Made In Lagos is Wizkid’s fourth studio album, and it was officially released on October 30, 2021, by Starboy Entertainment and RCA Records. The album is made up of fourteen tracks with guest appearances from Burna Boy, Skepta, Damian JR Gong Marley, H.E.R., Ella Mai, Tems, Tay Iwar, Projexx, and Terri. It includes hit singles like Ginger, Essence, No Stress, and Blessed.
It is almost one year later and we are all still enjoying the fruits of this project. In fact, it seems that the album keeps building momentum. That’s not an easy feat for an Afrobeats album. It’s something that needs to be appreciated because when the project initially dropped, there was criticism from a few because the sounds were too ‘similar’ they would say. Many doubted the quality of the album but you could say that time would tell the tale. Since its release, Made In Lagos has broken several records. It became the first African album to debut on the Spotify Global Album chart, debuting within the top ten. The album surpassed 100 million streams across five platforms nine days after release, a rare milestone for Afro-pop artists.
It debuted at No. 15 on the UK albums chart and No. 80 on the US Billboard 200. The album continues to do well on the charts and singles like Essence have been a slow burner and have really come to life during this summer period.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HvCuQOUndgE
Essence is the song of the summer for us and for many around the world. Wizkid and his team have really kept the momentum going this summer by firstly announcing the Made In Lagos World tour, releasing the Essence remix featuring Justin Bieber and announcing the deluxe version of Made In Lagos set for release on Friday, the 27th of August. The deluxe version contains 4 additional tracks, including the Justin Bieber assisted Essence remix.
Wizkid is going to be touring into the beginning of 2022. He’s even had to add extra dates to the tour because many of the venues sold out too quickly.
Made In Lagos is an important album for Afrobeats. It is one of the projects that is helping bring Afrobeats to the ears of many and it could a defining moment for Afrobeats history.
