Wizkid’s 'Ojuelegba' video is a lesson in nonchalance
Simply put, the new video by Nigeria's star artiste is not a
representation of the song. If anything, it is a true representation of
the Wizkid’s current mentality.
Wizkid finally dropped the video of
his smashing ‘Ojuelegba’ song, and frankly I am at odds with the video.
Simply put, the video is not a representation of the song. If anything,
it is a true representation of the state of Wizkid’s mentality.
Wizkid released his Ayo album in September 2014, and he received mixed reviews.
People expressed both joy and disappointment at the basic pop concept
of the album, citing a lack of lyrical depth, But ‘Ojuelegba’ has taken
everyone in and ultimately remained timeless has been touted as the
saving grace of the Ayo album.
A music video is a videotaped performance of a
recorded popular song, usually accompanied by dancing and visual images
interpreting the lyrics. This should have held true for the Ojuelegba
song.
Wizkid starts the video on a good note.
There was a bus with a conductor calling out to passengers to board his
vehicle to Ojuelgeba. Wizkid boards it and proceeds to go on a ride.
Many would expect a drop at the popular Ojulegba ‘under bridge’ scene to
make an appearance. But no, only a B-roll, of some street signages
such as the famous Ayilara and Itire road made the cut.
The
video devolved (yes, devolved, and degenerated) into a joke. The
Ojuelegba video ended at the 1:25 mins mark. The moment shooting left
the street, the video went on a downward spiral in quality to a dark
room with scenes that lack inspiration, or if inspired, were executed
wrongly.
A cheap-looking studio would have done justice in
interpreting the show. No. Not for Wizkid and creative team. An abstract
scene with highlights that were an attempt to show symbolism failed in
translating effort into effect.
Wizkid (and Clarence Peters )
threw in a dining scene at the 2:50 mins mark, which would have been
great at a local restaurant or ‘Buka’, but in that room, it lacked
spirit. That scene cued in another equally below-par one of him
conveying wealth and success at another dining table.
Simply
put, Wizkid lost a good chance here to make a classic visual to
accompany a timeless song. One can argue that shooting a scene at the
real Ojuelegba would have been quite an uphill task to manage, but with
the right set-creation, you can have an ‘Ojuelegba’ created even in
London. ‘Half Of A Yellow Sun’ with all its tricky and emotional scenes was shot in Cross Rivers state, Mavins’ ‘Adaobi’ video with its Eastern Nigerian flavour was shot in a village in Epe, Lagos State.
Funding is no excuse. A video is a reasonable
investment for an artiste, and the funds for this wouldn’t be a huge
inconvenience for Wizkid.
The main underlying
reason for this isn’t incompetence, neither is it linked to the material
resources or a dearth in creativity. It is simply nonchalance.
Wizkid’s head is at a place where he lacks the hunger to keep firing
on. He has become complacent, and it is beginning to show.
Ojuelegba video is just the latest manifestation of that nonchanlance.
on social media.
