Is the man from Ojuelegba cut off from the struggles of his most loyal fans in Nigeria?
Something happens to at the height of a musician’s career. A change creeps up slowly into the artist’s life as he progresses through the ranks and racks up achievements, fame and money.
That change, which is inevitable and gradual, disconnects the artiste from mundane existence, and keeps them away from the realities of life. It all starts from having a manager relate with everyone else, and then a security guard shows up, a stylist is employed, and a PR team gets into the mix.
Severed from personalized and organic conversations, everything about the artiste is filtered through the various channels, pass through numerous gatekeepers, and sifted for any negative content, before it is presented to the musician.
This happens in more organized circles, such as political office holders, but the nature of their job makes them servants and means they have to have their fingers on the pulse of the people. But for great musicians, whose only concern is to create content for general acceptance, it is a way of life.
It’s Wizkid’s life right now. The singer is currently enjoying the greatest level of his personal success, and all the mechanisms to filter the world away from him are in place. The singer has three managers for Nigeria, UK, and USA. There’s a PR team, his social media feeds are screened, and work is all he is ever about.
The full consequence of such a setup is the loss of connection to the streets. The artist loses the crucial ability to connect with the life of his fans, and shuts his window into basic human existence. The news come and go, wars are fought on the streets, the taste of individual successes and the flavors that inspire the people change. And Wizkid is in danger of missing out on it all.
Perhaps he misses out on all of it.
For those fans who are always on the borders of complaints, wondering why Wizkid never uses the power of his voice, and the influence of his celebrity to call for social justice, then this might just be the answer.
Wizkid is so cut off from the common Nigerian man and all of his struggles. The recession which has plagued Nigeria from 2016, hasn’t received any acknowledgement from Wizkid, neither has he joined in the increasingly popular campaign calling for a progressive change in governance at all levels.
The only thing governing Wizkid’s attention is his music, and the star is working to increase his output for 2017. There’s a new song coming through with Drake, and many things planned by RCA Records for him.
Nobody genuinely expects the singer from Ojuelegba to stand by the roadside holding up placards and galvanizing a protest march. But a little contribution towards the cause would be appreciated by the bulk of his fans. Maybe a tweet about the need for Nigeria to improve, or a song which captures the situation and speaks hope into the country.
Or anything that shows that he is still Nigerian, and understands that his fans are going through a struggle. We will take anything.
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