Wizkid and Damian Marley talk music, spirituality and heritage 

The chat, which was published on Monday, forms part of the publication’s recurring series called Musicians on Musicians, which serves as an interface for artists to discuss their lives and works.

The conversation started out with both artists, whose ‘Blessed’ collaboration appears on Wizkid’s 2020 album Made in Lagos, recounting how they became aware of each other and got to recording the track. Wizkid noted that he was heavily influenced by Damian Marley and his father Bob Marley while growing up in Lagos. On his part, Damian Marley said he first encountered Wizkid at a New York City hotel and that he was drawn to the ‘Essence’ singer’s melodies.

“I was on tour,” Marley said about how ‘Blessed’ came about. “Both of us had gigs out in London. One night after one of the concerts, we all went to the studio, got together, and Wiz played a bunch of beats for me. That was the one that grabbed my attention the most. We started writing the song in the studio, together, just feeling the vibe.”

Wizkid said: “From the first time I heard [Marley’s vocals] in the studio, I just went mad. I couldn’t believe it. It was like magic right before my eyes. If I’m being very honest with you, that was one of the most amazing sessions I’ve ever been in, for real.”

The conversation also sees the musicians divulge a shared admiration for each other’s roots and their common heritage. Recounting his first trip to Jamaica, Wizkid noted similarities between the Caribbean country and his native Nigeria. “Yo, this is like us,” he said. “It’s the same thing. When I went to Jamaica for the first time, it was everything that I thought it would be and more. It’s an amazing place, the most beautiful place, amazing food, great people.”

Marley said: “For me, we grew up hearing about Africa – Nigeria, Ethiopia all these places – it is almost like a dream. You’re hearing about this far-off place until you end up going there, until you end up meeting people from there. Then it becomes more real. Rastafari is heavily embedded in African culture and is very proud of our African roots.”

Other subjects discussed in the feature include lessons from fatherhood – Wizkid as a father of three and Marley of one. The artists also touched on the impact of COVID-19 on their lives, including inspiring new music and a renewed sense of gratitude for loved ones. 

Wizkid and Damian Marley’s Musicians on Musicians appearance arrives on the heels of Wizkid’s recent tour of the US in support of Made in Lagos. He is also enjoying renewed global acclaim for ‘Essence’, also off the same LP. Likely the biggest record from Nigeria this year, ‘Essence’ has in recent months enjoyed renewed global success, becoming the No 1 song in the US on Shazam and topping Billboard’s R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart in late 2020. A remix of the track featuring Justin Bieber was released in August.

Previous Musicians on Musicians guests include US stars Alicia Keys and Kehlani, Lil Wayne and Lil Baby as well as Erykah Badu and Summer Walker.

Read the full interview here.