Wizkid ft. Femi Kuti x Jaiye Jaiye

I know that my focus in rap, but today I think it is time to change it up a bit and get into different genres (because I know you guys listen to other genres as well). Today’s song comes from Wizkid, who is one of the biggest (if not) musicians on the African continent. Wizkid is a musician from Nigeria who emphasizes in Afrobeat (R.I.P Fela Kuti) while blending a mix of his native tongue – Yoruba (which is spoken in my home).

“Jaiye Jaiye” (“Jai-yea”) is the introductory track to his sophomore album Ayo (“eye-yoh”) (which means joy in Yoruba).

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lyrics and Literal Interpretation: 

(Intro)Arararara –
Ororororo
Yah
As you can see (oh yes) —
You are all very welcome (very very welcome) ——

VERSE
Mo fe kole fun mama mi —- I want to build a house for my mum
Mo fe rale fun baba mi —— I want to buy a house for my dad
Aiye ni miami – life in miami
Maserati fun iyawo mi —- maserati for my wife
Ferrari for soshi – Ferrari for soschi
Ferragamo Bugatti –
Owo lo dun to yii — money so sweet like this
Mo fe lowo bi Adenuga – I want to be rich like Adenuga
Mo fe fe Esosa – I want to marry Esosa
Ngozi penperenpe —
All of them for me —-
Ati Tee baby now — and Tee baby now
You cannot believe what I have seen with my eyes —-
Say my people it is a beautiful story (na na na) —-
See I fought through defeat now I am living a better life
And I’m thankful for the life that I am living (nuh nuh)

CHORUS
Wizzy baby loke loke
Seb’Oluwa lo se o —- Its God’s blessing
Owo n wole wa —-  money keeps coming in
Seb’Oluwa lo se o ah —- Its God’s blessing
Lagos today and London tomorrow
Oluwa lo se o —- Its God’s blessing
Omo jaiye jaiye —– a child of success and joy
Seb’Oluwa lo se oh ah —Its God’s blessing

Wizzy baby loke loke —- Wizzy baby is moving up
Seb’Oluwa lo se o — Its God’s blessing
Owo n wole wa — money keeps coming in
Seb’Oluwa lo se o ah –  Its God’s blessing
Lagos today and London tomorrow
Oluwa lo se o –  Its God’s blessing
Omo jaiye jaiye — socialising guy
Seb’Oluwa lo se oh ah —Its God’s blessing

VERSE
I’m balling I’m balling..
I’m balling for two
Let nobody do me bad or intrude
I’m balling I’m balling..
I’m balling for two
Let nobody do me bad or intrude

Wizzy bad musician
Sarz bad producer
Ahhh you already know
We run every show
Owo n la wole (amen) – money kepps coming in
A kole mole (amen) —- we keep building more houses
Maserati Ferrari (amen)
Ferragamo Bugatti (amen)
Owo nla wole (amen) — they keeps coming in
A kole mole (amen) – we keep building more houses
Maserati Ferrari (amen)
Ferragamo Bugatti (amen)

(CHORUS)

VERSE
Yaga
If you call am woman
African woman no go gree (she go say i be lady o)
If you call am woman
African woman no go gree (she go say i be lady o)

She go say I be lady
Seb’Oluwa lo se o  – its God’s blessing
She go say I be lady
Seb’Oluwa lo se o ah – its God’s blessing
She go say I no be woman
Oluwa lo se o
She go say I be lady
Seb’Oluwa lo se o ah
She go say I be lady
Seb’Oluwa lo se o
She go say I be lady
Seb’Oluwa lo se o ah
She go say I no be woman
Seb’Oluwa lo se o
She go say I be lady
Seb’Oluwa lo se o ah

Interpretation and Thoughts: 
People from Nigeria love Wizkid because of his “rags to riches” story. Wizkid started singing in his choir and kept working at his music until the success and the wealth came in. In this song he talks about what motivated him to become so successful. Things that motivated him included, building a house for his parents being able to buy anything he wants and to keep making the music that he loves. This song also serves as a token of thanks to God for blessing him with his success.
Now remember in the beginning when I said that Wizkid emphasizes on Afrobeat and I also said RIP Fela Kuti? If you did not know, Fela was the pioneer in Afrobeat; he was known for the beats, rhythms and drums that gave the African people no other choice than to dance. Here, his son Femi is featured as he lives on in his father’s legacy (ended the song with a sick saxophone solo). Wizkid pays homage to the greats and tries to live their legacy through his music.
Wizkid is on of my favorite musicians due to his versatility, the producers that he recruits and his strong work ethic. If you ever want to learn about Afrobeat, Wizkid is an artist you can look at.
Please Watch the Music video for Jaiye Jaiye below *Skip to 3:27* for that solo: 

 

3 thoughts on “Wizkid ft. Femi Kuti x Jaiye Jaiye”

  1. I loved the Afro influence in the song and the message he was conveying. It is so exciting that you speak this tongue at home! I really enjoyed this song and thanks for sharing his story of going from rags to riches. That is awesome.

  2. I really loved this video. At first I watched without sound and I just think the choreography was beautiful. Connecting it to the ‘rags to riches’ message and I think it makes the video so much more unique. It is so fascinating to watch and listen to the sounds of other cultures.

  3. I am not vary familiar with Afrobeat and Afrobeat influences so I am especially glad to hear about this artist and this song. The lyrics certainly concern a relatively common motif in rap and other music genres. However his story and influences certainly give a unique take on the theme and the song is very unique. I really like his use of lyrics that are both english and some that are not english. I would have never come upon this music on my own, so I really appreciate you writing about it this week. I would love to hear about any other subgeneras you think are unique and have influenced your own work.

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