Wizkid’s “Essence” was the lone contender for the song of the summer this year among a segment of young, hip, primarily Black folks.
It was the Nigerian singer’s fourth studio album and his second with RCA, October’s Made in Lagos, has a fourth song called “Essence”. We hum it softly to ourselves and each other, bathed in the warmth of its tropical R&B. In the first verse, Tems, a newbie from Nigeria, sings, “You don’t need no other body.” “I want to leave you in the morning, but I need you now,” she confesses.
After the release of a colorful music video in April, the song eventually made it to the Hot 100 list in July, appearing at No. 82 on the chart for the first time. Due to this, it has dropped to 54th place. According to Rolling Stone, the song is ranked 43rd out of 100. For African music in the West, Wizkid and Tems have both achieved significant milestones.
He previously worked with Drake on “One Dance” and Beyoncé on “Brown Skin Girl.” In the Black immigrant and neighboring communities, songs like this have been cherished for a long time, proving that Afropop singers have the power to move a crowd.
Not everyone welcomed the news of Bieber’s new job with open arms. To the joy of 30,000 people, one individual tweeted: “IT DIDNT NEED ANYONE ELSE!!” With “Essence’s” organic success, it’s easy to think that this remix is geared toward a white audience.
In the past, this has happened with Justin Bieber. Let’s take a trip back in time to the year 2017. When Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee first performed “Despacito,” it became a global smash in more than a dozen Latin American countries as well as on Latin charts in the United States. As a follow-up, Justin Bieber hopped on the remix, at times forgetting the Spanish he sang in.
“Old Town Road” has only topped the charts for 16 weeks. Just three Spanish-language songs had ever reached the Billboard charts’ highest position.
That’s when his inclusion in the magazine could be interpreted as Bieber’s attempt to seek even more crossover popularity rather than as a natural continuation from such an amazing song. What’s the matter with them? Afrobeats will reach a bigger audience, according to some, and will receive the critical plaudits it so well deserves.