in the last 2/3rds. Maybe I have had an overdose of his sound and this just seems more superficial, pretty, with less shining moments. It's still good, I just expected more.

https://africasacountry.com/2026/03/afrobeats-after-fela

Article addresses: Wizkid’s dispute with Seun Kuti and the release of Wizkid’s latest EP with Asake highlight the widening gap between Afrobeats’ commercial triumph and Fela Kuti’s political inheritance

new song with dj tunez is unsurprisingly a banger
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Plyj08_CMAI