Since Wizkid ‘intentionally’ released the much-anticipated visuals for his latest single, Fever in the early hours of this morning; the Meji Alabi-directed directed video has sent many of his fans on Twitter into a wild frenzy.
Whilst many have praised the duo for their excellent synergy in the video, others simply want Tiwa Savage‘s head off a guillotine for her role as a “video vixen.”
Left to some sections on social media, Tiwa Savage should be nailed to a cross already. It doesn’t matter that she’s a successful woman who has cemented her place in the Nigerian music industry. It also doesn’t matter that as a grown woman, she can make ANY decision for herself. All that critics care about – without being asked- is that she is a divorced mother of one who should not be wearing scanty clothing, let alone “frolick around” with a younger man like Wizkid. (Nevermind that Wizkid himself is an unmarried father of three).
Since the two became public friends sometimes in 2017, people have debated ad infinitum over the appropriateness of it. Tiwa at 38 is at least ten years older than Wizkid. As if to underscore how a relationship of that nature might be perceived, Tiwa’s estranged husband Tunji “Tee Billz” Balogun broke his virtual reverie and declared that she could not disrespect him by having sex with his “lil bro”.“I know Wizkid will never date Tiwa Savage, he is my younger brother and Don Jazzy would never allow that to happen,” he wrote at the time.
It was as though he had provided trolls with the ammo to mock him for his public mental health challenges. Each time his name comes up, it is in reference to his 2016 suicide attempt during his and Tiwa’s marital crisis. Since the morning of Wednesday, there have been several tweets laughing at his “predicament” of seeing his ex with someone else.
Nigerian men feel bad for TeeBillz because they can relate to being useless fucks. https://t.co/GRu1K5APYv
— Nigerian Singer (@AnnaTheFeminazi) October 24, 2018
Teebillz: i know my bro! My lil bro wiz cant do that! Donjazzy will not allow that!
Tiwa & Wiz: pic.twitter.com/xlsBWUmx7K
— 50 cent (@pam_E_chic) October 24, 2018
Lmaooo Wizkid’s Fever video makes me happy cos they both didn’t say anything after TeeBillz wrote his rant. They just jejely shot a sexy video so that TeeBillz can have a seizure… on blood geng 😂😂😂😂
— Dwin, The Stoic (@DwinTheStoic) October 24, 2018
Please. Be reminded that Teebillz attempted suicide was manipulative as hell.
He has done nothing but embarrass her and himself after that attempt.
— Akanke Billionaire (@evelyn__OG) October 24, 2018
Teebillz is going to probably commit suicide after watching that video
— Toyin.o (@toyin_od) October 24, 2018
It isn’t enough that the issue of mental health has been seeping into regular conversations in and around pop culture. It even isn’t enough that TeeBillz’s Instagram posts have been him lamenting the loss of his relationships with the three women that have had children for him. The jokes just keep coming hard and fast.
It is evident that empathy and sensitivity are severely deficient in the Nigerian psyche. We joke about any and everything. Even religious leaders are not exempt- when disasters claim lives, clergymen pray for their congregations not to be unfortunate like the victims. The TeeBillz-suicide jokes and memes are tasteless as anything else.
Beyond that, entertainers may have indeed traded their privacy for fame. However, the intensity with which we scrutinize their lives needs to be lessened. Tiwa Savage’s relationship- or lack thereof- has no bearing fans’ actual lives. It matters little that she’s an adult and women dating younger men is certainly not new. Mariah Carey married Nick Cannon despite their ten year age gap. Darey Art-Alade‘s wife, Deola is considerably older than he is and they’ve now been successfully married for eleven years.
Tiwa Savage and Wizkid have said repeatedly that their friendship is not romantic. So what if it turns out to be? What’s the fuss? Fans need to be reminded that these two are artistes, entertainers whose job it is to create the most buzz for their art. If that was their aim with the Fever video, then they have succeeded- it is the most talked about news in Nigeria today. As of now, the video is set to cross one million YouTube views in 24 hours.
Tiwa Savage said it best: whatever happens in anyone’s relationship is their business, not anyone else’s. In Christianity, that is called the Rhema. In pop culture parlance: what she said. ‘Nuff said.