Wizkid (aka Starboy)

(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

I'm here for it!

More ghetto lovin’, SA edition:

https://youtu.be/0XnQPK2FsF8
K.O ft. Wizkid & DJ Maphorisa • Ghetto Boyz

The way you make me Joro:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCUk7rIBBAE
Wizkid • Joro (produced by Northboi)

”There's still no word as to when his long anticipated album Made In Lagos is dropping, but the stream of new material seems to suggest something may be in the works.”
(per The Fader)

Ooh I like that...I gotta say, it would be so sweet if MiL came out the same year as African Giant

https://d3h6k4kfl8m9p0.cloudfront.net/stories/ETw1xM0X7HqdCa8rd7YrvA.jpg

New EP, SoundMan vol.1, out under the Starboy moniker.

say what?!

So the SoundMan, Vol. 1 EP is really good (quelle surprise!). It took more than a week, but two days ago I finally woke up with a track in my head. It happened to be “Cover Me”, produced by Kel-P, who’s got three tracks on this thing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KyXePlhf5Hg

“Electric”, my current favourite, is an A+ Wizzy love jam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubCBPWEvoVY

And “Jam” with Chronixx, is just that: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ua5GjyLPlRE

(I could do without “Mine”, one of the weaker songs in his oeuvre imo)

I do have to say, nothing on the EP is as good as “Joro”. Surprised/disappointed that ILM has been sleeping on that one. It’s my song of the year. Only Wizkid can gel intimacy and exuberance like that. The way he comes in with “this kind love” after that silent beat is one of my favourite musical moments of the year.

the kel p songs on here are so lush hes got the magic sauce

producer of the year

this whole EP is excellent.

"Joro" is excellent. Listening to the EP now...great start, is Chronixx ever less than perfect as a guest?

oh wow the fiddle on "Blow" is heavenly

rob, I’m kinda curious how you feel about reggae-lite Wizkid/Kel P. Do you like “Mine” more than I do?

I should give it one more spin, but no I think you were otm there

I almost wrote "reggae should be HEAVY," but my roots purist days are well behind me thankfully and I don't actually believe that. That said, I'm not sure Mine's problem is the genre/production. The song drags, the distorted guitar doesn't work in context, and then it's suddenly over. I just listened again and it's a relief when Electric starts--it does languorous right.

Drag is about right, unfortunately. Was ever so slightly second-guessing myself after I felt myself cruelly dismissing the old school tracks on the Busy Signal album.

“Blow”, perhaps surprisingly, gets the video. It does everything it can to emphasise Blaq Jerzee’s role and downplay Wizzy’s. Anything to throw RCA off the scent, I guess:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bN9XADMjYFU

More Wizkid, more Kel-P, plus de... Dadju:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWX3Q7ilISM
“Danger”

I'm in the zone, you're in the zone
love this electric vibe...

Starboy time machine:

Debut single “Holla At Your Boy” came out exactly ten years ago:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aw6IUBu5DBw

Classic South African collaboration from 2014:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8C-LayMFJM
Uhuru ft. Donald, Wizkid & Speedy • Ungowami (Remix)

Your Wizkid EOY voting options:

TRACKS:
🔶Wizkid • Joro (no pressure!)
🔶Wizkid • Ghetto Love
🔶Beyoncé, Saint Jhn & Wizkid ft. Blue Ivy Carter • Brown Skin Girl
🔶DJ Spinall ft. Wizkid & Tiwa Savage • Dis Love
🔶DJ Tunez ft. Wizkid & BlaqJerzee • Gbese
🔶Larry Gaaga ft. Wizkid • Low

ALBUMS:
🔶Starboy/Wizkid • SoundMan Vol. 1

Vote split away!

I prefer Ghetto Love, Low and Gbese to Joro, but if we could all agree on one Wizkid tune to rally around I'd be for it.

As I noted upthread, “Joro” is my song of the year, so I will vote accordingly. Will definitely vote for at least one of the others as well, with “Brown Skin Girl” my least favourite of those.

sorry guys, I cut Joro at the end (with regret). I did put the EP on my albums ballot though

I will too (surprise!)