By now, there is no doubt that Wizkid is the reigning king of Afrobeat, his successful career and hit songs is enough proof.
While Wizkid helped refined AFrobeats/Afropop, he has shown over time that this isn’t the only genre he can jump on and that no matter the type of songs or genres, he would deliver.
His capability to hop into any genre and deliver is something we don’t get to talk about nearly enough, and it’s one of the many reasons why his fans like him.
Wizkid had already been making waves under the Nigerian record label Empire Mates Entertainment before the rest of the world caught up to him.
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Here are some of the times Wizkid stepped outside of his comfort zone, experimented with new genres, and yet managed to deliver a hit single.
Roll Up- Emtee ft Aka
Emtee pulled in fellow South African rapper AKA and Nigerian superstar Wizkid for the ReUp of the ‘Roll Up,’ who set the tone properly with the first verse on the trap tune.
In this trap song, Wizkid proved that he is as capable as any trap rapper, his verse even became the most catchy part of the song.
Beat of Life(Samba)- Sarz
When Sarz wanted to create a unique sound, he knew the only person who would perfectly bring his vision to life was Wizkid and his theory didn’t disappoint.
To this day who doesn’t refer to the video of the two in a studio and Sarz playing the beat to Samba for Wizkid for the first time. If the freestyle was joyous, the full song created magic.
Come Closer ft Drake
The Raggamuffin single is taken Wizkid’s star-studded album “Sounds From The Other Side”. Sarz produced the song, which featured Drake, undoubtedly one of the greatest rappers of all time.
This song has a melody that have you wanting to bend and show off your waist twisting skills. Going by its massive streaming numbers, it was a fan favorite off the album.
The Matter- Maleek Berry
Most people would say Wizkid doesn’t have lyrical depth but on “The Matter” he proves them wrong. On the hip-hop-inspired track, Wizkid goes on a braggadocio rants on a Maleek Berry-produced beat.
Mamacita- Tinie Tempah
Wizkid’s performance on Tinie Tempah’s “Mamacita” further proved that “Wizkid lo help awon rappers yi” (Wizkid helps all these rappers).
Star Boy delivered a fantastic performance on the Caribbean-infused rap track, and added a dope verse to solidify his place on the track.
Essence ft Tems
After promising and failing to deliver the much-awaited album “Made in Lagos” for a long time, Wizkid eventually released the album in October 2020, and it was well worth the wait.
The album included the song “Essence,” which featured Tems, a fast-rising Nigerian singer.
To demonstrate how amazing the song was, the song it to Obama’s favorite songs of 2020, entered the top 15 songs in US Apple music chart, went up to the 25th spot in the Top 100 Global Apple music charts, was at the number 1 position on the Top 25 songs played on Apple Music in Washington, and several top celebrities including Kevin Hart, Kylie Jenner, and many others vibed to the song online.
It even made history as the first Nigerian Song to enter Billboard Hot 100 charts.
Sponono (Kabza De Small ft Wizkid, Burna Boy, Cassper Nyovest & Madumane)
With the Amapiano sound spreading from South Africa to other African countries and around the world, Nigerian singers jumped on board and delivered hit records. On Kabza De Small’s “Sponono“, Wizkid comes through showing he is versatile as he can get.
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Young Jeezy ft Wizkid & Trey Songz – Good Life
During a period when the Wizkid movement was steadily infiltrating the American market, he was deservedly featured on a song owned by American veteran rapper Jeezy in 2017, and he came through with a relaxing hook, so smooth that you’d think he was an American artist.
The song Good Life featured Trey Songz, a well-known American singer, but Wizkid was not overshadowed. He did a good job of standing his ground.