Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun, known by his fans as Wizkid was a boy from surulere and now a man rocking the world with his mad music sounds. He has come of age both in the music and entertainment world. He is an emblem of street hustle, talent user and a great business innovator. Wizkid is not just a musician but an artist, model and business man. He has attained some very great success in all levels and as affected the street with train wrecking waves. I have followed his music very well since I got out of secondary school in Nigeria and I know most of his lyrics by mind. He is a good musician, no doubt about that and he is obviously a mentor to many upcoming Nigerian and international upcoming artist. He has done some things right and he has also done some things wrong. Here are some of his mistakes and right doings.
He had purpose, knew his talent and Started early
Wizkid was a teenager when he burst into stardom. He became a well-known figure in his late teenage years and has consistently kept his musical cool. Wizkid purpose was simple from the start; which was make good music. I loved him music from the first time I saw his video. Honestly speaking I thought he was from Yankee (Nigerian word for America) he was and is still good. He knew his talent, there was no mistaking about that and he sure started working early. What will you say about a boy who was already singing in events for money and recording music at the age of sixteen to seventeen? He knew what he wanted and followed it fearlessly and unashamedly.
He Understood Time, Seasons and Worked hard
Wizkid came up as more of an RnB artist but has evolved to the West African Nigerian unique sound of Afropop and Afrobeats. If you listened to ‘gidi girl’ and ‘holla at your boy’ you will understand that wizkid has some real RnB game in him. But because he understands time and season, wizkid went for what the fan want. Music is a flexible thing in which when you apply good timing to move with the tide and work. Wizkid new when ‘Azonoto’, a sound from the Ghana came to life and took full advantage of it with a heat single called ‘azonto’. He knew when ‘shoki’, a dance from the streets of Lagos came to stay and took advantage of it with his killer song, ‘Show me the money’. Now he has a real song for this hour which is ‘soco’. He has always kept it real with the trend and has worked really hard to do this.
Chose a Mentor and copied his every style and improved on it
Wizkid is a good copycat because he has done a lot in increasing the fame of Fela Kuti, The major originator of Afrobeat and Afrojazz. He has copied not just his beats but his life style and way of doing things. Eighty percent of wizkid’s songs are afrobeat oriented giving it this afro pop sound. Wizkid has listened to Fela’s music that he understand every lyrics and finds a way to fuse it with any new song of his. Listen to ‘Ojuwelegba, Amin, Sweet love’ and so many I can’t count. He improves on Fela’s songs by adding some digitalized harmony which was quiet absent in Fela’s songs because of the analog systems of recording in his days. Wizkid can be said to be a twenty first century jet age version of Fela starting from where he stopped and taking it far beyond.
Wizkid became controversy merchant
Wizkid knows how to make people talk about him. As wizkid became more popular, he became more popular with controversy. With quarrels with his fellow artist to giving birth from different mothers just like his mentor, to smoking Indian hem like a machine gun. No one will forget his either fake or real fight with fellow musical great, Davido and his three kids from three different women. Or is it his fake or real romance with musician, Tiwa savage. Wizkid is a bag of controversy and I like him for that because it has become the engine oil for his music.
90% of his Song are about Women
Wizkid claims to be a guy who pioneers self-made life through hustle but ninety percent of his songs are about ladies. My mum is big fan of his music but time to time she complains that Wizkid does not sing anything that empowers men and women. I can relate to that because ‘Wizkid like woman die’. He knows how to sing love music in different ways that are really good but does not influence his fans with good information and eye opening knowledge. Fela is obviously wizkid’s mentor but one major way he does not follow him is in his attitude to improving the life of the masses by using his music as a weapon.
