Long Live The Kid
On his six offering, Wizkid proudly flaunts his biggest flaw - a lack of introspection and he is alright with that
Wizkid is back for the sixth time with an album (‘Morayo’) dedicated to his mother, who passed away in 2023.
When you are Wizkid, the stakes are always high when you have a new album. Being an iconic act and the poster man for a burgeoning music culture has its perks and demands a lot.
Wizkid is expected to create a new dimension whenever he drops. In 2011, taking inspiration from Wande Coal, he preached the religion of pleasure where the night club is the temple and the dance floor is the altar, in his classic 'Superstar' album.
After a couple of missteps (the confusing sophomore ‘Ayo [Joy]’ and the underrated 'Sounds From The Other Side'), he shifted the tectonic plates of Afrobeats by producing a luxurious and glacial strain of R&B that comfortably suited the foreign notion or idea of what Nigerian pop should sound like.
He repeated the formula on the ill-received 'More Love, Less Ego’,' a victim of Asake resetting the algorithm with his dizzy blend of Amapiano, Fuji and Hip-Hop.
An early 2024 hit featuring Zlatan on 'IDK' on the EP ‘S2’ after ensuring he was omnipresent during Detty December 2023 helped him start the year strung.
A surprise collabo hit, 'MMS' off Asake's third LP, 'Lungu Boy,' set the ball rolling for 'Morayo.'
On this album, the Eagle of Ojuelegba mostly shakes off the uber-cool persona and music style that made him an unquestionable deity of the London scene.
The grooves are more melodious, the music is warm, and the dance steps faster and heavier.
Wizkid teams up with Asake again of the P.Priime produced 'Bad Girl.' This is the gbedu that the 'egbon adugbos' in Shitta would tear copious amounts of sachet alcohol and dance to. Although their verses could have been more urgent and tighter, the hook keeps the song running.
On 'Karamo,' Wizkid commands the dance floor, urging city girls to shake their backsides. Just like on the second single, 'Kese (Dance)’ he states for emphasis that dancing is about the movement or shuffling of legs - a Sub-Saharan philosophy of pop music.
On the latter record, Wizkid celebrates his achievement and remains super confident that "Them go dey dance to the gbẹdu, them go feel irie, 'Cause anything wey I drop, dem go chop, ajé."
This is not the case on all the dance records on the album. 'Bend' painfully sounds outdated, and 'Soji' is log-drum drunk to offer anything refreshing.
The dancehall, R&B and Afrobeats cut 'Break Me Down' is blessed with additional vocals from DAMEDAME, but some of Wizkid's lines leave you pondering ("Climb my tower like the Eiffel then she decline," and "I'll teach you things no other men could trust,") why a cocksman like Wiz can't offer more in the lyrics department.
The collabos add a pleasurable dimension to the album. French act Tiakola offers one of the best moments with his scene-stealing flow on 'Apres Minuit.' This track is followed by 'Bad For You' featuring Jazmine Sullivan. Wizkid's cadence is grounded by Jazmine Sullivan's powerful R&B vocals.
The faultline on this album is Wizkid's refusal to be introspective. His Achilles heel is his lack of introspection or inability to craft a central theme for his albums.
Morayo should have been a statement piece on grief and growth. For an album dedicated to his mum (a central figure in his life - peep the record 'Joy'on his second album), the material is light on this subject matter.
'On Pray,' he briefly acknowledges his mum as his guardian angel and support in a few lines. On 'Lose,' he sings, "Gotta cope with the pain," with his coping mechanisms. In a haze of weed and glasses of alcohol, he is elusive about the pain.
"Yeah, one shot for mama, yeah, I miss you," he admittedly sings on the Fuji album opener 'Troubled Mind.' This moment of vulnerability is brief and clogged with thematically odd lines like "Diamonds on my wrist and my leg too." His penmanship sadly can't deliver the necessary subtext to his troubles.
Afrobeats is no longer a child. While it is primarily about escapism, new acts have offered a new dimension in the last few years.
Omah Lay delivered a mental health masterpiece on his debut, 'Boy Alone,' out-of-towner Llona produced a thematic tight album 'Homeless' about the struggles of growing up.
Tems (although not an Afrobeats act) proves it is possible to offer introspective R&B music from a Nigerian POV. Ayra Starr delivered the tear-jerker 'The Kids Are Alright' about her late father on her second album.
Beyond just grief, Wizkid relies on his usual trope to escape life's complexities. Using materialism, weed, wine, and women indicates he lacks an artistic soul - no matter how glossy the production and mixing are.
Wizkid accepts this, and when you listen to 'Don't Care,' he admits he lives life like he doesn't care. At least, he prays to God to help him get home safely after a day of indulging in his vices.
With the lo-fi sweet treat 'Slow Down' featuring Anaiis Cardot, Wizkid doubles down. This is his life's philosophy. There's no shame in his game. He puts it on his sleeve and delivers a somewhat strong album.
Long Live The King Kid (who we might never see become a man, at least musically.)
Rating - 3/5
This is a lovely read! Well done Ayo!
P.s; Your profile piece, on Reminisce, for Aljazeera; 'The rapper with a coat of many colours': is one of the best profile pieces, I have ever read. On any Nigerian music-artist.