Wizkid Lied In This US Interview, And We Are Wondering Why
It’s one thing to want to be seen by a new market as having a heart of gold. It’s another to just lie blatantly.
Wizkid has lied blatantly, and we are here to call him out.
The Nigerian singer is working on promoting his single ‘Come closer’ in the US. The song features Drake, and has the financial and promotional power of Sony Music Entertainment and RCA Records. Hence the need to properly plug the song into all the promotional channels available to him.
Just as he has done with a few other media houses, Wizkid’s next stop was with DJ Semtex, an English disc jockey and presenter for BBC Radio 1Xtra digital radio station. Where he talks about his music influences, exploding career and emergence and more.
And things go pretty well for the most part. His US accent is getting better, his responses are more articulate, giving off traces of good media training. He cites his feature on a track off MI Abaga’s “Talk About It” debut album – ‘Fast money fast cars’ as the defining moment that made him believe he could take on music seriously.
But there’s just one thing that caught on. Perhaps he already had a script, or maybe he wanted to paint the image of a philanthropist superstar, who helps his poor people back in the ghetto and slums of Nigeria, but he told a lie about his actions in Nigeria.
When asked about the support Nigerians give him, he expressed the love shown to him by the people who export his music proudly during their numerous travels across the world. And in a bid to show that he reciprocates that love, he lied.
Wizkid lied through his teeth, and you can either watch the video above at the 9-minute mark, or read it below.
“Nigerians are everywhere in the world, we are hustlers, so you know the Nigerians definitely love me,” Wizkid starts off his lie, with some truth. “Everywhere they go, they will tell you. Nigerians love me, and I love them too much. I will do anything for my Nigerian people man.
And here’s where he goes in without shame: “Big shout to my Naija people. I love them too much. That’s why I do a lot back home. Sometimes I do free shows. I just pull up and say ‘Hey, Wizkid, free show.’ Sometimes I charge like a dollar for a show, sometimes I take like N1000, sometimes when I do shows at the Fela shrine, back with Femi (Kuti) and all that.”
Let’s analyze this step by step. Or rather, lie by lie.
Lie 1: “Big shout to my Naija people. I love them too much. That’s why I do a lot back home. Sometimes I do free shows.
Hollup, hollup, hollup. Do you know what this means? It means that Wizkid regularly holds free concerts in Nigeria, where he gathers all of his fans who cannot afford to see him perform live, and gives them a free concert from the goodness of his heart.
Admittedly the last free concert Wizkid had in Nigeria was just over a year after his debut album “Superstar” was released. Wizkid held a show on Thursday January 10, 2013, at a concert tagged “Appreciation” concert at the New Afrika Shrine. And that’s not even his initiative. He was signed to EME who pulled it off for him.
The rest of the times, he has simply sold his art, just as he should. And gotten paid heavily to perform. It’s okay to make money. We won’t judge if you don’t lie.
Lie 2: “I just pull up and say ‘Hey, Wizkid, free show.”
When have you ever seen Wizkid pull up in the hood and scream “Free show!”? You can’t remember because it hasn’t happened. The few times Wizkid has been to the hood, it is to shoot music videos, which is more beneficial to him, than the poor people in the slums. Wizkid can’t do this. Free shows are not spontaneous in Nigeria. They are planned and promoted.
The only other times he has performed for free is when he shows up at Felabration, the annual festival designed to celebrate Nigeria Afrobeat legend, Fela Kuti.
The last time Wizkid pulled up and announced a show, it was in December 2016. He promised three concerts, and failed to attend any of them, citing health reasons. But he later showed up to perform at the Pepsi Rhythm Unplugged concert, where he was paid in full…of course.
Lie 3: Sometimes I charge like a dollar for a show, sometimes I take like N1000, sometimes when I do shows at the Fela shrine, back with Femi (Kuti) and all that.”
Who has paid a dollar (N305 – N395) to watch Wizkid perform in Nigeria? Where in this country has anyone paid N1000 to watch a show organized by Wizkid? Where?
Except the price has been subsidized by a huge brand, or a state government. Other than that, the minimum you can get into a Wizkid concert is N5000.
Verdict: While we understand that Wizkid is a huge star who is driving his brand into the US market, we can see how detached he is from the common man and Nigeria as a whole. Perhaps he wants to create a pre-determined image in the minds of his new fans, but lying about his work in Nigeria is not the way to go.
In the end, people don’t want free shows from Wizkid. All his core fans need is for him to release music, and continue to win. That way, he satisfies everyone who interacts with his artistry, and gives them both an emotional connection and tangible entertainment.
Cappish?
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