Is Wizkid's 'Morayo' His Best Album Yet? A Comprehensive Review

For over a decade now, Wizkid has enjoyed great success in the world of Afrobeats. His latest album, 'Morayo', raises a very interesting question: is this his best album till date?

Well, with great expectations, Morayo, the most personal and technically refined album of Wizkid was released on November 22, 2024. The album has shown a lot of creative development in Wizkid’s work, as it fuses traditional African sounds into a modern global sound, but still giving us the vibe of that Wizkid from the ‘Superstar’ album.

Taking into account Wizkid’s technical brilliance, cross-genre combination, emotional engagement and commercial success, BigWiz Morayo stands on the shoulder of Made in Lagos album. Morayo, which is translated ‘I Have Joy’ is a musically fascinating story of Wizkid’s  as he dapples through life with the Love of his life, His late mother, Jane Morayo Dolapo. 

Comparing his previous works to Morayo, we’ll review how the BigWiz, masterfully tells the story of his life with tracks life “Peace of mind”, how he gave us top up to the #MadeinLagos album, and how he found joy following the demise of his mother with.  

 Technical Review: Wizkid’s Vocal Performance Sound Quality in Morayo

The technical excellence of Wizkid’s Morayo’s album is topnotch. Introducing his first track, Troubled Mind with the king of fuji sound, K1 the De Ultimate to the matured cool vibe of his Afrobeat jam, Wizkid in partnership with P2J, P.Priime, Gaetan Judd and other ace producers, gave Morayo the technical brilliance it deserves. 

This album proves that Wizkid's vocal performance has improved greatly. He is very much a jack-of-all-trades, moving from a hauntingly soft and intimate “Time” to a lively rendition on “Karamo.” His leveling-up, somewhat relaxed but never deviating from his original delivery-ability is, of course, a talent that has been developed since Made in Lagos.

P2J being the lead producer in Morayo’s album, working with other producers delivered a distinctive production in handling the mixing quality, choice of instruments, rhythm sequence, accurate re-introduction of Wizkid’s timeless touch to music, and the choice of features on some of the songs. Some aspects of production that stand out includes: 

• Great live-in studio instrumentation with trumpet accents on "Karamo."
• Highly intricate talking drums on "Kese-dance." 
• Beautifully soulful piano arrangements on "Time."
• Pristine Vocal layering on "Piece of My Heart". 

 Morayo’s Track Arrangement

Morayo’s track arrangement techniques were well structured. P2J's unique percussive patterns compliment his fondness for wind instruments that has influenced the current sound of Wizkid. The production team created the "lush blend of live instrumentation and electronic touches". 

Although technically the album excels because of great detail, "A Million Blessings" best exemplifies this with a beautiful opening violin string followed by Wizkid's silk-smooth flow. The production team was able to create vast yet intimate sounds. 

Some sonic similarity tracks of "Kese (Dance)", "Bend", and "Soji" balance between cohesion and repetition. Collaborative tracks also show high technical standards. "Piece of My Heart" featuring Brent Faiyaz shows such by its two-part duet structure, in which thundering drums by P2J gives a solid bottom to both artists' voices. Across all 16 tracks, high production quality was maintained, and this makes it one of the most technically adept albums in Wizkid's portfolio.

 Genre Blending: Cross-culture appeal and international collaboration

This is the first album from Wizkid's Morayo, which has strayed from all typical Afrobeats-fabulous expectations instead of something new. Besides the first track, this signals that this is not just another album in his line-up- tracks with sounds that challenge the limits of genres. The thunderous beats of Fuji and Juju traditions with a blend of traditional and modern sounds captures yet another excellent masterpiece album by Wizkid. The album infuses a mixture of Afrobeats beats with influences from R&B and Dancehall. 

 International collaboration

One of what makes Morayo exceptional, though many, are the many contributions of international artists who infuse their flavor and sound. Contributions like; 

• Brent Faiyaz, who teamed up on the R&B-flavored "Piece of My Heart"
• French star Tiakola adding flair to "Après Minuit"
• Jazmine Sullivan bringing soul to "Bad For You"
• Anaïs Cardot creating magic on "Slow".  

Each featured artist serves a clear purpose on the album. Their contributions enhance the album's depth while Wizkid remains the central focus. To give one example, "Après Minuit" is a light, breezy track perfect for the Francophone audience.

 Cross-cultural appeal

Morayo is surefire to reach worldly ears in a smart amalgamation of languages and cultural elements. Such Yoruba phrases as "Ọlọrun" now mix so cleanly with Pidgin expressions that it is almost an inviting experience for listening 4. Quite stunning results were achieved-the leading single off the album became Nigeria's most streamed song on Spotify within its first day, raking in 1.57 million streams.

The album is not only a victory for Wizkid, It’s an achievement in African music, which shows how much Afrobeats have grown globally as it crosses cultural lines while keeping close to its roots. Through Morayo, Wizkid continues his role as a cultural ambassador, creating music that appeals both at home and worldwide.

 Morayo's emotional depth and personal story

It does not just feel like another album; it has some soul in it. It is a piece of work that opens up a personal journey — the revelation of emotional growth for Wizkid as an artist. The Yoruba name for the album translated means "I See Joy" tells a beautiful story but captures both mourning and celebration emotions. 

 Personal stories in lyrics

The opening song of the album "begins with the frank honesty of "Troubled Mind”, Wizkid reflects on the state of his mind with the repetitive chorus, "I got a troubled mind... Right now, me just wan vibes and think," lyrics. The lyrics bring out his vulnerability weighed alongside his usual confidence especially in "Kò de s'eni tó le tó mi o" ("No one greater than me"). 

 Tribute to Family

Dedicated to his late mother, Jane Dolapo Balogun, Wizkid expresses his emotional state with the first track but later drawing strength from his mother’s prayers, Wizkid transitions into his powerful self with "Pray" where he recounts the prayers of his mother that brought him success. These lyrics, "Mama call me Ayo Balogun, they can never find another you", carried profound emotion. 

Morayo unites numerous re-examined themes into one cohesive emotional narrative: 

• Personal growth and reflection 
• Complexity of loss processing 
• Celebrations of life and success 
• Cultural pride and identity 

One of Wizkid’s unique abilities is to maintain thematic consistency in sound while expressing complex emotions. This album shows that "grief and loss are messy emotions that can be processed through a million different ways". "A Million Blessings," for instance, achieves that blending spirituality with celebration of success, characteristic in both Yoruba and English. The album is a perfect balance between sad and uplifting moments, creating a beautiful fusion of emotions, cultural pride, and an artists life's journey.

 Wizkid Morayo's commercial performance analysis

The commercial success story of Morayo is remarkable, revealing the global appeal and Wizkid’s beautiful work of art in his attempt to deliver Morayo as his best album yet. Now let me present how this album performed on several platforms.

You will be amazed with the numbers of streaming performance. The lead single of the album titled "Kese (Dance)" set a record of 1.5 million streams on the first day of release on Spotify Nigeria. "Piece of My Heart" was not far behind with more than 1 million streams on the first day also. ChartsAFrica disclosed that Wizkid’s Morayo has surpassed 94.4M+ streams across Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, and Audiomack within 72 hours of its release.

In addition to that the album is now charting in 104 countries on Apple Music and stands at 1 in Nigeria, Benin Republic, Cameroon and Sierra Leone, Album Talks confirmed. 

Still smashing records, Morayo’s Bad Girl is now charting at number 75 on Apple Music Top 100 Daily Global Chart, Number 1 on Nigeria’s Apple Music Top 100, Top 25 on London Apple Music Chart, Top 100 on the UK Apple Music Chart and also making waves in Europe, the album is at Number 3 on the European Apple Music Album Chart.

Morayo has been made for everyone around the globe, this was revealed as 78% of streamers choose Wizkid’s Morayo as the best album of the week, according to a Billboard poll, displacing songs from heavyweight like ROSÉ, Kendrick Lamar, and the Wicked soundtrack featuring Ariana Grande.

Not just the album, but the Lead single, Piece of My Heart, which featured Brent Faiyaz has reached U.S Afrobeats Songs No. 4 position and its charting No 7 on World Digital Song Sales. These monumental feats achieved within a few days of Morayo's release, speaks of its global acceptance and another masterclass music from the StarBoy himself, BigWiz.

 Comparing wIth other albums

What really makes Wizkid’s discography for me, is how Morayo proves his evolution as an artist. He gave us a different energy from his previous works, which is a huge step in Wizkid’s music journey as an global artist. The sound, thematic composure, beats and lyrics shows a distinction between Made in Lagos and Morayo. 

Morayo is a clear difference from Made in Lagos in terms of both approach and execution. Made in Lagos drew in audiences through a beautiful blend of Afropop and R&B, while Morayo takes that foundation further with more reflection, delving into other music genres like fuji, afro-juju, afro-pop and dancehall, amongst others. 

Made in Lagos further differs from Morayo as revelation of Wizkid’s artistic identity, while Morayo narrates a personal story, telling us his emotional struggles in his pursuit of ‘Joy’. With the Made in Lagos, and More Love Less Ego, even naysayers were convinced that Wizkid can blend and marry Afrobeats with global sounds perfectly. Now, Morayo would expose Wizkid’s capacity to tell his stories and that of Africa with greater mass appeal.

 Morayo: Wizkid's best album yet?

Morayo places Wizkid firmly again in the global music scene from his humble beginning as a local star to international BigWiz. He further enshrined his name in the global music industry through;

1. Mutually beneficial collaboration with international artists like Brent Faiyaz and Jazmine Sullivan. 
2. Music that cuts across different culture, while keeping its African root and essence
3. Global standards music production. 

Morayo masterfully blends technical excellence with emotional authenticity that surpasses expectations set by Made in Lagos and More Love, Less Ego. Record-breaking streaming figures and overwhelming critical acclaim tell a compelling story. Morayo's true triumph shines through its artistic achievement. Wizkid has crafted an album that expands musical boundaries while staying true to his roots, thanks to P2J's expert production, thoughtful international collaborations, and deeply personal narratives.

The album blends genres and positions itself in the market with remarkable skill. Some tracks might feel familiar.  but this familiarity connects his roots to his global ambitions. Wizkid keeps his signature sound while adapting to new market trends impressively. Each Wizkid’s album marks a milestone in his career, but Morayo stands apart as one of his best album yetl. The album perfectly synthesizes everything he has learned and experienced throughout his career. His position as an Afrobeats pioneer grows stronger as he continues to raise his artistry to new heights.