Long-time Afrobeats enthusiasts have literally watched Wizkid grow up before their eyes. He was around 19 years old when the lead single from his 2010 debut album Superstar became a headwind. At the time, he was making music saturated with buzzing synths and the frenetic energy of the hyper-digital sounds of the time. As he grew up, he tried other techniques for size and played with highlife, dancehall, reggae, and R&B. By the time he made his crossover breakthrough with “Essence,” co-starring Thames (and eventually Justin Bieber), he finally made it his own with his 2020 album “Made in Lagos.” He had established a sensual, rich, and delicate style. Since then, he’s been on a musical path, but sometimes it’s hard to tell if Wizkid is doing something distinctive or stagnant. And given the massive soccer-inspired stun base (Wizkid FC), it depends on who you ask.
2022’s More Love, Less Ego, the follow-up to Made in Lagos, seems to go back and forth, building on its predecessor’s easy melodies with a playful retrowave sensibility. However, his latest work, “Morayo,” is named after and dedicated to his late mother, who passed away at the relatively young age of 66 in August 2023. As a result, Morayo exudes maturity and cultural authenticity. In many ways this is a nice evolution of the Made in Lagos sound, but in others it feels like a superstar on autopilot. In a year where hitmakers like Tyra, Rema, Thames and Ira Starr injected a unique vitality into Afrobeats, Molayo is rugged but unsurprising. But innovation is not the only criterion for musical greatness, and it is clear that this is more of an exercise in emotion than in thought.
Fittingly, the album is chock-full of some of the best work of Wizkid’s career and was overseen by his stable confidant, Afrobeat master P2J. From the gorgeousness of the trumpets in “Karamo,” to the chatty talking drums in “Kese (Dance),” to the soulful piano in “Time,” the authentic instrumentation brings to life the individuality of each player. . The individuality of the carefully selected guests also shines through. “Bad Girl” is a meet-and-greet between Wizkid and Asake, a fitting after the slightly sleepy disappointment of “MMS.” Wiz digs deep into the R&B bag as he listens to Jazmine Sullivan. With D’Angelo on the channel, he experiences the vibrant world of Francophone Africa with Tiacora, Anais Caldot and, in a top-notch performance, Brent Fiayaz. Afrobeats plays the perfect wingman on “Piece of My Heart.”
Editor’s picks
Molayo could have packed a stronger punch with sharper curation in other areas, such as the tracklist or songwriting. There’s something energizing and inspiring about Wizkid’s words and demeanor, but the refrain, reused in “One Dance,” “Come Closer,” “Grace,” and “Anoti,” is a sly self-reference. It feels rather repetitive. Similarly, distinct sonic throughlines, such as those between “Kese (Dance),” “Bend,” and “Soji,” teeter on the line between cohesion and monotony. Still, the album’s soft, cyclical nature makes it more like a warm embrace than an album that packs a punch. When the sound of falling rain begins “Lose,” it crystallizes Morayo into the kind of chill Afrobeats and vibes that Wizkid reigns over.
