“Small love” can go a long way.
That’s an idea that Nigerian singer CKay knows very well. The phrase is a Igbo-to-English translation of his breakout single, “Love Nwantiti,” released back in 2019 but still soaring in 2022. The sentiment echoes the Golden Rule, the ethical principle which states, “Treat others as you would like to be treated.” Genuine acts of kindness go a long way and the small dose of love that CKay sings about on “Love Nwantiti” can be quite impactful. In the book Think Great, Be Great!: (Beautiful Quotes Vol. 1), author Lailah Gifty Akita writes, “It is sad, but so many tragedies can be avoided if we extend a little bit of love to one another.”
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EDITION 10
JANUARY 2022
JANUARY 27, 2022
BY: WONGO OKON
Another example of the power of "small love" comes from Margo Vader’s Take A Little Soul Time, which says, “Being content with less creates space in the heart for more love.” It’s an approach towards life that focuses on simplicity, resulting in appreciation of what surrounds you. CKay’s breakout song exemplifies this, digging in on the idea that less is more. As he explains via Zoom from across the world in December, his intention behind the song came from “what I was experiencing in my life at the time I wrote the song.”
That authenticity has paid off extremely well for CKay, earning him a global response to the track. And, it's one he believes comes from people hearing the song and seeing themselves in the story he tells.
“Love Nwantiti” has reached immense heights that only a handful of afrobeats records have: placement in nearly a million TikTok videos, 180 million views on YouTube, and over 300 million streams on Spotify. It’s undoubtedly a global record, a status CKay says he isn’t surprised by. “I definitely saw it being a global song when I made it,” he says. “I feel like if I feel something, everyone should feel it. I just knew... I think with these things, sometimes you just know.” The great feeling he had about “Love Nwantiti'' transferred to those who listened to the song, and they applied it to their own lives. Just like that, CKay’s smash record found itself next to another afrobeats song that took the world by storm in 2021: Wizkid and Tems’ “Essence.”
“I feel like if I feel something, everyone should feel it."
Both songs became the first records by Nigerian artists to enter the Billboard Hot 100 chart, peaking at No. 10 and No. 23, respectively. They also earned gold certifications, and while Wizkid’s work in afrobeats dates back to 2011 with his debut album Superstar, CKay’s success as a new artist suggests a new class is entering the genre to leave its mark.
Afrobeats has a history of finding a pocket or two to reside in the United States. Burna Boy shot to worldwide popularity in 2018 with “Ye,” a year after Davido’s trifecta reign in 2017 thanks to “If,” “FIA,” and “Fall.” Between 2015 and 2017, years before he made history with “Essence,” Wizkid laced a trio of collaborations with Drake – “Ojuelegba (Remix),” “One Dance” (which reached No. 1 on the Hot 100), and “Come Closer” – to boost his appeal and popularity in the United States. Go back even further and you’ll see efforts like P-Square’s “Chop My Money” remix with Akon, Davido’s “Aye,” D’Banj’s “Fall In Love,” Flavour's “Ashawo (Remix),” R2Bees’ “Kiss Your Hand,” and many more. However, CKay can foresee an even grander scale to this growth. “I'd love to see it get even bigger every single year,” he says. “It's quite big right now but I want to see it get even bigger.”
CKay is just one example of young afrobeats artists shouldering their way into the genre to grab recognition for their upstart careers. Seeing what new acts are putting into the genre, it’s clear that a new class has arrived. Nigerian singers Rema and Fireboy DML had moments of their own in 2021 thanks to their “Soundgasm'' and “Peru,” respectively – with Ed Sheeran remixing the latter song. Rema also has an unreleased collaboration with Drake, who has a knack for finding and promoting international talent to a domestic audience. At a young age, singer Ayra Star is a female voice worth recognizing thanks to her debut studio album 19 & Dangerous. Omah Lay earned some stateside success with a remix of “Damn” alongside 6lack and his What Have We Done EP. CKay will sit beside, compete, and grow with these artists for the foreseeable future.
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Chuwkuka Ekweani, who turned 26 last summer, was born in Kaduna, Nigeria. His growth from a child to an adult occurred during frequent inter-religious conflicts between the Muslim-dominated northern half of the country and the Christian-dominated southern half. In 2002, an article written by Nigerian journalist Isioma Daniel about that year’s Miss World beauty competition sparked demonstrations and violence between Muslims and Christians. These riots occurred across four days and left 250 dead, more than 300 injured, and 20,000-30,000 people without homes. This is the world CKay lived in at just a young age, and years later in 2014, when he was just 19, the singer ran away from home and headed nearly 570 miles southwest to Lagos, the country’s most populated city and its music capital. However, as CKay tells it, his move was inspired by his desire to chase a dream and happiness more than to run away from the past, which is at the foundation of his music.
“I feel like my childhood doesn't necessarily affect that, you know, I feel like anyone can be in love and anyone can have those emotions,” he says in regards to his past affecting the content of his music. “So for me, I'm basically explaining my emotions and the way I feel them to the world.” CKay also zooms out to look at music from a broader lens. “I see music as art, I don't really see it as a product,” he notes. “Art comes from where you are in your life and the timing of making the art. It comes from your essence and your experience as a human being.” There’s always the concern that one is too open with their music, especially with someone like CKay who bears no filter about his experiences, but CKay doesn’t see it that way. Singing about love is second nature for him; there's no thought to it and he’s made it his own niche.
The early progression in CKay’s career came through producing for others. After moving to Lagos, CKay used his talents to take care of himself, grow musically, and make the move worthwhile. “I didn't get signed immediately [when] I stepped foot on Lagos soil,” he says. “I had to meet a couple of people, I had to go around, I had to shop myself, and while I was doing all that, I had to pay the bills. So, production was like the first currency I had before I had my own chance to do my stuff.” It’s this work that years later caused CKay to meet one of afrobeats’ biggest stars and land a record on his album.
What's the sense of it all?
Pimpin' powder, and pussy tryna make pennies
See niggas lie on the stand, guess hell ain't harder than prison, who knows
In the 90's a traffic stop get you tickets, a joke
Now they find you a traffic stop get you riddled with holes
We be livin' too fast, we be sippin' it slow
One of my niggas was sellin' work, now he sellin' out shows
I mean face it that's growth, pay attention take notes
You over forty and movin' work better be by the boat
Better be by the dock, better not be by your home
If niggas really wan' hurt you, they gonna leave you alone
In another moment that proved that he was well on his way to stardom, CKay appeared on Davido’s 2020 A Better Time with a track titled “Lala.” After meeting Davido’s manager, CKay created the production for the track, which is reminiscent of summertime relaxation and propelled by a laid-back spirit that’s ideal for those warm months. “I was in the studio with Blaze Beats and we made a vibe and I just felt like Davido would sound crazy on it,” CKay says. “I sent it to his manager, and from there, things kind of took off. He loved it and we linked up
to record the song and finished it. It was crazy.
Production has always been fundamental to CKay’s craft. He partly credits his father, an Anglican choirmaster who played the organ, as the inspiration for composing music. “I always gravitated towards him,” he says. “When he was playing, I'd go to his room and listen.” Furthermore, he cites Westlife, Backstreet Boys, Usher, Chris Brown, and Sisqo as artists he was drawn to as a child. And just like that, an artist was born. “That's how my curiosity led to me learning how to play the piano, learning to guitar, learning how to produce, learning how to write songs, and getting me to this point I'm at today... It's all been a journey of curiosity,” he adds. Simply put, “I just always wanted to be an artist.” But while his creative process is straightforward, CKay’s artistic goals are far more nuanced.
The idea of love is one of the main themes of his music, creating an undeniable lane for him. However, it’s more than love in a romantic sense. There’s love for freedom, love for the high life, and love for the tough times that benefit him in the long run. In addition to the love in his music, the afrobeats singer also has a deep love for afrobeats as a whole. CKay truly wants to see the genre succeed and reach uncharted levels, regardless of whether or not he contributes to its continued rise. “If it wasn't my song, I'd still be excited to see it
happening,” he says about “Love Nwantiti.” “And it's even more exciting that it is my song.”
“The point I'm making is it'll be people that will judge or making an opinion about my music and A, you don't know this environment, or B, never took the time to even listen to what I'm really saying on the album,” he says. “That happens far too many times. You wish people would really listen, but I don't even blame them because there's so much music coming out.” Does he feel as though he’s gotten overlooked or lost in the furor?
“Yes,” he agrees. “I don't think a lot of people don't know that me, Cole, and Pharrell opened for Jay-Z. We did a whole college tour... A lot of people don't know I opened for Jay before that, even in Europe… A lot of people don't know I opened for Rihanna in Europe. Because there was no Snapchat. I wasn't walking around with a cameraman for YouTube all day. It was a weird time… We got a little bit of the Mandela effect going on in this generation.” However, he says, “I might just try to do the best I can because there'll be a time when it will all connect and everybody is going to put everything together and then it'll all makes sense to some people that it might not make sense to. I would not be lying to say it wasn't frustrating, but ain't nothing to do about it but just keep pushing. It’ll be on Folarin II, where I wrote these subtle reminders all throughout the album.”
When I ask him how this album will be different from the 2012 Folarin mixtape, which featured appearances from 2 Chainz, Chinx Drugz, French Montana, Nipsey Hussle, Rick Ross, and Scarface, among others, Wale compares the project to Jay-Z’s career-defining 2001 release, calling it a “Blueprint” record. “I feel like the process on this one was pretty much, as soon as I got into the mode, it just started feeling like, ‘You know what? Where I am, how I feel, how I know who I am, regardless of what anybody's talking about,’ it started just speaking to me more. I was like, ‘This is Folarin II.’ Folarin is when I started really coming into my own. I really was in that space. I was just singing with my chest. I think that's what's happening now.”
“It's a space that I was in, this bubble,” he continues. “Some days I felt like telling the stories and some days I felt like talking about things going on back home. Some days I felt like talking about shit. The next day I felt like talking about shit. Then the next day I felt like talking about shit. Then the next day I want to do something else. It was just a moment in time, this bubble of where I'm at…. I made sure I spelled it out, it's more grandiose. I think all of them have a different thing, man. Folarin II is its own thing, but it's just the same intentions and the same feeling that I had when I made Folarin 1.”
CKay’s move to Lagos has proven to be quite worthwhile. It’s a decision that he says is the biggest risk he’s taken in his life so far. When reflecting on his work over the past seven years, like the career-shifting success of “Love Nwantiti,” CKay acknowledges a few things about his growth and maturity. “It shows that there's no limit,” he says. “It shows that if you believe in something, just ride for it, and it will happen.” He adds, “It also showed that if something is authentic, people connect to it no matter what language it's in.” This authenticity is a key aspect of CKay’s career. While he strives to keep going against the grain of afrobeats, he also makes sure to do it from a natural place. CKay insists on the presence of these characteristics, even when collaborating with other artists like Amaarae, Oxlade, and Kidi.
Different artists bring different things to the table, whether it be recording or songwriting habits, or just the conversation that occurs while creating art. It all plays into the process of making a real connection before and during the creative process, something CKay values. “It's not just about chasing numbers, or it's not just about making moves, or whatever,” he says. “It's about if there's an actual vibe between you and the artist you're making music with and it can actually connect.” Once this is present, everything will fall into place because in CKay’s words, “working with talented people always results in great music.” While this is often true, there are cases where an extended amount of time goes by before an audience recognizes the greatness of a song or a project.
“Love Nwantiti,” just like Wizkid’s “Essence,” was quite the slow-burning release. Its peak impact wasn’t felt for more than a year after its release – but as the saying goes, better late than never, right? CKay gave the single space to breathe before kicking off 2021 with his EP Boyfriend. “I just wanted to tell people more stories about my love life,” he says about the project. “If you listen to the whole project, you get a clearer picture of who I am as a person and an artist, as opposed to just listening to one song.” Boyfriend presents all the sides of a man in love. The project’s opening track, “Felony,” equates risking love with a woman to committing a crime and facing imprisonment. “Show My Side” with Amaarae presents the reciprocation of these feelings while “Jeje De Whine,” which translates to “gently whine'' from Igbo, portrays the deep passion and craving CKay has for his partner after breaking down the wall of undeclared feelings. For the second half of Boyfriend, CKay grapples with the downsides of romance. “Skoin Skoin” admits to issues in a relationship, but CKay’s infatuation with the woman makes them bearable. He then supplies himself an ample amount of liquid courage to plead for an ex’s return on “Mezebu.”
Boyfriend was crafted during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. Throughout that year, “Love Nwantiti” continued to reach new corners and surpass the expectations set before it. Due to the circumstances at hand, there were few opportunities to push his work further due to the inability to tour and hold live performances – which is why CKay returned to the studio to hone his next body of work. Creating in a period that required isolation and limited interaction with others brought forth new lessons that proved to be valuable for artists as they moved forward with their careers.
“I just learned to be more in touch with my emotions and where I am in my life at every point,” CKay says of the experience. “I also learned to slow down because life can get really fast. You can get really caught up in a whole lot of things, but sometimes it's just important to slow down and be aware of yourself.” The spotlight shines brightly on CKay, and while it’s easy to get lost in the beauty of the spotlight and all that comes with it, he knows there’s more work to be done to continue his stay there and not squander a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
In 2021, CKay continued the sonic experimentation, which has become part of his signature style, both through his own work and in his collaborations with others. Those of us at home who are eager to see what CKay has to offer in 2022 have plenty to look forward to. The singer himself is set on being bigger and better than ever in the new year. “I'm dropping my first album next year, and I'm going on tour,” he proclaims as our conversation comes to an end. “It's gonna be amazing if I say so myself.” Through his music and artistry as a whole, CKay has shown “small love” in more ways than one. With 2022 lining up to be his biggest year yet, he’ll continue to extend a hand of appreciation to his growing fanbase, and see it returned right back to him.
In addition to video games and sneakers, Wale’s other big preoccupation is with wrestling. The appeal is obvious; in the same way rappers create characters for themselves, overcoming financial and structural obstacles, wrestlers do the same thing with physical ones. They can both become larger-than-life, exaggerating characteristics, creating their own narrative, and redefining themselves in the public eye. However, this wasn’t always the case. At one point, Wale was really the only rapper making himself such a visible fan of the sport. Just like with sneakers and livestreaming — that’s right, Wale was livestreaming himself on the now-defunct UStream, years before Instagram and TikTok allowed similar functionality to connect artists with fans — he was just a little bit ahead of his time.
“You know, now there is a little slight shift in wrestling,” he muses. “You got to look at guys like myself and Westside Gunn, Smoke DZA, Flatbush Zombies, we've been a part of that culture for a long time. And Black journalists too, Black writers are talking more about it and uplifting our Black wrestlers. And this is a special time in that culture. The conversations are happening. I work closely with Neil Lawi at the WWE, and I talked to Triple H last week on text. So there's definitely... It's an interesting time for wrestling. You got the R&C podcast, you got the WrassleRap [social media movement], you got Kaz[eem Famuyide] doing it so crazy... Media uplifting the culture, you got Westside Gunn on the crazy run right now, uplifting the culture. So we love where it's at right now. We love where it's going.”
Again, it feels like Wale’s interests parallel his real-life trajectory as an entertainer. He’s always on the ball before anyone else — but he rarely remains there alone for long. It just takes others a while to catch on. On being one of the first highly visible artists bigging up Nigeria before the Afrobeats genre broke stateside, he says, “It's one of them things that I feel like I knew was inevitable and it's not going to stop anytime soon. So I'm proud of all my guys and girls. I'm just grateful that I can be somebody seen as part of that culture.” Isn’t he being too humble? “Nah. I've been valid. My thing is if you know, you know. So I'm not overly concerned with that. Everybody know what I do and what I've did. And if they don't, Google is free.”
He takes the same attitude toward the world’s skeptical view of go-go, which still threads through his music like the ever-critical stitching holding together his favorite Nikes. “Go-go is a genre where you got to experience that shit live to all the way, get it for real,” he says. “After you experienced it live, you have a different appreciation for it. This is what I assumed because I think I was maybe 13 years old when I realized go-go was only local. I thought everybody back then knew what go-go was. When I was a kid, I thought everybody in the whole world knew who those people was. Now that I've learned so much about the actual music and instruments and mixing and culture from all over the world, I can understand why we never really made that leap after [Junkyard Band’s] “Sardines” and [E.U’s] “Doin’ Da Butt.”
CKAY is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
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“I always just wanted to make afrobeats go global,” he says. Achieving this requires the belief that afrobeats, like any other genre, is capable of this worldwide acclaim – which CKay has been gaining thanks to the success of “Love Nwantiti.” “I've seen my predecessors do great stuff, from P Square to 2Face,” he notes. “These are the African stars from way back that were being appreciated in countries far and beyond. So I always wanted to do that, but take it to the next level.” When you tie this in with his definition of success, which he says is “when you put out music and people connect with the music,” it’s clear how CKay perceives the advancement of the genre as a whole. Love the music and love your work as much as you hope your fans do, and when it’s reciprocated, the sky's the limit.
An ingredient in afrobeats’ growth could be its artists’ ability to thrive at a certain niche. Wizkid’s niche is pride in his culture and love life, while Burna Boy’s is towering confidence. Davido overflows with a vigor that often proves to be infectious. Tems' raw passion wraps itself around listeners like a warm blanket to tenderize her lyrics and make for a comforting presence in listeners' ears. This variety is what makes afrobeats enjoyable, especially when these artists combine their talents on a single song or project.
For CKay, his status quo is to go against the grain and thrive at what others are not doing. “In my music, if you listen, it's not like everyone's afrobeats,” he says. “I like to bring something different to the table every time.” It includes incorporating different instruments into his music and using the staples differently. “Sonically, I like to put violins in my afrobeats. I like to play live instruments, but I like to make them sound different from the way it sounds in live music; it's like a hybrid version,” he says. “I also like to use minor keys a lot. I like to use the Arabic scale, I like to use all these things that people don't usually use.”
GRIFF is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
SKY'S
LIMIT
THE
“I feel like if I feel something, everyone should feel it."
"I SEE MUSIC AS ART, I DON'T REALLY SEE IT AS A PRODUCT."
"I SEE MUSIC AS ART, I DON'T REALLY SEE IT AS A PRODUCT."
"IT'S ALL BEEN A JOURNEY OF CURIOSITY."
"IT'S ALL BEEN A JOURNEY OF CURIOSITY."
"i like to use all these things that people don't usually use."
"i like to use all these things that people don't usually use."
“I feel like if I feel something, everyone should feel it.”
“I feel like if I feel something, everyone should feel it.”
“I see music as art, I don't really see it as a product.”
“I see music as art, I don't really see it as a product.”
“I see music as art, I don't really see it as a product.”
“I see music as art, I don't really see it as a product.”
CKay’s move to Lagos has proven to be quite worthwhile. It’s a decision that he says is the biggest risk he’s taken in his life so far. When reflecting on his work over the past seven years, like the career-shifting success of “Love Nwantiti,” CKay acknowledges a few things about his growth and maturity. “It shows that there's no limit,” he says. “It shows that if you believe in something, just ride for it, and it will happen.” He adds, “It also showed that if something is authentic, people connect to it no matter what language it's in.” This authenticity is a key aspect of CKay’s career. While he strives to keep going against the grain of afrobeats, he also makes sure to do it from a natural place. CKay insists on the presence of these characteristics, even when collaborating with other artists like Amaarae, Oxlade, and Kidi.
Different artists bring different things to the table, whether it be recording or songwriting habits, or just the conversation that occurs while creating art. It all plays into the process of making a real connection before and during the creative process, something CKay values. “It's not just about chasing numbers, or it's not just about making moves, or whatever,” he says. “It's about if there's an actual vibe between you and the artist you're making music with and it can actually connect.” Once this is present, everything will fall into place because in CKay’s words, “working with talented people always results in great music.” While this is often true, there are cases where an extended amount of time goes by before an audience recognizes the greatness of a song or a project.
“Love Nwantiti,” just like Wizkid’s “Essence,” was quite the slow-burning release. Its peak impact wasn’t felt for more than a year after its release – but as the saying goes, better late than never, right? CKay gave the single space to breathe before kicking off 2021 with his EP Boyfriend. “I just wanted to tell people more stories about my said love life,” he says about the project. “If you listen to the whole project, you get a clearer picture of who I am as a person and an artist, as opposed to just listening to one song.” Boyfriend presents all the sides of a man in love. The project’s opening track, “Felony,” equates risking love with a woman to committing a crime and facing imprisonment. “Show My Side” with Amaarae presents the reciprocation of these feelings while “Jeje De Whine,” which translates to “gently whine'' from Yoruba, portrays the deep passion and craving CKay has for his partner after breaking down the wall of undeclared feelings. For the second half of Boyfriend, CKay grapples with the downsides of romance. “Skoin Skoin” admits to issues in a relationship, but CKay’s infatuation with the woman makes them bearable. He then supplies himself an ample amount of liquid courage to plead for an ex’s return on “Mezebu.”