HBO Documentary Traces WizKid’s Rise To Global Stardom

Nigerian singer and songwriter WizKid is the subject of a new HBO documentary titled WizKid: Long Live Lagos, now available on the platform’s streaming service.

Produced by Karam Gill and Daniel Malikyar, with executive producers Charles D. King, James Lopez, Bobby Singh, and others, the documentary follows WizKid’s rise to fame and builds up to his major performance at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the UK.

At the time of filming, WizKid had been invited to perform at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium , a rare achievement, as the venue typically hosts only the biggest global superstars from the Western music scene.

The documentary captures the buildup to the performance, including rehearsal footage, while also offering a behind-the-scenes look at the artist’s life, introducing viewers to his production team, entourage, and family.

Conversely, viewers also get to see the singer’s rise from Lagos to global pop stardom, via the go-t0 interviews featuring talking heads of music experts – music journalists, historians, the singer’s managers and himself – speak of what inspired his art, and what it means to Nigerians and the global African diaspora.

A review of the documentary by Murtada Elfadl of ‘VARIETY’ magazine noted that while the documentary had the usual makings of such filmic genre, WizKid: Long Live Lagos is its opening with the remarks of Femi Anikulapo Kuti, the son of the late Nigerian music legend, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, invoking the lasting effects of colonization on African culture and people. This provided a framework for the artiste’s stardom whilst explaining the political and social impact of his music.

The other is his inclusion of a fan. An aspiring young musician, Matthew Temitope Solomon, who also grew up in the satellite area of Surulere, Lagos as the artiste himself. It follows Solomon attempt to travel to London to attend WizKid’s concert at the Tottenham Spurs stadium.

“In showing Solomon’s story, the film manages to render WizKid’s reach and popularity in a simple and palpable. No proclamations from experts, just one person’s honest and unadorned reaction to his music,” writes Elfadl.

While the countdown to the show pales in comparison to the other segments of the documentary, VARIETY noted that the film’s biggest assets are the singer and his music. The first, for his quiet and unassuming demeanor which speaks of one comfortable with his position and the responsibilities it holds, and the latter, the director’s editing skill which gives time for the artiste’s music to resonate with the audience whilst highlighting his charisma and artistry.