This is why the US gold certification of Wizkid’s album is significant for Africa.
It’s fairly obvious from the attendance and the overwhelmingly positive reaction Wizkid has just received in Lagos, especially from the international audience.
Despite the fact that it has been ten years since WizKid first appeared on the Nigerian music scene, the made-in Lagos album consciously cemented his place in afrobeat history.
The release of Drake’s ‘One Dance,’ probably one of the biggest singles ever, brought him recognition on a global scale and expanded his fan base almost five years ago.
The terms of his contract with Sony essentially require him to keep performing music intended for a global audience, even though he has a strong desire to include Caribbean influences in his music, as heard in “Come Closer.”
The longevity and replay value of the “Made in Lagos” album were questioned at its early release. This is OK from a critical standpoint because music taste is typically individualized, but the importance of a high-quality work cannot be overstated.
Personally, I think “SFTOS” was a wonderful marketing strategy to deliberately test the market and use a new art form to highlight a genre that is about to gain a large worldwide audience.
Wizkid has gradually been able to blend the local audience with the new sound, which is uncommon, but hey, it’s Wizkid!
Made in Lagos by Wizkid is the first gold-certified album from an African artist. the RIAA
HopperJ. posted this on August 29, 2022, under 37 Entertainment
As the first album by an African musician to receive a gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America in the United States, Wizkid has broken a record.
With the Gold & Platinum Awards, the RIAA, which was first created to recognize artists and keep track of sound recording sales, now serves as a gauge of success for artists.
On August 25, 2022, “Made in Lagos” received a gold certification after selling more than 500,000 copies in the US, making him the first African artist ever to accomplish such a feat.