Wizkid is right to 'Shut up' Seyi Shay

Wizkid is a beast. There’s no other explanation for what he did to Seyi Shay yesterday (Sunday, June 19, 2016), after she told the world new information about ‘One Dance’, Wizkid’s biggest project of 2016 with Drake and Kyla.

Guess what? He was right to shut her down.

Wizkid comes across as a cocky young prick with very little by way of consideration for people. He is seen as disrespectful, petulant, arrogant, and a jerk of the highest proportions. He previously used to be the only one in that corner, until Davido made Dele Momodu ‘his boy’. This year alone, Wizkid has had to take down Linda Ikeji on multiple occasions, with the last meeting ending at the office of the highest Police officer in Lagos, where Wizkid made the chief his ‘friend’.

"The same debate is going on in Africa right now, that he sampled the Afrobeats, It was actually Wizkid's song so it was not Drake's song, I don't know if I can I talk about this but it's actually Wizkid's song, Wizkid wrote it, Legendary Beats and some other Nigerian producers produced it as an Afrobeat song and they stripped a lot of the music away..." Seyi explained at an interview during her stay in Jamaica.

In Nigerian parlance, who sent her?

Let’s look at the information she shared and how accurate it is, this will provide context for Wizkid’s response to her.

‘One Dance’ is a song by Canadian singer Drake from his fourth studio album, “” (2016). It features guest vocals from Nigerian Afrobeat artist Wizkid and British singer Kyla. The single samples Crazy Cousinz and Kyla's 2008 UK funky song "Do You Mind?". "One Dance" was produced by Nineteen85, DJ Maphorisa, 40, Wizkid and Sarz, and written by Drake, Nineteen85, Noah "40" Shebib, Wizkid, Kyla Smith, Errol Reid and Luke Reid. It was released for digital download on April 5, 2016 and was serviced to US urban, rhythmic, and contemporary hit radio on April 12, 2016.

"One Dance" was released shortly after the release date for Views was announced, alongside "Pop Style". In the United States and Canada, "One Dance" reached number one, becoming Drake's first number-one single in both countries as the lead artist. Outside North America, "One Dance" also topped the charts in Australia, France, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand and became Drake's first number one single as a lead artist in the United Kingdom.

That’s all there is to know about the song ‘One Dance’. It is plain for everyone. Perhaps the inside story is different from what is being sold to the public, as it usually is. Perhaps, Seyi Shay, who has collaborated with Wizkid, and is closer to him than many of us will ever know, has an inside scoop that not even the sniffiest of reporters could lay their hands on.

What Seyi Shay said may contain elements of truth, but the entire entertainment industry is built upon selling altered stories to fit a narrative. Things happen in secret, but a doctored version is what is reported to maintain a consistent, happy, and not too incriminating façade. The story that gets to the press is not what actually happened. People with the real story are called ‘Confidants’, and cannot share these tales. It is a taboo for anyone to share these inside stories. That’s why Tee Billz is nobody’s friend right now. He broke the code. This Seyi Shay’s version might just be one of those times where the veil between the world and the underbelly of the industry has fallen, however, she too has broken the code, and needed to be put back in line with the party narratives.

“Don’t say what you know nothing about! #Shutup”, the man tweeted, throwing Seyi Shay under the bus, and saving his skin.

The singer has a lot to lose if he had let that information fester, pick up steam, and soar. Imagine what the news headlines these morning would have read: “Drake is Chump! Stole Wizkid’s song”, “Wizkid to sue Drake for claiming ‘One Dance’”, “Drake bullied ….bla blab la.

Wizkid had no choice. This year, that song has been a blessing to him, making him the first Nigerian pop star to lead the Billboard Hot 100 charts, and opening him up to numerous opportunities. The current story surrounding the creative process of the single is fine and all sorted out. Why stir the hornet’s nest and ruin what has been a good thing?  Even if that is true, Wizkid might have signed a non-disclosure agreement about those details. If he might have breached it in confidence to Seyi Shay, bringing this up in public might just be the death of him and his fledgling international career. These creative deals are made everyday, but it is holy business. Not to be thrown to the dogs of the public.

Why didn’t Seyi Shay tell the world about the creative process for one of her biggest songs ‘Murda’? That story is far more interesting than Wizkid’s and Drake.

Wizkid will finally sleep in peace this week, having taken charge of a potentially calamitous situation, and come out good. He will be content that his narrative is safe, Drake is still his guy, and his foray into foreign waters can continue in peace. He was right for hitting Seyi Shay. Hard.