Wizkid – S2 (EP Review)

If you think of contemporary Nigerian music, one name will stick out to listeners from all over the globe- Wizkid. Wizkid is a prolific and iconic artist in the lore of modern Afrobeats as well as exporting the sound of Nigeria to the rest of the world, even if you like or dislike his music. Be it through his associations with Drake, or his phenomenal rise together with Tems, he is part of the global conversation when it comes to music. He has an extensive catalog and an ever-evolving presence in terms of his style, stage preference and sonic configuration. In today’s review, I will be analysing and detailing the context behind his newest release, which is an EP titled ‘S2’.

For context, Wizkid is known to put out EPs with experimental and evolving soundscapes to test the waters to its reception, before releasing a major album that expands upon the soundscape itself. In 2019, he released the EP ‘Soundman Vol. 1’ under his homegrown label ‘Starboy Entertainment’. That particular EP marked a shift from a more raw, typical Nigerian Afrobeats production of his releases from 2016-2018 to a sound that was more polished, and intermixed with elements from R&B, Lounge as well as certain elements of lo-fi and chill music. It was met with okay reception as a cultural phenomenon, but to me, the EP was sublime. I think Wizkid has a sonic talent in recombining sounds as well as knowing which instruments and melodies to pick. He excels in all styles of Afrobeats, from the ‘old’ sound to the ‘new’ sound. Subsequently, the album ‘Made in Lagos’ released in 2020, expanded upon the ‘Soundman Vol. 1’ EP and blossomed into a complete, and competent body of work. It was somewhat of a magnum opus moment for him, as this album linked the Nigerian music scene and the Western music scene to appreciate his artistry. Songs from the album featured and performed well with European and American audiences, with ‘Essence’ featuring Tems ranked as the number one song of 2021 in Rolling Stone.

However, it is hard to top a well-received album when you think about the long-term impact of releases. Much like ‘Bad’, the follow-up to ‘Thriller’ by Michael Jackson, his album after ‘Made in Lagos’ titled ‘More Love, Less Ego’ did not necessarily trump the cultural impact that the preceding album made. ‘Made in Lagos’ was unanimously celebrated by both an international audience and the local Nigerian audience. Unfortunately, ‘More Love Less Ego’ did not fare as well. Critically and musically, it was decent and interesting, but I don’t think it captured the emotional ethos that MiL did. A majority of Nigerian listeners who weren’t die-hard fans of his were not necessarily impressed by his album. I feel a little odd in some ways because I can technically give ‘More Love, Less Ego’ (MLLE) its flowers for specific technical ingenuities as well as instrumental quirks, but our responses to music show up in subconscious ways. I personally did not replay songs from this particular album as much as the previous one, and my ties to these songs aren’t as strong. Most people speculated that the album was also rushed, literally and metaphorically, to match the prowess of Made in Lagos.

I presume that this release, Soundman Vol. 2, shortened to S2, is a way for Wizkid to express himself in a stylistic way to transition himself from the shackles of MLLE’s reception and reinvent his sound. It possibly is also a methodological preview as to what his next album may sound like. As a result, I’m pretty excited to review this EP. Let’s get into it.

The first song, ‘Ololufe’ is an excellent introduction to the EP. I’m very impressed by this song for one particular reason: to me, it might be the first authentic Nigerian amapiano fusion song. A lot of what Nigerians and mislead people think is ‘amapiano’ is not classically amapiano- the mere infusion of the log drum and nothing else does not make a song amapiano. They also miscategorise a lot of Afro-House as amapiano as well. No, this song gets the amapiano pass from me. To me, as I try to be objective in categorising what amapiano actually is: a tempo not more than around 135-140, with aspects of deep house, jazz, lounge and trance-like melodic quirks. It also plays with the envelope of a sound in regards to the log drum, toying with aspects of attack, decay, sustain and release.

To be fair, Wizkid has actually collaborated with true-blue Amapiano artists like Kabza de Small. Hence, he probably knows exactly what he’s doing. It has shakers, the typical drums, and anticipation that a good amapiano song boasts. The chords are tender and contemplative, with hyper-synths cradling his swoonlike vocals in the midst of the song. His swoonlike vocals actually fit more of an amapiano scape, as the star of most good amapiano songs is good, melodic vocals. Some prefer the boastfulness of vocals like Busiswa, but that merges into gqom to a degree.

I love the swing in this song, at some points it almost resembles the techniques employed by HENNYBELIT. Wande Coal’s vocals give this song more of a mellow, and chilled-out vibe, contrasted with the strong pump of the log drum and background drums. The tinges of piano trills in the song also give it the lounge feel it needs. Towards the bridge of the song, the log drum goes into the same release pattern used by DJ Tarico in his productions, giving it a ‘bounced-back’ twang. Another plus point justifying why I give this song the true amapiano-card, is the ad-libs layered in the background. ANY authentic amapiano track has non-describable ad-libs that may seem nonsensical to others, but actually adds polyrhythm to the song. As someone who’s shifted to more of an amapiano and EDM slant in my music preferences, this song is one that i’ll treasure.

The second song, ‘Diamonds’, sound like a completely upgraded version of the technique he employed in ‘Piece of Me’ to fit the current Nigerian soundscape. It is punchier, it is bolder, without losing the essence (pun definitely intended) of acoustic softness and tenderness that Piece of Me had. It starts off with more musical tension, and builds up into a production very reminiscent of Juls’ work. It has the soca pattern, accented with punched kicks. It is then contrasted with floaty vocalism, and warm guitars in the background.

In the middle of the song, the log drum even appears with a very long attack and release. The juxtaposition between harsh sounds and tender sounds in this song somehow seem to work with harmony. It is bold and the harmonies support the song very, very well. The effects added to his voice also give it an ‘aired out’ and divine feel. A great song marking his evolution in music.

The third song, ‘Energy’, sounds like what the songs on ‘More Love Less Ego’ should’ve sounded like. I totally understand this song. MLLE marked a shift to a more lounge-like, relaxed and sensual sound that was extremely overshadowed by simplistic production and features that were not bold enough to make people appreciate what that shift was supposed to embody. I think, if the songs on that album followed the quality of production in this song, they would have definitely shined more.

The song starts off with a memorable bass pattern akin to the bass in ‘Rock with You’ by Michael Jackson. The tiny sprinkles of what I assume is the sound of the kalimba gives it a cute feel, similar to that of the melodies played when you wind up a music box. The percussion is pretty tight and strong throughout the song, but the background harmonies carry it way more. This song sounds like a ‘good’ mismatch of sounds. It consists of various sound clips that do not necessarily feel continuous, but work like a kaleidoscope. Even in the midst of the song, I can hear certain audio clips that remind me of space-age futurism and even some that sounds like bubbles!

Once again, I feel like the theme of the EP itself is how juxtaposition can work. All these seemingly different sounds collaborate without losing any aspect of their individual clip, yet gel together in a molded track. It is fascinating, but calm at the same time. It gives you the feel to groove, but with enough individuality to stay stimulated.

The last track, ‘IDK feat. Zlatan’, comes across to me as a very updated-from-the-past track. The strong undertone of an organic bass in the track, combined with the background vocalists’ cadence emulating that of Fela Kuti’s background vocalists, give it a timeless yet vintage feel. As I’ve said, juxtaposition is the star of this whole body of work. It’s one of those songs that feel like it could have been constructed of a sample, but become part of a sample itself. It is quite fascinating to mark this aspect of this song.

It is truly a groovy track. It reminds me of a cross between lo-fi funk, Afrobeat (not Afrobeats) and some aspects of dancehall with the Jamaican-inspired cadence on some of the verses. The background vocalists and the bass’ call and response in this track truly shines. I do not find Zlatan’s rapping verses in this song out-of-place like most rap verses in Afrobeats songs, the vintage quality of his rapping style adds on to the vintage timelessness of this song. This song may not be the most stimulating, but it is a pleasure to hear. The little aspects of flute and muted saxophone give this song a neo-70s vibe as well. I would love to hear Wizkid expand upon this style of music.

All in all, if this EP is a preview to the evolution of Wizkid and a teaser for his next album, I think he successfully saved himself from the reception of MLLE. The willingness to re-invent his sound and be unique in his approach to choosing styles of tracks shows that he knows how to adapt. The hallmark of a great artist is reinvention itself. I love how the EP toys with juxtaposition in terms of sounds, and contrasting aspects of sounds that may not at first thought, be harmonious. Also, the attempt at amapiano in this instance is truly remarkable- sticking to the actual technicalities of what amapiano is as a genre, and not slapping the log drum in a song and calling it amapiano like other Afrobeats artists.

Rating/Outstanding – If you’re curious as to where mainstream Nigerian music is heading, you should definitely listen to this EP. It serves as an excellent primer to the future of Afrobeats, and Wizkid as a musician, is truly a ‘whiz’ at adapting his sound to brand new musical trends as well as maintaining creative integrity and being unique in his approach.

[We rank singles, EPs, and albums on a scale of Poor, Mediocre, Good, Excellent, and Outstanding]