Machala. Big Wiz. Wizkid, are some of the aliases our star act of the day goes by. Whatever name you know him by, Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun is instantly recognisable.

He ventured into music at the tender age of 11. Lil Prinz, his first track was recorded in 2001. On this track, he collaborated with “A Glorious Five”, a group made up of him and his friends. This was the inception of what birthed Wizkid’s remarkable growth in the entertainment scene. Big Wiz went on to conquer the entertainment industry with multiple achievements, nonstop hits, numerous awards, international features and a plethora of concerts.

Wizkid has bagged all kinds of awards from 2015 till date, both nationally and internationally. His first award was for the “Male Artist of The Year” category at the Nigeria Entertainment Award. He also took home the award for “Best African Act” at MTV Europe Music Award in 2016 and 2021. No surprises that the artiste has already won an award in the 2023! Yup, you read that right! Machala has taken home the award for “Best Male Artist in West Africa” at the All Africa Music Award (AFRIMA).

Wizkid owns and records at his own label Starboy Entertainment. The label houses other popular acts, the likes of L.A.X, Legendury Beatz, R2Bees, Terri and DJ Tunez.

To add to his list of achievements, it is worthy to note that Big Wiz performed his Made in Lagos album at a concert in the London 02 Arena in front of a sold-out audience of 20,000, bringing in a whopping ₦5. 2billion in gross earnings. The three-day music show was held from November 28 to December 1, 2021.

Bad To Me is an upbeat track that shakes up the laws of conventional Amapiano a bit, owing to the fact that it is up-tempo from the start and slows down towards the hook and chorus. It starts its first few seconds with the elegant strings of a guitar and then the upbeat Amapiano sound drops, followed by some background lyrics that blend just right with the beat. Throughout the track, the sound stays steadily catchy and upbeat in a way that isn’t in your face”. Truly a fine mix of Amapiano and good ol’ Afrobeat.

The lyrics mix English and some Nigerian slangs to tell the tale of a fiery relationship between the hit artist and his romantic partner. Machala lyricises his connection with his lover’s body and tells listeners just how much he is addicted and wishes the passion will last for a long time.

The song of the day is high on relatability. It is safe to assume that at some point listeners have all felt a certain kind of addiction to a person or partner as the case may be. Bad To Me also has a notable replayability value as it is the kind of track listeners would like to have on repeat.

Bad To Me is the twist Amapiano needs at this time where playlists are flooded with the regular. This is the hit-track every Afro music lover must listen to. You won’t regret it.

Ayodele Johnson

Ayodelé is a Lagos-based journalist and the Content and Editorial Coordinator at Meiza. All around the megacity, I am steering diverse lifestyle magazine audiences with ingenious hacks and insights that spur fast, informed decisions in their busy lives.