Morayo | Zikoko!

The Nigerian entertainment industry luminaries who attended Wizkid’s mother’s burial in October 2023 reinforced a reality obvious to even the most casual observers: He’s what he called himself on his 2011 debut album, “a superstar.”

After enticing the audience with the genre-bending EP S2 last December, the 34-year-old singer promised to immortalise his mother with a follow-up album, Morayo, his mother’s name, which means “I found joy.”

A year later, Wizkid delivered his sixth studio album, which has 16 tracks. P2J produced fourteen tracks, and P.Priime and DAMEDAME* produced the other two. Wasiu K1 Ayinde’s performance at Wiz’s mum’s burial kicks off the album on the track “Troubled Mind.” It vibrates with gangan and djembe.

For those who aren’t in tune with Yoruba culture, the album might come off as less of an introspection on his mother’s life and the bond that they shared and more of his usual commentary on lust and life in the fast lane. But among Yorubas, death is a time for huge celebration if the deceased was elderly. This is his current state of mind: the existential crisis of how he can make merry in the face of deferred mourning.

Late Morayo Balogun (Wizkid’s mum)

Morayo is upbeat, party-ready, less experimental and influenced by 2010 Afrobeat sounds. “Karamo” and “Kese” celebrate the rich spenders, igbeaux smokers and the gorgeous women who can twist and turn. They’re turn-up, feel-good jams, filled with the familiar hallmarks of Afrobeats music—percussion, up-tempo melodies and surface lyricism—that disagree with Wizkid’s infamous statement that he isn’t an Afrobeats artist last year.

In these songs, Wizkid leans into the escapist ethos of Afrobeats. Afrobeats as a genre is a distraction that eases the troubled mind. Whether you’ve lost a loved one or lost your job, with Afrobeats, you must retire to your lounge, set eyes on a love interest, smoke something and dance.

The album continues with “Bad Girl,” featuring Asake. In this their second collaboration, the duo shouts out Monaco and Caribbean babes. The song, sounding more like an Asake record, shows that they share a chemistry that burns beyond their shared love for cannabis.

Morayo gets laid-back and breezy in “Time,” as Wizkid continues his romantic yearning with assistance from Alté music savants Tay Iwar and AYLØ. Their collaborative effort strengthens Wizkid’s branch into the alternative music scene. He still holds tight to his obsession for his lover, the music crossbreeds R&B on “Pieces of My Heart” featuring Brent Faiyaz and dancehall on “Break Me Down.”

“Bend” calls for dancing; throw your hands in the air, feel good. “A Million Blessings” plays next and adjusts the pace. It’s not too fast to make your dance rump up dust, and it’s not too slow either. The themes and talking points of the songs hardly shift from loving up, taking the lead, flying out baddies, cloud nine trips, staying young, fresh, and living like a superstar.

France’s Tiakola makes an impressive guest appearance in “Après Minuit”—not Wiz’s first rodeo with French artists. Remember MHD’s “Bella”? Wiz’s continuous exploration into American R&B manifests in “Bad For You” with Jazmine Sullivan.

“Soji” and “Slow” featuring Anaïs Cardot further express love and bedroom rompers.

Late into the album, “Don’t Care” provides a pompous and confident Wizkid—he proudly looks back at his longevity. He’s reminded again that his spot isn’t really up for taking. He’s carefree.

He’s introspective on “Lose” and “Pray.” The closing track particularly pours a relief on the troubled mind that opens this album. He finds succour in his music, his vices and his faith. He also has the assurance that his late mum prays for him from above—nothing screams, “She remembers me,” than this.

If we take out the grief and memorial factor of the album, the end result is a close perfection of his recent projects: SoundMan Vol. 1, Made in Lagos, and More Love Less Ego. Morayo gleams with joy. There are romantic yearnings and sexual innuendos here and there. There are more sweet hooks and lyrics rooted in marijuana smoke, hustle and ballers yarns, smug brags, and experimental Afrobeats production. Though the music gets monotonous, it isn’t complicated.

He didn’t need to mention his mother or make the song titles morose, but there are hints of intense sadness and his voice baked with grief. Wizkid focuses on his job, leaves almost no chances for vulnerability for the audience—his ego and masculinity won’t let him. He tries not to trip while he continues to step in the shoes of a man who wears his heart on his sleeve. Invoking Morayo, Wizkid celebrates the dead, offers an update on the life of an Afrobeats superstar, as he searches for his next guidance after his matriarch’s demise.

NEXT READ: “I See Us as Mercenaries”—Inside the Mind of a Wizkid Fan

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After over 13 years since Wizkid’s Superstar debut, Starboy has given us countless hits, collaborations and moments that won’t fade away in a long time. To stretch his music catalogue, he’s announced Morayo, his sixth studio album slated to be released on November 22, 2024.

While we wait for Morayo, we dive into Wizkid’s acclaimed music projects, ranking his works from the best to the least enjoyable. From Superstar to S2, we revisited the albums and EPs that have cemented Wiz’s status as one of Afrobeats’ legends.

6.

More Love, Less Ego (2022)

In November 2022, just a year after the debut of the deluxe Made in Lagos, Wiz released More Love, Less Ego —a mesh of pop, Afrobeats and R&B. This album feels like a drawn-out session of Made in Lagos, repeating similar sonic templates, flows and melodies. Quit honestly it is the last in this ranking because of was not daring, was boring. It didn’t try to go outside the comfort zone of previous successful albums from Wizkid.

5.

S2 (2023)

Although this dropped around the demise of his mum, Wizkid understood that variety is the spice of life on S2, a follow-up to his Starboy label’s Soundman Volume 1 project. In four tracks, Wizkid served diverse music styles that switched up his tempo from the laid-back Made in Lagos and More Love, Less Ego. S2 is very experimental and fun. As we said in our review of the project, it’s a prelude to Morayo.

4.

Ayo (2014)

This is Wizkid’s second album and can be called his album with the most hits, being home to Jaiye Jaiye, In My Bed, Show You the Money, On Top Your Matter. Though few songs in Ayo are as introspective as “Ojuelegba” and “Joy,” its general fast-tempo direction attracts party animals and young people looking for fun. We may never get this party version of Wizkid again, but the hits from Ayo will continue to turn up functions even decades from now.

3.

Sound from the Other Side (2017)

There have been arguments that this album didn’t strive or gain notoriety due to its mixtape tag, R&B sonic direction, and serious lyricism (a deviation from the usually playful Afrobeats lyrics). But these qualities are what distinguish Wizkid’s third album and first major label debut among his other offerings. “SFTOS” is soft, expressive, and bold.

2.

Made in Lagos (2020)

The fusion of R&B and Afropop shines bright on “Made In Lagos”, Wizkid’s special nod to his city of childhood.

Years before Wizkid released the critically acclaimed “Made In Lagos” album in 2020, his fans begged and asked him several times for a new album. Just nine days after its release, it crossed over 100 million streams across five streaming platforms, received praise from listeners and both local and foreign media, and became the best-selling African album of all time in the US.

1.

Superstar (2011)

Superstar is Wizkid’s first album, released under Empire Mates Entertainment (EME) in 2011. A year after his hit single Holla At Your Boy, his debut album came out to ground his feet as Nigeria’s contemporary music new pop star. Not only because he was the hottest kid on the block, had a sort of cool demeanour, or the star-studded features, he was at his most adventurous phase. The album explores different genres like Hip-Hop, R&B, Reggae and Fuji, and themes like romance, love, ghetto upbringing and his grass-to-grace story. A decade has passed since the release, but at least six songs on it still raise the roof anytime they’re played.

QUIZ: Only Wizkid’s OG Fans Will Ace this “Superstar” Album Quiz