The ‘Chosen’ One-Star Boy

Wizkid

 

As we patiently await the next album from the ‘star boy’ wizkid-that’s a lot of waiting done considering his last effort was in 2011- here is a throwback on his career and events leading to his rise to prominence in the music industry across Africa and beyond.

The vocally talented young man was discovered by the distinguished producer OJB Jezrel. Walking into his studio in surulere at the tender age of 15. OJB though saw the talent and will in wizkid, he had to suppress him for a year, restricting him from recording any song of his own. Although, he did some features for MI, Naeto  C and co-wrote a track with Banky W off the W experience album in 2006, here is where young Ayo Balogun(that we’ll all come to know as wizkid) formed a professional relationship with Mr Wellington.

Banky W was confident and was willing to invest in wizkid -at that time he was getting a university degree at the prestigious Lagos State Uni- and signed him on to his newly floated record label Empire Mates Entertainment, EME.

In 2010, wizkid began recording songs that would later feature in his super star album. He released Holla at your boy the lead single off the album, in June 2, 2010. The track was an instant success, bagging the 2011 Headies award in the next rated category; it was also nominated for the best afro-pop song in the same year. The video was nominated at the channel o music video awards in best afro-pop category. Singles like don’t dull, tease me (bad guys) soon followed to whet his fans’ appetite.  The album finally dropped on June 12, 2011 under the Empire mates Entertainment.

Wizkid have since worked with almost every skilled producer from all over Africa and even in the UK and the US. It’s like everything the star boy puts his voice on becomes a hit. Since then he’s been breaking every barrier life can throw at a young man from the most populous black nation in the world.

There was a brief raucous, some disagreement between wizkid and his label early in 2013. Nobody from the company or wizkid’s camp released an official statement addressing the issue. But from bits I could gather and filling up the blanks I couldn’t quiet get a hold of, here’s what I have made out of the matter (in my opinion); prior to his first tour of the UK in mid 2012, wizkid had no legal contract with EME, the UK wanted a contract in their hands showing that Wizkid was infact a performing act before allowing him a visa, admist the excitement a contract was quickly  arranged by EME, tieing wizkid to a total of 7 albums, prepostrous right?(the only way wizkid was gonna sign this deal, was a promise to review it in time by EME). And there was ofcourse the issue of splitting money he made for the company. He therefore called for a new contract whilst the former hasn’t elapsed. He was poised to abandon EME, got together with his management in the UK(disturbing London, which was partly owned by the British born hip-hop act Tinnie Temper) and formed a new record label Star Boy where he signed the young and proficient producer/sound engineer Malik Berry. They both undertook various projects and released new materials including the freestyle the matter where the listeners could hear the phrase “star boy” repeatedly, replacing the already used to, ‘EME boy’. He later introduced L.A.X an artist signed under the star boy label in the song caro. Star boy was now ready to release its first album and wizkids second professional effort. EME probably got a hang of the situation, and what he would cost the label if he’d left. Nobody’s sure of what the new deal/contract borders on, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Mr Wellington and the honorable captain gave him a piece of the company(at least that’s what I’ll do) albeit giving him blessings to continue his pursuit as a entrepreneur with his newly floated record label(it was a win-win).

With that brouhaha past him, Wizkid has continued to bridge gaps and consequently set trends for afro-pop. He is seen taking photos during his studio sessions with the recently released convicted felon Chris brown. His new album which we all been waiting for (like I said, has been a lot of waiting) is to be recorded in various studios in the US and who knows where else, with prominent international producers on board working the album. The album which he already told us would be titled Chosen  is set to be dropped later this year, and he’s confident that he’d win back the affection of whatever fan he might have lost during these years without an album for them to jam. To be honest, if we added up all the singles and freestyles we’ve been hearing from Mr Wizzy for the past year, we could make a whole album for him, I wonder why he decided not to drop until now, this gives me a feeling that he’s really planning something big, not big as in weight I mean big as in colossal, a game changing kind of stuff. With all sincerity, after waiting this long, it’ll be disappointing to get anything slightly less or even equal to his star boy album, and I hope he doesn’t disappoint us.

Are Female Emcees Really Destined To Play Cameo In The Music Scene?

Let me begin by saying; this is not a paid hype or advert campaign for anybody, although some of you at the end of this post might think otherwise. I can’t deprive you of your opinion(s) (after-all isn’t all these write-ups’ someone’s observation?). That out of the way,  I feel the need to address the issue of Nigerian female rappers fading out of the music scene like its destined they’ll always play a cameo role in the industry. We see them drop 1 or 2 bangers (most aren’t even that dope, but we still show them love) and then they burn out. I know by now a few names have been popping into your heads. There are quite a number of them but I’ll mention a few and leave the rest to your imagination.

We start from the most visible female in the game, Sasha P right? almost a decade ago since she left da trybe before establishing herself as a solo artist with the hit single Ewa bami jo back in 2007, and then there was a long pause (radio static silence) in her career, before dropping Adara (the lead single to her First Lady album under storm records), where she voiced all her frustrations about not reaching the expectations of her fans. At least she had a better and smoother career as opposed to Blaise.

Although I loved blaise’s team-up with Jesse Jags and Ice prince on MI’s album in a song that interestingly was titled blaze. I think blaise-a trained architect, never saw music as a full time job, she probably had other source of income as she never got around the vocal booth often, and if she did sorry for the misconception but we were never given enough materials to think otherwise.

Kel…Kel…Kel…Kelechi Ohia, lets just leave it at that cos frankly there isn’t much to say about her. WA WA ALRIGHT.

More recent though there’s been some step-ups, the fair Munachi Abi (I mean fair as always used in medieval English, not light skin) oh yes I said beautiful and that isn’t an opinion, she was a beauty queen in 2007.You’ll think she probably got the idea of doing music professionally when she was going out with peter of p-square, but she’s been doing rap way before then.

‘BTW, was that a failed attempt for a publicity stunt when the dancing twins said they were calling the group quit?’ 

Muna appears on our TV screen more often for various other reasons other than rapping. She does rap in potois sometimes which I think is really cute, but not enough to get the fans star struck.

Eva Alodiah

Another pretty and petit lady that does patois is Eva Alodiah, her song High  was impressive and she got my attention with it (I say that like my attention matters to her, lol). Anyways, the track deaf was for me the highest point of her career thus far, Ol’ up Ol’ up don’t tell me shit *in eva’s voice*. As much as I believe she has a very good rapping skill-word play is top notch, poised to be a successful rap sensation. However, here’s the deal she can’t sing. I think here is the one point where all of the afore mentioned acts have gotten it wrong.

Singing is an integral part of a female rappers career, the ability to switch between hip-hop and RnB is the door way to career longevity(even male rappers do sing these days, you catch what am saying?).  As a female artist we want to see emotions flow, and how best to achieve this other than singing a song.  Ability to sing is an automatic invitation to carry hooks on many other artists’ joints, which is more playtime for them.

When you listen to Nicki minaj’s albums till date-there’s no telling she’s having the most lucrative career (as she has surpassed many other female acts that had been in the game)  you can really get a hold of the whole point am making.

cynthia morgan

Although she does rap, dance hall, the Edo born Cynthia Morgan got the singing thing going for her I think.  Her first single after being signed under Jude Okoye (p square) northside inc, a song titled Don’t break my heart has successfully brought her back into the game. After falling into oblivion just after her brief introduction in Jhybo’s track ejo le fero.

In the end we love all our female emcees, the kind of culture they operate in alone is enough to discourage or kill off their career, but for perseverance and tenacity we thank all of them for making a statement.