No stress (actually some stress)

Music: Nigerian Afrobeats star Wizkid is getting serious and having fun

By Léo Pajon

Posted on December 16, 2020 16:25

The Little Prince of Afrobeats grew up, transformed by the #EndSARS movement in Nigeria. His latest album “Made In Lagos” remains pure entertainment, but the artist and the man have gained in maturity.

At first glance, nothing has changed. In his latest clip for the single ‘No Stress’, posted on 30 October on his Youtube channel – StarBoy TV – Wizkid appears with all the finery of the bling-bling Nigerian “player”: a heavy diamond-set necklace, huge rings, sparkling grills, golden framed glasses, chiselled abs. As he whispers “I’ve been waiting for tonight night night” while sipping a candy-pink cocktail, one wonders if the prince of pop has remained a carefree adolescent.

Despite being 30, the star has kept his youthful features and fashion-conscious teenager attitude. In the same clip, we can see him proudly displaying two handbags, one under each arm. And quite naturally, on social media he is often the muse of ready-to-wear brands, shoes (Puma) and technology (Tecno smartphones).

READ MORE Nigeria: Beyoncé, Davido, and the #EndSARS pile on

Fist raised against SARS

The accessories and the smooth decorum of the clips hide a more complex reality. In the past few months, negative news has been rampant in the world of Wizkid, whose real name is Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun, resulting in yet another delay with the release of the album “Made in Lagos”, which has been highly anticipated for months. As he confided on social media, Wizkid could not see himself releasing a pop album while his young fans were out on the streets protesting against police violence.

“IF YOU ARE YOUNG AND GROW UP IN NIGERIA, THERE IS NO WAY YOU HAVE NOT SUFFERED FROM POLICE BRUTALITY!”

The number-one Afrobeat artist (or number two, depending on the sales figures of his rival Davido) has actively participated in demonstrations for the dissolution of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), a special police unit accused of violence and murder. Photos show him in a crowd in London with his fist raised and a sign “End police brutality” in his other hand. He is seen on videos requesting the dissolution of SARS by the government. And he promises in tweets that the fight has only just begun.