Filmmaker and critic, Charles Novia has weighed in on the feud between singer, Wizkid and blogger, Linda Ikeji. The attacks didn’t start yesterday. Both parties have been on a warpath for months now. Read Charles Novia’s thoughts on the furore.
Since yesterday when Linda gleefully posted on her blog that Wizkid got an eviction notice from his Lekki house, there’s been no chill from both sides.
Wizkid reacted with expected anger, calling Linda an ‘Ugly, Old Bitch nearing 40 years and married to her laptop’ . Ouch. He suggested that his Director friend slept with Linda in a hotel!
Having the Right of Reply, Linda fell for the bait and posted a reply calling to question Wizkid’s age and a story that Wizkid’s Porsche cars are on hire purchase.
As expected, Wizkid replied and went on a tirade of how her Pussy needs some cleaning and some other invectives. He listed the cars he has bought, including a G65 as well as four other cars and a house he just built for his mother. He warned Linda that anywhere he sees he, his 16 year old cousin will beat her up.
And the war continues. I have been following the updates with chuckles and much shaking of my head, even though it’s salacious and entertaining.
First, I think Linda should be advised. It’s evident to the discerning that she has a vengeful obsession with getting back at Wizkid and this has been evident since last year when Wizkid took potshots at her age and marital status, which prompted Linda to respond that she’s rich enough to buy any man she wants. ( I actually don’t think any account was hacked as explained then)
Putting up the post yesterday of the eviction notice given to Wizkid was perhaps an intuitive gossip obligation she felt she had to share, after all she’s a known gossip blogger. But it was tactlessly done and exposed an underlying beef which was waiting for an opportunity to get back.
Wizkid’s reaction was true-to-type. He’s a street kid. A Surulere or Ojuelegba product and he’s not expected to have any chill. Unlike Linda, who’s also from a poor background and has some understanding of the rules of the streets of Surulere, Wizkid is a supposed nouveau rich kid whose fame and fortune are grounded in the music of his streets. This means that while some measure of success demands some form of etiquette from Linda, now living among the elites, same us not expected ( even if demanded) from Wizkid.
The difference here is bohemie.
Wizkid is the epitome of the new age of reckless abandon of restraints and respect by his generation. He belongs to an era where he has power. His music is an influencer of moods. He’s danced to and listened to all across dance floors in Africa and beyond. He sways the minds of the twenty – somethings and teenagers. He can’t do wrong in their eyes.
On the other hand, while Linda is also a powerful media figure with much of her readers also amongst the young crowd, she has moved on to an aspirational lifestyle by the flaunting of possessions on her media space. While there might be nothing wrong with that, it’s also a strong reason for her youthful crowd to either be more enamoured with her, with the monthly handouts she commendably doles or they would inordinately harbour some disdain for her over this indiscretion.
The truth of the matter is this; don’t fuck with a musician in a war of words in this new age. Dele Momodu found out the hard way too late when Davido took him to the cleaners and even alluded to his ‘busy body’ tendencies in a song.
You see, with the massive following Wizkid has, all he needs to do is to go to the studio and record a new single calling out Linda Ikeji. It’s that simple. He could just put some lyrics on an ikworkrikwo beat and singing:
‘ Linda o, Linda. Old mama wey nor get Ginger…’
Or something in the vein of his insults to her as we have been reading.
Of course, shifting and shuffling feet don’t have any respect to a good rhythm. People will dance and that song would be stored in the annals of history. All Linda can do would be to keep writing ripostes which would not have any direct impact.
And really, if Wizkid loses steam and becomes a ‘has been’ tomorrow, that’s neither here nor there for him or his fans. He would be part of a vignette of Nigerian music history. He’s already attained some measure of legendary status among his fans in the young age. I will shock you. In the North of Nigeria, especially in Kano of all places, Wizkid is like a god. His music is loved by the Northern youths and Kano alone can shut down if the talakawas ever hear that Wizkid is performing there. I was shocked to find this out recently.
Such is the power of music in the present age.
But I would also advocate that Wizkid and Linda bury the hatchet. This beef is unnecessary, even if it’s entertaining some people.
Let’s all just get along, please.”
