I am one of those who believe that there is something called “toning down” in African music. A situation where the artist reduces the quality level of his output to sell quicker in the market, where an artist intentionally does not make the kind of music he wants to make but then focuses on making songs he, his team, his label or investors feel the fans want to hear, regardless of the fact that this might not be a true representation of the artist’s level of art. I believe it is the highest form of self-sabotage in music. I also believe Kizz Daniel heavily tones down to appease to the local market.
You know how people can be attached to memories or time periods? I think of Kizz Daniel and I think of my childhood. My teenage years. Days when I would watch my aunt who lived with us at the time fan over this new kid on the block and call him her husband. How I would be forced, against my better judgement at the time to watch the TV every time Kizz Daniel came up on it and how I knew all the lyrics to his first set of releases against my own will.
Kizz Daniel was my first experience of genuine fan love in life. I saw what it meant to stan an artist, because I swear to you my aunt really did believe Kizz Daniel was her husband. I took interest in him. I paid attention to his talent and growth. I was entirely sold by his ability to tell stories. He told the best stories. How do you say “your father is black belt, o le mi de le o” ? How? Why?
Over time we saw Kizz Daniel dominate, then we saw him disappear. I was excited when he started his comeback with Lie and I took it personal. I was so upset when he started making the same song over and over again, and my anger knew no bounds when he dropped Buga. I was mad. I thought that was the highest level of disappointment I could feel where Kizz Daniel was concerned. It’s why I was extra mad when Buga blew.
Post Buga, I decided to intentionally sever the relationship between myself and my in-law from my childhood. I was done and I would not be having it anymore. I decided to wait to hear anything he dropped randomly or in a club, then decide if I wanted to listen to those rhymes personally. I will not be one of the people encouraging artists to tone down their musical level or art to satisfy an audience that dies not know what they want and will consume what they are fed with at the end of the day.
Why let people that can not define their appetite determine what you cook? They just want good food. You are made to believe they just want food, and you prepare bad meals, just because they are hungry and will eat regardless. The bad meal you make then becomes the standard for your cooking such that when you decide to make good meals, it could and is almost always interpreted as bad, because you gave them bad food when they were hungry and it was good to them. The bad is now the good and you the chef are the problem.
I do not know what made me play his latest release. I can bet that I did not want to. I did. I did and I feel the same way I felt when Omah Lay dropped Understand. I remember this feeling. I still do not know how to describe it. It’s correct. It’s right. It’s the beginning of something. When I felt this way for Rema, he had a global hit song. When it was Omah, he went on to drop one of the best African albums ever made. I think Kizz might just have unlocked a new soundscape of Afrobeats with his latest songs.
I realized recently that I do not explain the technicalities of what makes a song great or bad in my reviews anymore. I am not telling you that the mere ability to sit on the beat of Marhaba and say that you want to work on that is pure genius, and can not be attempted by up to 9 in our space. I am not telling you about the excellence level in his cadence, or how his delivery is the best I have heard this year, with his words, punches, vocal structures, speech inflection, how he wraps his tongue to deliver some words. Look how he pronounced Allah Akbar on We Must . I’m not telling you how he has mastered the art of ad-libs, and he is on a level I believe only Omah Lay is touching.
I do not feel the need to say these things anymore. I just want to tell you how the creative makes me feel. I want to share with you the little details that catch my attention, like how in a sane world, we should have state anthems the same way we have the national anthem and We Must should be our anthem because that is the reality of every Lagosian, be you the child of whoever you’re born to. We must survive. If it’s money, let us chase it together. We could have different working schedules with this lady if she decides to be involved with both of us. We could even be living together, we must find a way to survive. We must find a way to make it work, regardless of anything. I personally find that extremely real and relatable, and a beautiful story to tell.
There’s many things my eyes bear witness to that my mouth chooses not to testify for. I’d have been okay, but my desire for the better things of life provoked my journey to Lagos. What else would I journey with, apart from the legs that accompanied me to this world. My hands? I use them to make money now that i’m in Lagos. Funny times, hehe. Times when I’d ask Sandalili if he had cold water to drown my thirst. Times when I’d be ask to sing the music I came to sell, and I’d be too shy to do so. Times that will not last for long however, because I did not have a choice. I did not have money and I was poor. Poor to the point where I was as desperate as a prostitute. I would and I did do anything to get to where I am now, but I will and I am doing everything to make sure that my garment is still white. As I am now a better human, I will rebrand myself to be who I want, with a direct representation of what I feel like in my heart. So, if it’s the money you’re all about, we could chase it together. If the girls are the color of your problem, we could share them. We can do whatever. I do not even mind cohabiting with you, if need be. I will do whatever. We must do whatever. The saying says do whatever it takes. Whatever is the price to pay. and We Must.
That’s not an excerpt from one of my stories. That’s the first verse of Kizz Daniel’s We Must. That’s how I see the song and what it says to me. That’s how my brain translates and understands it, line for line. All of that fitted in the most silky beat and delivered with swag, sickening lamba and impeccable delivery, in one of the finest languages on earth. That’s why I have played this EP almost 300 times since Friday. That’s why I think Kizz Daniel has the best release this year. That’s why I will defend this statement in NetNg’s End Of The Year Docu-Series on YouTube. Why? Because the art of story telling is being lost. Because we are a storytelling culture, supported by myths and beliefs passed across generations. Because this is who we are, and the best story teller always wins. The truth of the future lies in the hands of the person who tells the most convincing stories. Kizz Daniel has convinced me the most this year, and that is why I will tell the world he had the best release in 2024, so far.
