Earlier this year Starboy label boss, Wizkid, announced that he was working on a new E.P. right here in Nigeria and that it would be called ‘Made In Lagos E.P.’. The lead single off the album, ‘Soco’, was released on Feburary 20 and featured three members of Baba Nla’s new Starboy label formation: Terri, Spotless and Ceeza Milli. Wizkid has said that The E.P. is a musical offering ‘from the Starboy crew’ so we expect to hear more collaboration and heavy tunes from the upcoming project.
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Soco! Produced by Northboi!! First song off the #Madeinlagos Ep frm the Starboy crew!! Out Feb 20th #Starboy pic.twitter.com/b1RdpEjI1G
— Wizkid (@wizkidayo) February 18, 2018
It has been longer than a minute since any Nigerian label or group has put out a posse album, three years to be exact. The year was 2015 and the album was called ‘The Indestructible Choc Boi Nation‘ by then signees of the Chocolate City record label. The 59-minute long album was received with critical acclaim and became a huge milestone for not only the artistes but also for the label itself.
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Not all label compilation albums, however, experienced the warm hearty cheers that ‘Choc Boi Nation’ received. Mavin Records’ 2012 ‘Solar Plexus’ for example, was met with less than favourable reviews as critics attacked everything on the album from its production to its lyrics. The album had been released right at the very height of the Don Jazzy and D’Banj feud and as a result, was received as rushed work. Mo’Hits was over and Mavins wanted to throw its big coming-out party, but no one was feeling it.
What made ‘Solar Plexus’ particularly disappointing was the fact that the project’s producer, Don Jazzy, had also produced Mo’hits ‘ iconic album ‘Curriculum Vitae’. A project with acclaimed commercial and critical success, ‘Curriculum Vitae’ is still one of the strongest compilation musical projects in Nigerian music history.
How then can Wizkid and his boys deliver something as cool as ‘The Indestructible Choc Boi Nation‘ and iconic as ‘Curriculum Vitae?’. How can they steer clear of the impending doom of a ‘Solar Plexus’ and deliver their best music for their debut ‘Made In Lagos E.P.’? It’s simple. All they have to do is live up to our expectations.
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Here are five things we expect and want from ‘Made In Lagos E.P.’
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5. Chemistry
One of the many things that we loved about the Mo’Hits album is one of the things that makes a collaborative work a success, ‘chemistry’. We expect to hear songs that sound like they were created by like minds who have an understanding of each other’s skills and strengths. Yes, we all love Wizkid but this E.P. should not be a Wizkid show. All the musical minds on the label should vibe off each other’s energy and create a body of work that sufficiently represents the musical identity of every last one of them.
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4. Experimental Production
We jam up to the lead single from ‘Made In Lagos’, ‘Soco’, as much as the Ebuka next door but let’s be honest, ‘Soco’ is basically ‘Manya’ part two. Our fingers are crossed as we pray that the entire E.P. will not be different versions of the ‘Manya’ sound. One thing that could make this project truly stunning would be brilliantly executed sounds like nothing we’ve heard before. Its quite a task but we hope Wizkid and his boys are equal to the challenge.
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3. Coherence
To get an example of an E.P. which was experimental with its production but also coherent with its sound, Wizzy needs to look no further than to his ‘Ma Lo’ collaborator, Tiwa Savage. Ms. Savage’s ‘Sugarcane E.P.’ saw Tiwa playing around with different synths and pads but she was still able to string it all together to deliver one sweet project. Coherence will make the project easy to listen to and will show the listener that a lot of thought and creative intention went into the making of the project.
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2. A Concise Tracklist
We know that ‘Made In Lagos’ is going to be brief since ‘Baba Nla’ has already announced that it an E.P. However, we would still want them to double check the tracklisting to make sure there are no unnecessary songs on the project. Since they set out to make an E.P., there might be pressure to add one or two songs to make the project sound ‘full’ or ‘complete’. We would like to request that those one or two songs be scrapped if its already there. Thanks in advance!
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1. Something Deep
There’s no denying the fact that we love a good ol’ Wizkid radio friendly, club-ready jam but we’d also like to hear something reflective. A song or two about the come up stories of his new artistes or what it feels like to be in and out of love as the nation’s biggest pop star would suffice. Something along the lines of ‘Joy’ or ‘Ojuelegba’ would bring a lot of magic to this record. Not every time something light, sometimes something deep too.
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