Wizkid's "More Love, Less Ego": A Masterful Fusion of Afrobeat and Dancefloor Bangers

This highly-anticipated album from WizKid delivers a masterful blend of Afrobeat and meaningful lyrics that will leave you captivated and begging for more.

Dubbed the king of Afrobeat Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun popularly known as WizKid finally dropped his long-awaited album in November 2022 after months of teasing his fans with snippets and previews. Initially, he had planned for it to take place on August 5th. However, during his sold-out concert at the Accor Arena in Paris, France, he revealed to his fans that it was rescheduled to October 29th.  Eventually, due to the bleak mood surrounding the entertainment industry, he postponed it again to November 5th. This decision was made to honour the memory of singer Davido's son, Ifeanyi, who had recently passed away, and whose loss had brought sympathy from individuals, colleagues, politicians, and Nigerians across the world.

In the aftermath of the tragedy, Big Wiz had reportedly postponed some of his performances and removed some tweets that had been promoting his album a few hours before the news.

More Love, Less Ego is a follow-up to Wizkid's Made In Lagos album that came out in 2020. After a three-year break from releasing albums, this album propelled him into the mainstream music scene by making history as the first Nigerian album to reach the UK Top 20 and the highest-charting Nigerian album on the Billboard 200, peaking at No. 80

Wizkid shows his growth and evolution as a musician with his latest album, More Love, Less Ego. The album has a more mellow sound, with a relaxed pace that allows plenty of room for Wizkid's effortless vocals. His voice sounds fuller and more mature, demonstrating a new level of artistry."

When he was asked about the album Wizkid told the Guardian his response was “Everyone fights with their ego and that’s where I’m at. I’m still trying to shed my ego, like everyone else.” adding a personal touch to the song's theme of “more love and less ego.”

Unlike “Made in Lagos” album which had a lot of celebrities, this, his fifth album is less reliant on star-studded features and only featured collaborations with artists such as Ayra Starr, Skillibeng, Shenseea, Skepta, Naira Marley, and Don Toliver.

Total length: 44:33

The 13 tracklist which is a total of 44:33 consists of Money & Love, Balance, Bad To Me, 2Sugar featuring Ayra Starr, Everyday, Slip N Slide ft. Skillibeng & Shenseea, Deep, Flower Pads, Wow featuring Naira Marley & Skepta, Pressure, Plenty Loving, Special featuring Don Toliver and Frames (Who’s gonna know).

The first track of the album, "Money and Love," establishes the tone for the rest of the album. The song lasts for 3 minutes and 12 seconds and has an upbeat tempo, featuring Wizkid's smooth vocals and catchy melodies over a lively beat comprising of rumbling percussions, swinging drums, lush chords, and smooth bass guitars. Wizkid adopts his usual style in the song, impressing a potential love interest with his sexual and financial prowess. He frequently brags about his wealth, proclaiming his willingness to spend lavishly on women and enjoy his luxurious lifestyle. The song also showcases Wizkid's naughty side, with lyrics such as "Big lollipop, baby lick like ice cream, Big bad Wiz, Mr Shift-Your-Panties, Fuck you to Buju Banton or Buju Benson..." One standout line in the song is when Wizkid proudly declares that his money stretches from L.A to Okokomaiko.

"Balance" is a hit single from Wizkid's album. The producers, Kel P and KDaGreat blended elements of 80's Pop and Amapiano log drums with saxophone passages and bongo drums to create an innovative sonic mix. Wizkid rides the melodies while chanting "Balance," creating a call-and-response hook. Overall, the song showcases Wizkid's versatility as an artist. "Bad To Me" uses the popular Amapiano trend that has been gaining popularity across the continent, enhanced with mellow rolling beats and rhythmic chant-like vocals that create an alluring atmosphere for the track.

"2 Sugar" features Ayra Starr, a rapidly emerging Nigerian artist, her remarkable vocals blend effortlessly with Wizkid's captivating voice. The verses of both Wizkid and Ayra Starr meld together flawlessly to create a fantastic collaboration, reminiscent of the hit song "Essence" from the Made in Lagos album. "2 Sugar" is undoubtedly a track that listeners will want to keep on replay for a long time. "Everyday" starts with a speech by Maya Angelou speech and then proceeds as usual with the familiar style of Wizkid. “Slip N Slide" is another standout track on the album which features Jamaican artists Skillibeng and Shenseea.

While “Deep” expresses a desire for physical intimacy without emotional attachment. 'Flower Pad' stands out on the album by blending the hollow drums of Rumba music with Spanish riffs, creating an exotic sound that appeals to a global audience and offers a stimulating listening experience.

"Wow" features Naira Marley and British-Nigerian grime MC, rapper and record producer Skepta is another thrilling track on the album that added a mix of Naira sensual lyrics Wizkid’s infectious vocals and Skepta’s hard-hitting flow to create unique and powerful collaboration. The next song titled "Pressure" presents an enthralling tune suitable for a remarkable dance collection due to the superb rhythm produced by P.Priime.

"Special" is another thrilling track by the music star, he is featured by Don Toliver. The song has a highlife melody that closely follows a similar melodic sequence and flow scheme as "Plenty Loving."The overall theme of the song is centred around the pursuit of love and pleasure, with the music star seamlessly transitioning between English, Pidgin, and Yoruba while discussing women and sex. As the album comes to a close, the final track "Frame" echoes similar themes as the previous tracks, but showcases Wizkid's vocal range.

Reviewing Wizkid's fifth studio album, it's evident that the lack of personality and intention in the writing and crafting is noticeable, with a limited range of topics and sonic diversity.

Despite Wizkid's soulful and impressive delivery, the album lacks creativity and diversity in song themes. The songs' topical focus revolves around sex, love, money, and the female body, leaving much to be desired in terms of thematic exploration. While none of the songs is bad, "More Love, less Ego doesn't quite meet expectations and is a complete letdown.

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