One of the modern fixtures in African music is back with a new vibe and it’s extremely intoxicating. We are of course talking about Wizkid, who has a new single out this week, “Kese (Dance).” The title is what you will be doing plenty of once you press play on this and it’s more of a loose party anthem compared to its counterpart. That would be “Piece of My Heart” featuring Brent Faiyaz, which is a more multi-faceted listening experience. It’s certainly got some groove to it, but it’s more lowkey and features a break in the action halfway through and becomes an alternative R&B ballad.
Conversely, “Kese (Dance)” is a nonstop Afrobeats bop. On the three minute single, Wizkid is just looking to have a good time and dance the night away. “Blow some trees, make me feel alright / I no fit lie, man, I’m wasted / And I’m feeling reckless,” he effortlessly croons. Both of these are tracks are here for an exciting reason, as Wizkid is getting ready to drop his sixth studio album next Friday, November 22. Morayo, which means “I see joy,” will be his first project since 2022’s More Love, Less Ego. Check out “Kese (Dance)” in the meantime, with the link below.
So, tell me what you wanna do tonight? You no the party no go make sense, if we never dey there, we make the party come alive We turn the O2 to O3, má lọ bé si italawa So baby, tell me why you wanna Shake body make you do as you like Na steady we dey blow the cana
Grammy-winning Nigerian superstar Wizkid has dropped his latest single, “Kese (Dance),” via Starboy/Sony Music International/RCA Records. Accompanied by striking artwork from acclaimed photographer Gabriel Moses, the image showcases Wizkid in a shadowy, moody setting, offering a glimpse into the themes of his forthcoming album. Moses’ signature use of rich lighting and emotional nuance elevates the visual narrative. “Kese (Dance)” marks the start of an exciting new chapter for Wizkid, blending his signature sound with fresh, innovative elements.
Nigerian superstar Wizkid has returned triumphantly by releasing his new single “Piece of My Heart,” featuring Brent Faiyaz. The track, available now via Starboy/Sony Music International/RCA Records, is accompanied by a visually stunning official video directed by Lonewolf. Set in the picturesque Chateau de Neuville in France, the video showcases the duo enjoying a lavish lifestyle, from a mansion to a private jet party.
“Piece of My Heart” will be included on Wizkid’s highly anticipated sixth studio album, Morayo, scheduled for release on November 22. This deeply personal project is a tribute to Wizkid’s late mother, with the Yoruba word “MORAYO” meaning “I see joy.”
The single’s release follows Wizkid’s performance at the BOF 500 Gala and a stylish appearance at Paris Fashion Week, where he and Brent Faiyaz attended the iconic Chanel show. Wizkid hosted an intimate Ladies Only party in London to further celebrate the new music, giving select fans an exclusive first listen of “Piece of My Heart.”
Wizkid is in album mode, as the Nigerian star promised his next album Morayo is on the way, but the upcoming campaign hasn’t stopped the singer from lashing out at a fellow afrobeats star. Over the past day, Wizkid has sent out several tweets directed at Davido, starting with one that read, “P*ssy boys dropping mids again! [heart and eagle emoji].” That post came a short time after Davido took to social media to tease an upcoming song. Just in case you’re not too sure that Wizkid’s tweet was directed at Davido, Wizkid made his feelings about Davido clear in later posts.
“I don’t beef wack n****s! We all know he’s wack! No talent! [eagle emoji],” Wizkid wrote in response to fan who said, “So if you no beef @davido your song won’t sell ??” Wizkid also addressed a recent interaction between him and Davido at a club, writing, “Want what? He looks for me everywhere I go like a fan boy he his! This was an event for one of my Dj’s Skyla in Lagos! We no invite dem!” With all that being said, why does Wizkid have been with Davido?
Why Does Wizkid Have Beef With Davido?
Both Davido and Wizkid have had issues with each other for a decade now. Back in 2014, sent out a tweet that read, “I already killed NY!! London 26th Sept!! Manchester 28th sept!!! Big surprise!! Still proper shows!! proper venues!!! #f*ckboysuckad*ck!!” Many believed the tweet was directed at Davido, and though Wizkid denied it in an interview with radio host Olisa Dibua, Davido later said that he felt that the tweet was directed at him in a separate interview with Dibua.
Things stayed quiet for a few years, but heated up once again after Davido said the “pon pon” sound — an afrobeats subgenre that blends highlife and dancehall — was most popular at the time while other sounds were “less.” This was taken as a swipe at Wizkid, who had recently dropped his third album Sound From The Other Side. Wizkid later responded on Twitter, writing, “My people make una remember to say Yankee passport no be baba blue, e no dey cure frog voice.” The tweet essentially says that Davido’s close ties to the American music culture won’t hide his “frog voice.”
In 2018, during an interview with Native Magazine, Davido revealed that he and Wizkid squashed their beef after admitting that things “got physical between our camps.” It appeared as if things would stay that way going forward as both artists appeared as guest acts at one another’s concerts — first with Wizkid appearing at Davido’s 30 BG concert and then with Davido popping out at Wizkid’s Eko Hotel Concert.
For the next few years, things seemed to be good between Davido and Wizkid, outside of some fan-fueled issues (something Davido ssaid was behind him adn Wizkid’s beef during a 2023 Drink Champs interview). After the tragic death of Davido’s son in 2022, Wizkid delayed his fifth album More Love, Less Ego as tribute to Davido’s loss. Wizkid later announced that he and Davido would go on a tour following the release of More Love, Less Ego. Davido and Wizkid closed 2023 on good terms, as a Davido excitedly announced Wizkid’s S2 EP on Twitter, but the good times quickly came to an end at the turn of the year.
After dropping his remix to Kizz Daniel’s “Twe Twe,” Davido tweeted, “We no dey do ‘it will grow on u’ for here … [We don’t do ‘it will grow on u’ here…],” a message that fans believed was a diss toward Wizkid. In April 2024, Davido and Wizkid’s beef was back in full swing after a Wizkid rant resulted in him calling legendary Nigerian afrobeats producer Don Jazzy an “influencer.” Wizkid also mocked Davido by posting a video of him crying in response to fans who begged him to release new music.
Later that day, Davido responded, writing, “Dem no know ur gbedu again [They don’t know your music anymore].” Things took a turn for the worse when Wizkid replied, writing, “U and all ur crew plus ur pant washer songwriter go to sleep at night thinking you actually got anything on me in music wish u all well.” Davido would go on to call Wizkid “delusional” and a “sick man” before adding that he “stopped wasting my clout and jeopardizing my millions of USD of endorsements on someone whose career was resurrected a few years ago just to die again.” Wizkid later claimed that he could “retire today and you are still not on my level,” adding that Davido is “an influencer with a songwriter.”
That brings us to this week’s war of words between Wizkid and Davido. This time around, it’s mostly Wizkid doing the talking as Davido has yet to respond. The reason for Wizkid’s latest disses at Davido is unknown, but you can view all of his insults at the fellow afrobeats star in the tweets below.
Want what? He looks for me everywhere I go like a fan boy he his! This was an event for one of my Dj’s Skyla in Lagos! We no invite dem! https://t.co/WIsyFTszGe
Tems has become a household name in a head-spinning amount of time. The Nigerian songstress went from critically acclaimed artist to pop star thanks to collabs with the likes of Future, Wizkid, and Drake. She even appeared on the soundtrack for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever in 2022. Tems is officially a big time name, and she hasn’t even dropped an album. At least, so far. She hopped on social media on May 10 to unveil the cover AND release date for her long-awaited debut.
The artwork for her debut album, Born In the Wild, is absolutely striking. The singer is barely illuminated against a black backdrop. All you can see is her eyes, her jewelry, and loose outline of her body. It fits her soulful, ethereal aesthetic to a T. The bigger revelation, though, was the album’s release date. Fans have been waiting for a Tems album for close to five years, so to call a proper release date a huge deal is an understatement. The singer confirmed that Born In the Wild will be dropping on June 7th.
This is my most special moment. Everything I have I put into this. Thank you all so much for believing in me. BORN IN THE WILD. JUNE 7th pic.twitter.com/ZCBXYDn4M9
Born In the Wild is a long time coming. Tems first teased the album’s existence in 2022 via X (formerly Twitter), and it was originally supposed to drop in May 2024. She didn’t reveal the reason for the delay, but she did reflect on feeling the pressure to deliver during a Billboard profile. The singer claimed she wanted to push the boundaries of what Nigerian performers could get away with. “Is it possible to make this type of music even though I’m Nigerian,” she asked the outlet. “Is there a limit to what I can make? I wanted to find out.”
Tems has released three singles ahead of the album’s release. “Me & U,” “Not An Angel,” and “Love Me JeJe” have all been warmly received by fans and critics.”Me & U” has done particularly well, earning an Outstanding International Song at the 55th NAACP Image Awards. Tems described each of these songs as being powerful because they came from an honest place. “I feed myself with truth and I pray a lot,” she told Apple Music. “I think attaining knowledge and gaining understanding is how you stay grounded.” Now that a proper release date has been dropped, the prayers of Tems’ fans have also been answered.
There continues to be something in the water in 2024. Beef has been on the menu of just about every major rapper, and now the trend is spilling over into Afrobeat. Wizkid and Davido are two of the biggest Afrobeat artists in the world, and they are not putting up a unified front. In fact, both artists took shots at one another, claiming they are the more important figure within Afrobeat. The whole thing went down on X (formerly Twitter) on April 29.
Wizkid started things off with a subtweet. The “Bad to Me” singer criticized an unnamed artist, claiming they couldn’t touch him in terms of relevance. “U and all ur crew plus ur pant washer song writer go to sleep at night thinking you actually got anything on me in music,” he wrote. The mystery of who he was talking about was quickly solved when Davido got involved. The latter quote tweeted a second message from Wizkid that read: “U know what… no point. Delusional n**gas” with a very pointed response. “We not delusional,” Davido wrote. “You’re a sick man.”
The two artists continued to trade shots on X into the evening. Wizkid quote tweeted Davido’s response with a video of Davido awkwardly laughing. The latter then took things up a notch by claiming Wizkid is over the hill. “Exactly why I stopped wasting my clout,” he noted. “And jeopardizing millions of my USD on someone whose career was resurrected a few years ago just to die again.” Davido then took a page out of Drake’s book by poking fun at Wizkid’s shoe size. “Size 7 shoe,” he wrote with a laughing emoji. “N**ga shot at footlocker kids.”
Wizkid decided not to take things further, though. He shut down the X exchange then and there by claiming he was over it. “I don tire,” he tweeted. “I dey go sleep. Jesus is King.” Wizkid and Davido have collaborated multiple times over the years, with some of their most notable songs including “My Way” and “Feel (Remix).”
The two artists reportedly had a falling out in 2023, which Davido attributed to the fans during an appearance on Drink Champs. “It actually started with the fans,” he explained. “It was the fans going at it. We was f*cking around and he announced like, ‘Yo, I’m going on tour with Davido next year.’ The fans were so angry.” Regardless of who started it, the beef has become very real.
But it looks like Wizkid no longer wants to be tethered to the genre. After a clip from his 2023 interview with Apple Music resurfaced, the “Money & Love” musician doubled down on his older statements.
In another posted screenshot by ThatGrapeJuice, he went on to clarify his initial statement. “Listen, am I African? Yes,” he wrote. “But I do make all sorts of music. I don’t want to be labeled just Afrobeats. That’s like saying every American artist makes rap.”
Lil Yachty made a similar point when he began to explore rock via his album Let’s Start Here. Still, users online weren’t pleased with Wizkid’s statement. View the mixed response from users online below.
Outsiders : you cannot box Burna Boy into just afrobeats… He does so many genres effortlessly
Nigerians… He should shut up.. Let’s see how long he can go alone
Afrobeat una…wizkid isn’t afrobeat artist he does every sound…he have done countless genres and even most of his albums speak for him…he have won countless awards in different genre is music category and also charted songs there. pic.twitter.com/InYimdAKXl
No bro you are getting it wrong again. Remove the “afro” whatever… wizkid is pop/r&b, burna is rap/reggae pop… We simply just call these guys afrobeat cos they are Africans, they just want it to stop. We even call Blaqbonez afrobeat artiste even tho blud does rap. https://t.co/13WhkjAX0o
Nothing wrong with what Wizkid is trying to drive home. It doesn’t make sense that every artiste is boxed under Afrobeat. Especially if you’re versatile with your craft. If you have the range to try something new it’s okay to leave the umbrella of Afrobeat and create your sound.
Wizkid just finished his next album, as he let fans know on Friday (March 15) via the Instagram social media platform. But apparently, before this new phase of his career begins, he wants to set the record straight on some important matters concerning his artistry and his image. “Album done! [eagle emoji] See you soon b***hes!” the “Loju” singer began. “And pls Abeg if u like Pakurumo wizkid don’t download this new album… in fact delete me from ur playlist and your life! [heart emoji] [eagle emoji] And if u like afrobeats pls don’t download my album! I am not a f***ing afrobeats artiste! Don’t call me that h*e! I am not Afro anything b***h!”
Overall, there were a lot of divided reactions to this rant online, with some criticizing his assessment and others defending his perspective. On one hand, the Nigerian superstar shouldn’t be boxed into a single genre or style, and not all of the music he makes necessarily falls under the umbrella of Afrobeats. On the other, Wizkid is definitely one of the biggest names associated (however lightly) with the genre. After all, he became the first African artist to get three platinum songs, and folks will immediately tie his success into that of the larger genre, even if simply calling him an Afrobeats artist might not accurately convey the full picture of his artistry right now.
Whether or not you agree with this rant, it’s hard to deny all the work the 33-year-old has put in to expand his artistry beyond what the market pushed onto him. In fact, plenty of business executives, industry workers, and fellow artists have tried to take credit for the growing popularity of African artists worldwide. But none of that matters without the artists themselves. As such, Wizkid is free to make whatever kind of music he wants and define how he wants the music world to perceive and celebrate him.
Meanwhile, what do you think about these comments and assessments, especially with the debate around them in mind? Is the More Love, Less Ego unquestionably an “Afrobeats” artist? However you may feel, let us know in the comments section down below. Also, stay logged into HNHH for the latest news and more updates on Wizkid.
Let’s set the scene. You’re out with friends, or maybe by yourself, at a local nightclub or day party, and the DJ on set gives a shoutout to the “Carribeans” in the crowd. They say something like, “One time for my Carribeans” or “Where my Carribeans at?” and those in the audience who identify as such make some noise with the expectation that a song from their region will be played next. Instead, an afrobeats record from the likes of Wizkid, Davido, or Burna Boy blares from the speakers. Carribeans and Africans in the audience are left equally confused by the miscategorization and the DJ does a quick two- or three-song rotation before getting back to their regularly scheduled programming.
As ludicrous as it sounds, this scenario happens more often than you’d think. Look no further than comments in this Lipstick Alley forum from 2022 for proof. While regions heavily populated with Africans or Carribeans like southern New England, New York City, Philadelphia, or Houston probably haven’t had this experience to the extent of other areas, it is an issue. It’s just one example of the miscategorization of these genres that we’ve seen happen time and time again.
By the 2010s, Afrobeats and dancehall were undeniably popular in the global mainstream. Viral dances like those attached to Fuse ODG’s “Azonto” and Iyana’s “Kukere,” as well as success from Davido, Burna Boy, Wizkid, P-Sqaure, D’banj, and others played a big role in afrobeats’ rising popularity. In contrast, the success of Sean Paul, Popcaan, Vybz Kartel, Bounty Killer, Beenie Man, and others helped boost the appeal of dancehall. Though dancehall stands alone as its own unique sound, afrobeats is more of a culmination of various genres that include any mixture of house, hip-hop, dancehall, highlife, R&B, afrobeat (yes, without the s), and more.
Afrobeat is different from afrobeats as it pulls from traditional Nigerian music with additional influences from funk, jazz, and soul, and sees its origins go back to the 1960s, while the origin of dancehall is between the 1960s and 1970s. With afrobeats and afrobeat often getting confused and afrobeats containing numerous influences — including dancehall — it’s not all that surprising that the genres are mixed up, leading to DJs shouting out “Carribeans” and playing afrobeats. However, a history mix-up would be a generous explanation for all of this.
With afrobeats and dancehall making their presence felt in the mainstream world by the mid-2010s, artists in the respective genres continued a tradition of collaboration dating back to their origins. Some of the records we’ve received over the years include Kranium & Wizkid’s “Can’t Believe It,” Popcaan and Davido’s “Risky” and “Dun Rich,” Burna Boy’s “Toni-Ann Singh” with Popcaan, Byron Messia’s “Talibans II” with Burna Boy, Teejay’s “Drift (Remix)” with Davido, Vybz Kartel & Burna Boy’s “Personally (Remix),” and Wizkid’s “Slip N Slide” with Shenseea and Skillibeng. In these cases, the blend between afrobeats and dancehall can be effortless with each artist performing just as well in the other’s genre as they do their own. For those without knowledge of the artists and sounds within afrobeats and dancehall, this is where the distinction between the genres gets lost, and suddenly, you’re shouting out the Carribeans in the crowd, only to play a set full of afrobeats staples.
While some ignorance is understandable, fans’ and DJs’ reluctance to correct said ignorance is not. Both afrobeats and dancehall are becoming more and more globally popular and respected by the month. For example, a fall 2023 report from Spotify noted that afrobeats tallied more than 15 billion streams on the platform. In just the last few years, both genres have provided records that served as anthems for the year’s hottest months, including Burna Boy’s “Last Last,” Byron Messia’s “Talibans,” and Wizkid’s “Essence.”
These artists are Grammy nominees and winners. Artists in both genres collaborate with some of the biggest names in the industry. The genres’ successes aren’t a fluke, but the result of years of work from their pioneers and contemporary hitmakers to push the beautiful sounds of their culture to the masses. Afrobeats and dancehall deserve the respect and recognition to stand and be known on their own terms.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Nigerian superstar Wizkid, celebrated for his GRAMMY Award and multi-Platinum success, concludes the year on a high note with the release of his latest four-track EP, S2, under Starboy/Sony Music International/RCA Records. The EP features a collaboration with the renowned artist Wande Coal, adding to the anticipation and excitement surrounding this year-end musical offering. With this latest release, Wizkid continues solidifying his global influence, leaving fans eager to experience the musical magic woven into S2.
Afrobeat has no substance
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