Made in Lagos

Made in Lagos is the fourth studio album by Nigerian singer Wizkid. It was released on 30 October 2020 by Starboy Entertainment and RCA Records. The album features guest appearances from Burna Boy, Skepta, H.E.R., Ella Mai, Tay Iwar, Projexx, Tems, Damian Marley, Terri and was executive produced by P2J. The deluxe edition was released on 27 August 2021. It features additional guest appearances from Buju and Justin Bieber.^[4][5][6] In support of the album, Wizkid embarked on the Made in Lagos Tour (2021–2022).^[7] The album received a nomination at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards for Best Global Music Album.

Made in Lagos
Studio album by Wizkid
Released	30 October 2020
Genre	Afrobeats[1] R&B[2]
Length	52:05
Language	English Yoruba Nigerian Pidgin
Label	Starboy Entertainment RCA
Producer	P2J Kel-P Blaqjerzee London Kill September Sarz Juls Legendury Beatz P.Priime Akeel Henry Dré Pinckney Kevin Ekofo Saint Mino Sammy Soso
Wizkid chronology
Sounds from the Other Side (2017) Made in Lagos (2020) More Love, Less Ego (2022)
Singles from Made in Lagos
"Smile" Released: 16 July 2020 "No Stress" Released: 17 September 2020 "Ginger" Released: 8 January 2021 "Essence" Released: 9 April 2021
Singles from Made in Lagos deluxe
"Mood" Released: 8 February 2022[3]

Background

In late 2019, Wizkid released the singles "Joro" and "Ghetto Love", initially teased them as promotional singles for Made in Lagos.^[8]

On 6 December 2019, Wizkid's label Starboy Entertainment released the EP Soundman Vol. 1, centering mainly on Wizkid, and containing features from Chronixx, and a variety of other artists. It was cited as a marketing strategy to test the Afro-European market for Made in Lagos.^[9]

Composition

Morgan Enos of The Recording Academy described Made In Lagos’ musical composition as a “mix of Afrobeats and R&B".^[10] Stereogum described the album's aesthetic as “R&B-focused, dancehall-reminiscent” lending itself to WizKid’s “casual Auto-Tuned melodies, and a range of guests similarly thrive within the environment”, defining its beats as “meticulously complex”.^[11] Pitchfork’s writer Joey Akan commented that the album showcases a “mid-tempo production”.^[1]

Release and promotion

Made in Lagos was initially set to be released on October 15.^[8] The album launch was later postponed until 30 October due to the Nigerian End SARS protests nationwide.^[4]

Wizkid promoted Made in Lagos with his Made in Lagos Tour, which started on 10 September 2021, performing in New York City, Boston, Toronto, and Los Angeles.^[7]

Singles

Wizkid released a collaboration with American singer, H.E.R., titled "Smile", on 16 July 2020 as the album's lead single. The song made its debut at number three in the first week of launch of the UK Afrobeats Singles Chart, and was featured on Barack Obama's 2020 summer playlist.^[12][13] On 17 September, Wizkid released the single "No Stress".^[8]

"Essence" featuring Tems, was released as the album's fourth single on 9 April 2021. On 13 August 2021, a remix of the song, featuring Canadian singer Justin Bieber, was released.^[14] The song became the highest-charting single on the Billboard Hot 100 by an African act, peaking at number nine.^[15][16] "Essence" was also the first Nigerian song in history to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 and the Billboard Global 200.^[17][18]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Clash	7/10[19]
The Guardian	[20]
The Native	8.4/10[21]
Naijaloaded	8/10[22]
NME	[23]
Pitchfork	7.7/10[1]
Mp3Paw.ng	[24]
Tubidy	8/10[25]
Pulse Nigeria	7.2/10[26]

Made in Lagos received favorable reviews for its cohesive themes, particularly ruling out the flaws on Wizkid's previous works, Sounds from the Other Side and Soundman Vol. 1.^[23]

On Made in Lagos Wizkid promotes culture and globalisation, with the album also containing themes of love, focus, goodwill, gratitude and grace. He implements the use of live instrumentation on Made in Lagos and explores a range of genres.^[27] Joey Akan of Pitchfork stated that "Wizkid balances the formula to unite home and abroad with big pop songs that can compete across cultures and an underlying theme that embraces his roots".^[1] Giving it a four star review, Kate Hutchinson of The Guardian found the album sounds slinkier and sexy, while naming it Wizkid's most sophisticated record yet.^[28]

Year-end rankings

Year-end rankings for Made in Lagos

Publication	Accolade	Rank	Ref.
The Guardian	The Best Albums of 2020	43	[29]
Vice	The 100 Best Albums of 2020	74	[30]
NME	The 50 Best Albums of 2020	34	[31]
The Native	The 20 Best Albums of 2020	1	[32]
Bounce Radio Live	The 50 Best African Albums of 2020	3	[33]
Pan African Music	Best Albums of 2020	N/A	[34]
The Blues Project	The 15 Best R&B, Soul and Jazz Albums of 2020	N/A	[35]
Clash	The Best Albums of 2020	36	[36]
The Fader	The 50 Best Albums of the Year 2020	33	[37]
GQ (UK)	The 24 Best Albums of 2020	17	[38]
The Atlantic	The 16 Best Albums of 2020	N/A	[39]
Highsnobiety	Highsnobiety's 20 Best Albums of 2020	5	[40]
Financial Times	The Best 10 Albums of 2020	N/A	[41]
British Vogue	The Best 12 Albums of 2020	1	[42]
Earmilk	The Best Albums of 2020 (Hip Hop + R&B)	N/A	[43]
Reader's Digest	The Best Albums of 2020	N/A	[44]
Pure Charts	Top 20 International albums of 2020	N/A	[45]
MTV News	14 Albums you might've missed in 2020	N/A	[46]

Awards

At the 27th annual South African Music Awards, Made in Lagos received a nomination for the Rest of Africa Award.^[47] It also received a nomination at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards for Best Global Music Album. At the 7th annual African Entertainment Awards USA in 2021, Made in Lagos won Album Of The Year at the ceremony.^[48]

Made in Lagos Deluxe Edition received two nominations at 15th ceremony of The Headies, for Album of the Year, and Best Afrobeat Pop Album (Nigeria), a new category.^[49]

Commercial performance

The album surpassed 100 million streams across five platforms nine days after release, a rare milestone for Afro-pop artists.^[50][51]

It debuted at number 15 on the UK Albums Chart with over 4,100 album-equivalent units and number 80 on the US Billboard 200 with over 10,000 album-equivalent units.^[52][53] Following the release of the deluxe edition, the album sold an additional 17,000 units in the United States, peaking at number 28 on the US Billboard 200.^[54] It spent 130 weeks on the Billboard World Albums chart making it the longest charting African project ever on the chart, and is the most certified and best selling African album of all time in the United States.^[55]

Track listing

Made in Lagos track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Reckless"	Ayodeji Balogun Richard Isong Emmanuel Isong Ariowa Irosogie Malik Venner	P2J	3:53
2.	"Ginger" (featuring Burna Boy)	Balogun Damini Ogulu Kelvin Udoma R. Isong	Kel-P P2J	3:16
3.	"Longtime" (featuring Skepta)	Balogun Joseph Adenuga Osabuohien Osaretin R. Isong	Sarz P2J	4:00
4.	"Mighty Wine"	Balogun R. Isong	P2J	3:38
5.	"Blessed" (featuring Damian Marley)	Balogun Marley R. Isong	P2J	4:23
6.	"Smile" (featuring H.E.R)	Balogun Gabriella Wilson R. Isong E. Isong	P2J	4:12
7.	"Piece of Me" (featuring Ella Mai)	Balogun Ella Howell Nija Charles Kevin Okofo Irosogie R. Isong	P2J	3:17
8.	"No Stress"	Balogun R. Isong	P2J	3:49
9.	"True Love" (featuring Tay Iwar and Projexx)	Balogun Austin Iwar Johni James Julian Nicco-Annan Ronald Osisanya Kwado Asare	Juls	4:07
10.	"Sweet One"	Balogun R. Isong E. Isong Marco Bernardis Venner	P2J Sammy Soso	4:11
11.	"Essence" (featuring Tems)	Balogun Temilade Openiyi Uzezi Oniko Okiemute Oniko R. Isong	Legendury Beatz P2J	4:08
12.	"Roma" (featuring Terri)	Balogun Terry Akewe Okhuofu Isaiah	Blaqjerzee	3:00
13.	"Gyrate"	Balogun Ekofo Mino Drerup Michael Hunter Tomi Mannonen	Ekofo Saint Mino London Kill September	3:14
14.	"Grace"	Balogun R. Isong Ekofo	P2J Ekofo	3:23
Total length:				52:05

Deluxe edition

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
15.	"Anoti"	Balogun Peace Oredope P.Priime Akinbiyi Abiola Ahmed	P.Priime	3:01
16.	"Mood" (featuring Buju)	Balogun Daniel Benson R. Isong	P2J	3:30
17.	"Steady"	Balogun R. Isong Tay Iwar	P2J Akeel Henry Dré Pinckney	3:23
18.	"Essence" (featuring Justin Bieber and Tems)	Balogun Bieber Openiyi U. Oniko O. Oniko R. Isong	Legendury Beatz	4:23
Total length:				66:22

Charts

Chart performance for Made in Lagos

Chart (2020-2023)	Peak position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[56]	69
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[57]	86
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[58]	45
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[59]	33
French Albums (SNEP)[60]	60
Irish Albums (OCC)[61]	42
Nigerian Albums (TurnTable Top 50)[62]	17
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[63]	73
UK Albums (OCC)[64]	15
US Billboard 200[65]	28
US World Albums (Billboard)[66]	1

Certifications

Certifications for Made in Lagos

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[67]	Gold	40,000‡
Netherlands (NVPI)[68]	Gold	20,000‡
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[69]	Gold	10,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[70]	Gold	100,000‡
United States (RIAA)[71]	Gold	500,000‡
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

1. Akan, Joey (7 November 2020). "WizKid: Made in Lagos Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
2. Enos, Morgan (24 March 2022). "For The Record: How Wizkid Elevated Nigeria & Propelled The Ascent Of Afrobeats With His Star-Studded Album 'Made In Lagos'". GRAMMY AWARDS. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
3. "Urban/R&B Future Releases | R&B, Hip Hop, Release Schedule and Street Dates |".
4. "Listen to WizKid's new album Made in Lagos". Pitchfork. 30 October 2020. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
5. "Wizkid releases new album 'Made in Lagos' – listen". NME. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
6. "Here are 3 reasons why Wizkid's 'Made In Lagos (Deluxe)' makes sense as a strategy [Pulse Album Review]". mp3paw.ng. 27 August 2021.
7. "Wizkid Announces 'Made In Lagos' Tour | Rap-Up". Rap Up.
8. Cho, Regina (17 September 2020). "Wizkid releases new single "No Stress"". Revolt. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
9. "Wizkid shock fans with 'Soundman Vol. 1'". The Nation Newspaper. 8 December 2019. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
10. Enos, Morgan (24 March 2022). "For The Record: How Wizkid Elevated Nigeria & Propelled The Ascent Of Afrobeats With His Star-Studded Album 'Made In Lagos'". GRAMMY AWARDS. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
11. "WizKid & Tems Capture the Essence of Summer\'s Waning Days". 30 August 2021.
12. "Wizkid makes Obama's 2020 summer playlist with 'Smile'". vanguardngr.com. Retrieved 24 September 2020.
13. Copsey, Rob (26 July 2020). "NSG crowned Number 1 on the first ever Official Afrobeats Chart". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
14. Mike, Steven (13 August 2021). "WizKid Essence (Remix) feat Justin Bieber". ivoryMP3.
15. "Wizkid's 'Essence' hits a new peak of No. 9 on Billboard Hot 100 | The Beat 99.9 FM Port-Harcourt". www.thebeat99ph.com. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
16. "Wizkid's 'Essence' moves up to No. 13 on Billboard Hot 100". Pulse Nigeria. 31 August 2021. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
17. "Wizkid's 'Essence' Enters Hot 100". Billboard. 15 July 2021. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
18. "New Around the World: Wizkid & Tems Spotlight Nigeria on Global 200". Billboard. 22 July 2021. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
19. "WizKid – Made in Lagos". Clash. 29 October 2020. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
20. "Wizkid: Made in Lagos review – Nigerians do it better". The Guardian. 18 October 2020. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
21. "Review: Wizkid's 'Made in Lagos'". The Native. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
22. "NL ALBUM REVIEW! "Made In Lagos" Shows Wizkid Is On A New Sound Path". Naijaloaded. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
23. "WizKid's 'Made in Lagos' review: star quality and a sense of homecoming". nme.com. 30 October 2020. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
24. Kwabit, Ibrahim (17 November 2020). "Made In Lagos Album Review – An Emotional Starboy Experience". MP3 Paw.ng. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
25. "Wizkid Album, Made In Lagos Not 'Made For Lagos'". Tubidy. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
26. "Wizkid uses 'Made In Lagos' to chronicle personal topics in an evolved and calm manner [Album Review]". Pulse.ng. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
27. "Wizkid uses 'Made In Lagos' to chronicle personal topics in an evolved and calm manner [Album Review]". Pulse.ng. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
28. Hutchinson, Kate (18 October 2023). "Wizkid: Made in Lagos review – Nigerians do it better". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
29. "The best albums of 2020: 50-41". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 December 2020.
30. "The 100 Best Albums of 2020". Noisey. Retrieved 7 December 2020 – via vice.com.
31. Kassambala, Natty (11 December 2020). "The 50 best albums of 2020". NME. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
32. "The 20 Best Albums of 2020". The Native. 31 December 2020. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
33. "The 50 Best African Albums of 2020". bounceradiolive.com. Retrieved 17 December 2020.
34. "Best Albums of 2020". 24 December 2020. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
35. "The Best R&B, Soul and Jazz Albums of 2020". thebluesproject.co. 26 December 2020. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
36. "clash Albums of 2020". Clash. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
37. "50 Best Albums of 2020". thefader.com. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
38. "Best Albums of 2020 that made the year more tolerable". gq-magazine.co.uk. Retrieved 17 December 2020.
39. "16 Best Albums of 2020". The Atlantic. 16 December 2020. Retrieved 17 December 2020.
40. "Best Albums of 2020". Highsnobiety. Retrieved 17 December 2020.
41. Hunter-Tilney, Ludovic (21 December 2020). "Best Albums of 2020 in a mixed year for pop". The Financial Times. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
42. "The Best 12 Albums of 2020". British Vogue. 28 December 2020. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
43. "The Best Albums of 2020 (Hip Hop + R&B)". Earmilk. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
44. "The Best Albums of 2020". Reader's Digest. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
45. "Les 20 meilleurs albums internationaux de 2020 : Dua Lipa, Taylor Swift, Wizkid, Joji." chartsinfrance.net. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
46. "14 Albums you might've missed in 2020". MTV. Archived from the original on 31 December 2020. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
47. "Samas 27: Nominations are out and men are leading the nods". The Citizen. 19 May 2021. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
48. "Wizkid wins five awards at 2021 AEAUSA". The Nation Newspaper. 28 December 2021. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
49. Abiola, Fasanmi (24 May 2022). "Headies 2022: Full list of nominees - The Nation Newspaper". The Nation Newspaper. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
50. "Wizkid's 'Made in Lagos' debuts at number 10 on Spotify's global album chart alongside Sam Smith and Ariana Grande". Pulse.ng. 2 November 2020. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
51. "Wizkid's Made in Lagos Album Hits 100 Million Streams in Less Than Two Weeks". ghgossip.com. 9 November 2020. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
52. "Ariana Grande scores Official Chart double with Positions". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
53. "Wizkid|full Official charts history". officialcharts.com. Retrieved 4 November 2020.
54. "Hits Top 50". Hits Daily Double. Archived from the original on 5 September 2021.
55. "Made in Lagos becomes first African album to achieve this". allafrica.com. 5 September 2022. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
56. "Ultratop.be – Wizkid – Made in Lagos" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 6, 2020.
57. "Ultratop.be – Wizkid – Made in Lagos" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 6, 2020.
58. "Wizkid Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
59. "Dutchcharts.nl – Wizkid – Made in Lagos" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 7, 2020.
60. "Lescharts.com – Wizkid – Made in Lagos". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 26, 2021.
61. "Official Irish Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 6, 2020.
62. "Official Top 50 Albums:December 22nd, 2023 - December 28th, 2023". TurnTable. Archived from the original on 9 January 2024. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
63. "Swisscharts.com – Wizkid – Made in Lagos". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
64. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 6, 2020.
65. "Wizkid Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved August 24, 2021.
66. "Wizkid Chart History (World Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 24, 2020.
67. "Canadian album certifications – Wizkid – Made in Lagos". Music Canada. Retrieved 15 December 2022.
68. "Dutch album certifications – Wizkid – Made in Lagos (Deluxe)" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Retrieved 17 February 2023. Enter Made in Lagos (Deluxe) in the "Artiest of titel" box. Select 2023 in the drop-down menu saying "Alle jaargangen".
69. "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('Made in Lagos')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 April 2023.
70. "British album certifications – Wizkid – Made in Lagos". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
71. "American album certifications – Wizkid – Made in Lagos". Recording Industry Association of America.