Dear Wizkid Why? (The Extended Wizkid Reaction Article). Article by: Vasatile Anny.

In Simi’s song, “The Artiste” she said: “what is the point of an artiste who only says what the fans want to hear but never how they feel or what they want to say?” However, ladies and gentlemen of the public, in a bid to lightly oppose this notion I ask: “what is the point of an artiste who neither conveys any meaningful expressions in his songs nor gives the audience what they want to hear in the fullness of it?

Wizkid is talented no doubt, he’s an artiste I’ll always Stan, right from his debut with “Holla at your boy”, “Ojuelegba”, “Joy” and even “Fever”. He has over the years showed progress that cannot be ignored or disputed. However, his last couple of singles have left fans wondering if they are a joke to him. Others have been made to condition themselves to soils with diehard fans always reiterating the words: “It will grow on you”. Pele oo! Agricultural surveillance minister! Although the “IT will grow on you” notion has been true for most of the artiste’s song, However, it is clear that we can no longer accept his mediocre songs and fans now demand for the Wizkid they signed up for.

After the release of “Ghetto Love” is was observed that Wizkid as we know him has zapped the quality from his songs but it was a massive displeasure to fans who were expectant in high spirits when he dropped “Joro” on Nigeria’s Independence Day and to our shock, both audio and video alike had nothing worth commenting on.

As usual, the ever self-expressing Nigerian youths took to social media platforms like Twitter, WhatsApp Statuses and Instagram to express their shock saying the song is mediocre and they want Wizkid toh quality back. Whilst some supported this notion, others frowned at it saying that as true as it may be, the fans brought this upon themselves by not embracing the songs which Wizkid was trying to combine both talent and vocal performance on. Sighting instances with his “Sounds From The Other Side” Album they stood firmly on their ground and further landed safely with the aid of Iyanya and Praiz as case studies.

Firstly, I would like to submit for your consideration that comparing Wizkid to Iyanya and Praize are with unfair measures as Praize isn’t even a POP Artiste for starters and Iyanya on the other hand has had to be off the scene for sometime and also gently adding that, he hasn’t proper management as well as having legal issues since his exit from Made Men Music Group. A better case study, however, would have been Burna Boy’s rise since he came back on the music scene after his brief hiatus – nothing makes a louder statement and also qualifies him for this case like the fact that he just won a BET Award and to be honest, you can’t mention five top quality songs without mentioning his songs at least once or twice. He dropped a song on this same day as Wizkid and this song dare I say, exposed the emptiness of “Joro”. It’s video cannot even be compared to “Joro” on any ground.

Wizkid served his debut album “Superstar” to us in 2011 and sternly but swiftly made an unforgettable statement which transcends time with the sophomore studio Album “AYO” in 2014 which had a lot of the songs that catapulted him to fame internationally like “Ojuelegba”, “Jaiye Jaiye”, and “Show you the money”. The creative direction of his sophomore album made fans to appreciate his art even more. Somewhere between “Áyò” and “Sounds From The Other Side”, however, there was a change on the music scene that couldn’t have been ignored. Between these two albums, the Nigerian market leaned towards songs that were bubbly, had little to no meaning and for lack of better words, were purely entertaining.

The music scene is a scene that is ever rapidly changing which leaves the artiste with the challenge of retaining their brand position whilst meeting the demand of the market and also remaining true to themselves and craft. This is a phase which Tiwa Savage met after coming back from her maternity break but combated with the help of her MAVIN team and waiting it out too. Lyrical content has never failed any artiste who has stayed true to themselves – ask Simi and Adekunle Gold. The demand for content is now back on the rise with Artiste like Burna Boy setting the tune and this isn’t the time to make empty songs. This is a time where youths are glued to the entertainment industry as a whole and aren’t afraid to call out anyone who faults and in like manner, praise artistes doing great.

Dear Wizkid, I propose on behalf of your loyal fans that you go back to your drawing board and do some restructuring. Sit with your team and find ways to combat the issues raised above (like understanding the changing needs of the market and serving them whilst maintaining your originality) otherwise I fear from your forthcoming album and how well it will do on the market. Yes – money must be made but not at the expense of your originality. The industry will always love Wizkid but the industry cannot accept a mediocre version of Wizkid anymore. Stop serving these sub-standard songs to the people who played a huge role in your success and giving your best on international collaborations, your home should always come first.