Does “Made In Lagos” Success Show Wizkid Is Truly the King Of Afrobeat?

The “Made in Lagos” album is one of the most successful albums by Wizkid so far. It’s now the first African Album to appear on Bill Board charts three years in a roll and stay on the BBWA board for a whole year (2021). As the name indicates, the project was dedicated to Lagos, his hometown.

The album had both national and international artistes on it. The artistes were Burna Boy, Skepta, H.E.R., Ella Mai, Tay Iwar, Projexx, Tems, Damian Marley, Terri, Buju and Justin Bieber. It was executively produced by P2J with a deluxe edition released on 27th of August 2021. Not only did Wizkid embark on a tour themed “Made in Lagos Tour”, he also received a nomination at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards for Best Global Music Album.

Here are some of the things that contributed to the success of the album:

1. Uniqueness

Other projects before “Made In Lagos” had been mostly about outsized cocktails and experimental pursuits. But in Wizkid’s “Made In Lagos” album, the superstar did something different. Even though his sounds were familiar, we could see uniqueness speaking through the lyrics. In the same album, he found comfortable in exploring the rhythms of two sound cultures, Lagos and Jamaican. His use of patois and pidgin English which interpolated with lush saxophone made the album worth listening to. 

2. Culture-Exploring

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Aside from exploring two cultures, wizkid’s made in lagos album was also focused on showing different sides of wizkid’s own culture. In the “Mighty Wine” track, we were quickly transported into a late night in a small club in VI where bodies were radiating from joy. Moreso, Damian Marley’s verse which talked more about gratitude elevated “Blessed” into an anthem suitable for people who experience the incessant honking of cars under the watch of windy sunsets on Lagos Island.

Hard Work

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Wizikid’s Made In Lagos album is a product of hard work. Before the time Wizkid released the album, he took a space in London, then Ghana where he welcomed people who mattered in the Nigerian music industry to work with him. It was even discovered that the album was the first to make the superstar open to creative help, which he made good use of. Even after the album was released, he kept doing what needed to be done. 

3. Featuring Worthy Artistes

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Wizkid was smart enough to invite good artists to feature in his Made In Lagos album, which contributed to its success. After a remix with Justin Bieber, the song got more recognition. Even though it’s an Afro-pop record, it’s likely to get a nomination in the Urban Contemporary R&B Category. Due to the Justin Bieber effect, the track will likely sound more like R&B to Americans. In addition, the role Terms played in making the track successful cannot be underestimated. Her voice alone is one of the things that makes me want to listen over and over again.

4. Fan Base 

Of course, Wizkid’s huge fan base is also one of the factors that contributed to the success of the album. Right from the days of “Holla at your boy”, we’ve always been there to support him and we’ll keep doing that. Even if he later sings crap, lol, we’ll be there to tell him he can do better and methods he can adopt to achieve that.

Quiz : If You Score 8/10 In This Quiz You Are Truly In Wizkid FC

My favorite track on the Made In Lagos is of course, “Essence”! Do you agree with me or do you have a contrary opinion? I’ll be waiting to hear your opinion in the comment session. Bless up, fellow Machala fans!