Wizkid to end positive 2016 with negativity?

2016 has largely been a blessing for Wizkid. He flew out the blocks in his home country with ‘Baba Nla’, chased other markets, scored the most viral song in the world, worked with the hottest artiste in Hip-hop and pop music, collaborated with numerous stars, signed a Sony Deal, and got nominated for a Grammy. That’s stellar work right there. The type to make you feel like heaven has a high opinion of you and keeps throwing positivity your way.

But with every blessing comes a set of curses.

Wizkid’s growth means the number of eyes in his business has multiplied in significant proportion, and he moves around feeling like he is in the eye of the microscope. Every word, every action, every step, fart and shift he makes or anyone around him makes is dissected, cut into angles, commoditized and sold as news.

It is this campaign that has made his little squabble with Tanzanian star, Alikiba, magnified beyond its true size. It is also as a result of this, that his loss of the MTV EMA Best African Artiste award was hyped beyond the frontiers of this continent. He is a man, trapped in his fame, held in a place where the news is both friend and foe. Where the world takes and takes. Where you are torn between being a man and a machine to feed people with music.

Also, there’s the physical toll of being the best at your craft, or the one with burning torch of pop music. Wizkid has been touring for over two years, a time when he has visited a record number of countries, playing sets and dancing through different continents, time zones and cultures. Sleep is hard to find, energy is harder to generate. But he has had to do it. Wizkid is at the fore of the continent. But to maintain that position requires superhuman strength and work.

And trust me, he isn’t superhuman. He is like you and I, skin and bones, in a body run by water and blood. His Doctors made him quit performing during this crucial time of the year. According to trusted medical advice, he needs to take his foot off the pedal, learn how to breathe chill air and go to sleep as a human being. He has to be there for his family, go to bed at night, ignore the allure of jumping to thousands at a packed venue and hear them sing his name: “Starboy.”

This move has seen him lose money. He has cancelled a concert in Uganda, two public homecoming concerts in Nigeria, and also many private dates. Although he is regarded as a super-rich man, this forced hiatus comes at a time when he stands to make the highest from performance fees. It hurts his pockets and those who depend on him to generate value to survive.

But it is necessary. Wizkid has given too much in two years. He has given to an inch of his life. The man who has taken care of our music needs, and given Nigeria  a reason to brag, needs to be taken care of now. He needs us to let him be.

But that has not come. The consequences of his actions have come out to haunt him. A judge in Uganda has issued an arrest warrant for Starboy. Turns out the international strength of his celebrity doesn’t translate into immunity from the law. He is still required to pay for damages to the event promoter, who has suffered losses due to his cancelled show. Signed legal contracts have been breached, and the police have been involved. Wizkid will have to clear this mess, or respond to it.

According to reports, the order for the arrest of the singer was reportedly signed by presiding Judge, Moses Baligeya Mufumbiro.

According to the reports, the charges levelled against Wizkid include obtaining money by false pretense, cheating and conspiracy to defraud. The promoters, Face TV, through Muwema & CO Advocates and Solicitors, is reportedly accusing Wizkid of receiving $60,000, estimated at N27million as performance fee for the concerts he just cancelled due to health issues. Face TV claims that Wizkid’s team agreed to the deal, only to incur extra expenses for booking flights and other logistics to the tune of $300,000. They are accused of selling tickets to 25,000 people for the concert which was cancelled. According to The Ugandan, Wizkid was billed to perform at Lugogo Cricket Oval on December 3 failed to show up for the event due to health complications.

It’s a mess right now. One which has had multiple news sources across the continent make it their headlines, and it is sure to hurt the singer’s image. This should never have become public. Wizkid’s team should have settled this before it got this ugly. Efforts should have been made for everyone to have a fair settlement. That this escalated to this level, shows that communication was not right. Sad.

2016 has been a great year for Wizkid. But as it draws to an end, the singer is about to leave the year on a sour note, a far cry from his superhuman exploits. Hopefully, that does not happen.