On ‘Everytime’ singer finds the perfect Afropop meeting point for Future

There’s a simplicity in the Caribbean bounce and melody that allows Future to blend in and match Wizkid, line for line.

Many people are obsessed with Future and Wizkid's lifestyle but don't want to work hard like them  (Instagram/wizkidayo)

Who would have ever thought that we could hear Future on a beat that is African, and appeals to our local music palates? Who would have thought?

But Wizkid has done that. Just two months after the release of his major label debut “Sounds from the Other Side,” Wizkid is back with new music. On Tuesday (Sept. 19), the Nigerian singer shared his latest collaboration with Future, ‘Everytime.’

Wizkid has made a lot of noise about this on social media. The Nigerian artists have previously collaborated with Hip-hop musicians on his records, but it has never sounded this good. (Don’t mention Drake, he is more than a rapper).

Produced by Shizzi with additional help from Saalam Remi, “Everytime” finds Future and Wizkid obsessing over a woman as they croon over an Afrobeat instrumental. “I think about you every day, every second,”Future sings. “You got something in your whine that makes me hot.”

Shizzi picks a production built around throbbing guitars, a mesmerising vibe that holds you from the beginning, and Wizkid took it from there. There’s a simplicity in the Caribbean bounce and melody that allows Future to blend in and match him, line for line.

Wizkid is all swagger on the record, crooning flowery praises for his lady. “Baby when you leave I no go leave oh, girl I wanna stay here with you…” he sings. It’s still normal service for him. It’s the same style and delivery he captured perfectly on “Sounds From The Other Side.” Switching effortlessly between pidgin, English and patois.

Wizkid, who recently released his project "Sounds from the Other Side," played a set which included some of his greatest hits at the Nottinghill Carnival.  (Instagram/Wizkidayo)

What Future brings is minimal, but he’s the guest here. His presence ensures that the chorus and second verse becomes a call-and-response affair. It’s like a relay. Wizkid picks up the baton, passes it across to him, and he runs a little lap before handing it back. Division of labour, some would call it.

The collaboration between the two is just the latest high-profile one for Wizkid, following songs with Wale, Drake, Chris Brown and Major Lazer. The singer’s most recent album also featured appearances from Trey Songz and Ty Dolla $ign. That’s a lot of top names in such a small amount of time. But credit to Wizkid for always finding new ways to utilise his collaborations to make impactful records.

How did this collaboration even come about? Who connected Wizkid and Future? I imagine it’s the good folks at RCA who are bent on extracting the best from their new star. Future belongs to Epic Records, which is still owned by Sony.  Or maybe Wizkid simply bumped into him at a club, sipping on a cup of lean, and smoking some good stuff.