Wizkid preaches freedom with new short movie
Watch Wizkid's new short movie, a three-in-one video that encapsulates the entire ethos of his Grammy-nominated album Made In Lagos.
Set yourself free.
These are the first words you hear when you hit the play button on Wizkid’s new short film in honour of Made In Lagos (Deluxe). As a word, freedom is popular, used in everyday discussion and speech. As a state of being, however, freedom is rarely felt, with a variety of circumstances holding us back at every turn. From work and relationships to family duties and the global price of crude oil, many things restrict us and hinder the expression of our true selves.
For creatives, this true expression is a significant factor in their output, often determining the quality of work and the level of satisfaction one gains from the process. And as is typical of all things, growth happens a lot in the creative industry - new perspectives for writers, the visual artist gains a keener eye for detail or a new medium for painting, musicians recognise new genres to be explored, and so on and so forth. But this growth comes at a price - the alienation of fans who do not want to open their eyes and ears to accept the evolution, the refusal of the suits upstairs to support a new strategy and direction when the old one isn’t broken, and even rejection from the existing members and stakeholders of whatever space you want to enter.
Freedom is hard, and like revolutions all over history can confirm, freedom takes time. For years, Wizkid has tried to let his fans know that he is more than the “Pakurumo” and “Jaiye Jaiye” guy. Laying the foundation with Sounds From the Other Side and Soundman Vol. 1, his message has finally stuck with Made In Lagos. Spawning global smash hit “Essence” and earning himself two Grammy nominations, Starboy has finally freed himself from fan expectations and doubt to emerge as the true superstar he always saw himself as.
Conceived and executed by Wizkid and Kuukua Eshun (who directed it), the Made In Lagos (Deluxe) short film is a compilation of three music videos for “Anoti”, “Mood (featuring Buju)”, and “Steady.” A burst of colour, the three-in-one video encapsulates the entire ethos of Made In Lagos. It’s smooth, calm with great vibes, and is dedicated to love. The video begins with Wizkid spying on a beautiful woman while cruising around and ends with the two of them, now lovers, locked in an embrace. For ten minutes, this budding romance is explored against a backdrop of dusty streets with brightly-painted houses, a nightclub which sees Buju making an appearance, and finally as the sultry sounds of “Steady” play, our hero and heroine end up in the woods, a scene fit to end any romantic movie.
It is a rarity in these parts that an album is still so utterly dominant in the musicscape a whole year after its release. But this didn’t occur by chance. Rather, it is the result of intentionality and hard work in promoting the body of work. Make no mistake, boys and girls, we are witnessing greatness. From the Justin Bieber feature, his America tour to the three sold-out nights at the 02, Wizkid is pushing the boundaries of an album release past what the conventionally accepted standards and the benefits of this deliberateness and effort are clear to see. For Nigeria’s one true superstar, 2021 has been phenomenal - a year where he has broken records, climbed music’s greatest charts and catapulted himself into intercontinental limelight. As the countdown to 2022 moves faster, the Made In Lagos (Deluxe) short film is a reminder that Wizkid did it all, and he did it his way.
