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I’ll confess this one time; I’m actually very nervous.
Last year, I wasn’t as nervous when the Grammy’s were coming even though I truly wanted Burna to grab that win. But I had good reasons not to be worried. The top on the list being there was no Angelique Kidjo. Besides, the stakes were not as high.
For Wizkid, it’s bigger than just the award. It is an official statement, a certificate from the Academy for validation. If he doesn’t win, what does that say about Nigerian contemporary music and the new Afrobeats and all of the kids that are coming?
Then there is the Angelique Kidjo problem. Maybe she deserves to win or she doesn’t, I don’t really care. Wizkid is new blood, soon to be old blood and he’s a representation of how far the kind of music this generation makes can go?
If WizKid wins the awards at the Grammys, that’s hope for artists like Rema, Zinoleesky, and CKay that the sound is enough. That we won’t have to do “Lion King music” (as Davido termed it) to win a Grammy, or to be on those big stages alongside hip-hop and R&B artists who have taken over the world.
But if he loses, was it all for nothing then? The Billboard, the Spotify numbers, the hype, everything? Maybe not. But then it says something and that thing is not very good.
I’m not worried for Wizkid at all; he’s the most decorated African artist and he’ll be fine with it without the Grammy. But for the fans and the people that’ll come after him, a loss would be a blow to our confidence that Afrobeats is ready to go gaga on international platforms.
Anyway, I guess we are just gonna wait to find out. I think Wizkid has a good chance for sure. We’ll see.
