Wizkid is a normal human being. He is just like you and I, only with more music than the next guy, and more fame.
In
this age of hyper-information and the pursuit of fame, we are treated
to a new level of celebrity: the internet celebrity, where life becomes a
constant party and the life of a celebrity is packaged, commoditized
and sold to the public. Instagram feeds that look like a Hollywood
production, snapchat videos so lit, that they make the sun a bit dull,
and tweets that carry on the thoughts of their hearts or encourage the
praise-worshipping from eager fans.
What
this has resulted in is the creation of stars without content, people
who are social-media famous with no substance. While it has democratized
the access to celebrities, it has also ushered everyone into a new age
of idolatory. Prior to the internet in Nigeria, fandom can be expressed
by the purchase of music, and the proliferation of photos by the street
corners, right now, you can get your fix with just logging into an app,
and clicking through the life of your favorite star.
What
this does is elevate the stars and project them in a larger than life
manner. That’s why Davido’s fans are always on the lookout for ‘haters’,
and Patoranking gets requests every day to ‘flood ovaries with his
reggae sperm.’ And Mr Eazi, the guy who broke through this year, is
already the darling of hopeless romantics who would give their best to
stick to his body like ‘Skin tight’.
play
Wizkid.(Instagram)
This has made them mini-gods. Divine beings who reside on Mt Olympus, to be worshipped prayed to and adored.
At
the throne of 2016 African celebrity pantheon is Wizkid. Africa’s
number one music man, and the only star whose celebrity on the continent
can eclipse Davido’s, D’banj, and Psquare. He is pop music’s most
celebrated son, and one who has led the penetration of Nigerian music to
bigger markets. This year alone he has performed at a record number of
concerts across the globe, and recorded all through. A flip through his
social media pages – our window into his uber-celebrity world – would
reveal lofty achievements. Around the globe, he records in countless
studios, throws himself to the ends of the earth, where his fans scream
his name at concerts and also at home, when he can find the time for it.
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Wizkid and Mr Eazi at the Ghana Music Awards(Ameyaw Debrah)
All
of these exertions has seen him release the best collaboration on the
continent with DJ Maphorisa, and also the most streamed song of 2016 –
‘One Dance’. This year also, he becomes the first African pop star to be
nominated for a Grammy due to his contribution as a producer and guest
artiste on Drake’s “Views” album.
But
he is human, and all of these have taken their toll. Wizkid is
cancelling his all of his concert dates for the remainder of the year.
His doctors believe that all of his exertions have taken a toll on his
body. He has even had to cancel a concert in Uganda the previous week,
where he was booked to thrill a crowd in the country.
What?
His body? Wizkid has a body? Not an indestructible divine armor, filled
with sunshine and stardust. He has a bloody f***king BODY!
play
Wizkid is 'Artiste of the Year' at AFRIMA 2016(Instagram)
Wizkid
is flesh and blood. He is someone’s father, a woman’s son, and a
brother, nephew, friend, and uncle. He is human, with support systems,
just like me and you. He walks, breathes, farts, takes dumps on the
regular, eats, sleeps, and still finds time to drink, smoke and be
awesome at what he does.
It is not unheard of for stars to go down. This year alone, Kanye West and Kid Cudi
have suffered from ill health and other ‘normal’ vices. It is just
special because their channels of communication would rather not show us
their humane vulnerable aspects. What we see is a tailored feed
designed to make them gods, and superhuman beings who tower over life
and breeze through their days, living in heaven on earth.
But they are human, just like me and you. Never forget that. Never forget. Never. Ever.
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