wizkid • made in lagos (2020)

there’s also Twice as Tall.

― human and working on getting beer (longneck), Wednesday, October 19, 2022 3:06 PM (four minutes ago)

there's also african giant!

I think we can all agree Wizkid (and Afropop in general) is past that stage, where it be African Giant or Twice As Tall. we’re in an era where Asake can crack the Billboard album charts with some Yoruba shit.

*whether it be

I assumed longneck was thinking AG : TaT :: MiL : MLLE
it's a bit premature for these worries though, no?

Asake is notably free from ill-fitting crossover features, which hopefully bodes well for the future

Made in Lagos would be the equivalent of African Giant in my analogy… I’m just saying these blatant crossover attempts rarely work very well. If he has made a pure afro’n’b album, however, I’d say there’s a chance he might pull it off.

(oh wait I forgot about Russ on the Asake)

I think we can all agree Wizkid (and Afropop in general) is past that stage, where it be African Giant or Twice As Tall. we’re in an era where Asake can crack the Billboard album charts with some Yoruba shit.

― big movers, hot steppers + long shaker intros (breastcrawl), Wednesday, October 19, 2022 3:16 PM (three minutes ago)

not that artists at this stature are ever divorced from commercial concerns but i would think of it less as "we need to work w/ these artists in order to crossover" and more "i want to work w/ these artist because i like them and it would be fun"

Yeah that’s my point. If Wizkid plays the Twice as Tall game he’ll surely miss. If he’s mainly aiming for an African audience - like Asake - he could actually cross over big time. I think.

well, exactly, in the sense that aiming for an African audience means you’ll have the ear of the world

US r&b is already chasing the afropop sound. As long as he’s not too actively trying to adopt his sound to the American market he’ll probably do fine. Wiz is always at his best when he’s at his most relaxed and comfortable, not when he’s trying to fit in.

but I get Jordan S.’s point - and to be honest, the collaborators on MiL didn’t look all that exciting on paper either

cp

xp

US r&b is already chasing the afropop sound

oh yeah? can you list some examples? (not challenging you, I would like to know)

whatever he does, it will be quality, but I wouldn’t like to see him rest on his laurels (although of course he has long been deserving to).

one of the most beautiful things he has created through MiL is that Naijapop artists feel confident and free enough now to make albums that create a specific mood that suits them, instead of chasing crossover clout by trying to cover all bases through strategic collabs and different styles. thinking especially of the Omah Lay and CKay albums here.

US r&b is already chasing the afropop sound

oh yeah? can you list some examples? (not challenging you, I would like to know)

― rob, Wednesday, October 19, 2022 3:31 PM (one minute ago)

would start w/ the chris brown + wizkid song that is as close to made in lagos cosplay as you could ever achieve

also the future/drake song that is essentially just a remixed version of tems "higher"

i wouldn't necessarily say US r&b is chasing afropop so much as afropop is simply just considered part of contemporary R&B now. if you are a fan of modern R&B you are listening to african artists. the wall has completely collapsed. "essence" is prob the biggest pure R&B song in years. tems is easily the biggest breakout R&B singer of the last few years.

and Asake obv, but his approach (in close collaboration with Magicsticks) feels like a next step already

xp

here are the top 5 songs on the billboard hip hop/R&B airplay chart (to me the best measure of what songs are being served to very core, mainstream rap and r&b listeners) this week

1. future ft. drake & tems - wait for u
2. tems - free mind
3. diddy & bryson tiller - gotta move on
4. burna boy - last last
5. lil baby - in a minute

as to longneck’s point, also a sign of the times that a track from Niniola’s sort of side project r&b ep from last year is now used in some US tv drama:

A song by @officialniniola was featured on episode two of the U.S television drama All American: Homecoming 🌍 🔥 #homecoming #drama #niniola #africaentertainmenttv pic.twitter.com/pgMLxHWsgW

— Africa Entertainment TV (@africaenttv_) October 18, 2022

xp
ah ok I guess I already knew all that (though I'm not a chart-watcher and did not realize Last Last had penetrated there), thought longneck meant something a little different

doja cat "woman" is also an afrobeats song which went top 10 and was no 1 at pop radio

^yeah that's more what I thought he meant (and is new to me for some reason)

i think there's a stronger case to be made that african artists are taking over R&B (i.e. asake outstreaming ari lennox first week) than american artists chasing the sound per se, but there are def some prominent examples (the ones i listed) of the latter. to chris brown's credit he was maybe the first big american artist to really recognize afrobeats artists? so his rip off of 'made in lagos' doesn't feel that galling

CB def one of the first - he’s one of the earliest friends Wizzy made in the US industry. they made “Shabba” in 2016 (with Trey Songz there as well!) and iirc “African Bad Gyal” may have been recorded even earlier - too bad they sat on it for too long. when Wiz finally dropped it it no longer sounded current.

Jordan, are there any other afropop (-adjacent) tracks in Billboard’s hip hop/R&B airplay chart? it’s one of their many subscribers-only charts, so I have no access to it

All of the above. Doja is a really good example, as is Call Me Every Day. There's also stuff like Kelly Rowland jumping on the Bloody Samaritan remix and Rema and Selena actually charting now. Jordan gets it right: african artists are basically taking over r&b now, for better or worse.

Kelly has form as well: she was on the remix for Korede Bello’s “Do Like That” five years ago.

there was "heated" from the beyoncé album

As I believe deej pointed out some years ago, it all started with this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FeJhi1-C7G0

+ the entire lion king soundtrack xp

Jordan, are there any other afropop (-adjacent) tracks in Billboard’s hip hop/R&B airplay chart? it’s one of their many subscribers-only charts, so I have no access to it

― big movers, hot steppers + long shaker intros (breastcrawl), Wednesday, October 19, 2022 4:13 PM (seventeen minutes ago)

just "call me everyday" at no 34 which is a new peak

ah cheers. no sign of Oxlade’s “Ku Lo Se” breaking US r&b radio yet then?

Well, it's #5 on the Billboard US Afrobeats charts this week: https://www.billboard.com/charts/billboard-u-s-afrobeats-songs/

well, sure - waiting for it to infiltrate beyond that, like it has in the UK and Europe

I'd say it has a decent chance.

doja cat "woman" is also an afrobeats song which went top 10 and was no 1 at pop radio

― J0rdan S., Wednesday, October 19, 2022 2:47 PM (four hours ago) bookmarkflaglink

random but I believe this was cowritten by jidenna, and it definitely feels like some of the best retro-afropop songs that were on his album

the earliest person to observe the rise of afropop was Kanye that I can find. He cosigned DBanj -- honestly I think he just noticed how "oliver twist" sounded like paul johnson "get get down" lol .

The Oliver Twist video is a document for the ages: nearly all of Kanye's G.O.O.D. friends are in it.

oh, hey:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0kme1Fh6YA
Babyface ft. Amaarae • One Good Thing

New Wizkid is teh good Wizkid

https://open.spotify.com/track/3nIj7jkWVKKmmKPdhgrddu?si=qHRTknRNQFmFVkOYBvwgGQ

album out next week :) :) :) :) :)

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

first ever song with a Buju Banton/Benson pun!

lol he should put them on a song together so we could all marvel at: f. BNXN fka Buju x Buju Banton

great track! I was sad when it ended

yeah this is fantastic

I appreciate the Timmy Thomas accents in P2J’s production

this looks like it’s going to be MiL - The Sequel

on the tracklist for More Love Less Ego on Genius.com there’s no track with Roddy Ricch - instead it has… Lauryn Hill

🚨Wizkid’s “More Love Less Ego” album release has now been shifted back to November 11.

Respect. 🫡👏🏽 pic.twitter.com/6d9mgEWdQV

— 𝗔𝗟𝗕𝗨𝗠 𝗧𝗔𝗟𝗞𝗦 📀 (@AlbumTalksHQ) November 3, 2022

was wondering if he would do this. awful news about davido's son

yeah damn I hadn't heard about that

1. Money & Love
2. Balance
3. Bad to Me
4. 2 Sugar feat. Ayra Starr
5. Everyday
6. Slip N Slide feat. Skillibeng & Shenseea
7. Deep
8. Flower Pads
9. Wow feat. Skepta & Naira Marley
10. Pressure
11. Plenty Loving
12. Special feat. Don Toliver
13. Frames (Who’s Gonna Know)