Styling it out as one of the leading Afrobeats artists in the world, Kizz Daniel continues to impress with the release of his incredible fourth studio album, titled “Maverick”. The album contains 20 tracks which include collaborations with Becky G, Not3s, Yemi Alade, Tekno, Young Jonn, Chike, Jahmiel, Blaqbonez, Pryme, Jelani, DJ Big N, Nomcebo Zikode, Jalil, and Johnny Drille. This album release acts as the follow-up to Kizz Daniel’s collaboration with Becky G on “Cough”.
Kizz Daniel, born Oluwatobiloba Daniel Anidugbe, is a Nigerian recording artist, performer and entertainer, and one of Africa’s highly sought-after Afropop/Afrobeat kings. He rose to fame with his chart-topping single “Woju” under his previously known name, Kiss Daniel, and has continued to impress with critically acclaimed songs such as “Yeba”, “Nesesari”, “Buga”, and “Cough”. Kizz Daniel is signed to his own record label, Fly Boy Inc. Born in Ogun State, Nigeria, and hailing from Abeokuta North, he graduated from the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, in 2013, with a degree in Water Resources Management and Agrometeorology, but decided to pursue music as a career alongside his studies. With four studio albums and an EP under his belt, Kizz Daniel continues to showcase his musical prowess with his latest album, featuring the first single “Shu-Peru”. He was officially the most streamed African artist in the first two quarters of 2022 with his collaboration with Philkeyz, titled “Nesesari”, being his most-streamed track on Spotify, with 87.9 million streams.
Speaking about the inspiration behind “Maverick”, Kizz Daniel says: “A lot of things have happened over the years, and I think it’s time for me to just express myself. I don’t want to prove anything to anyone on this body of work. The only thing that kept coming to my mind when we were making this album was pretty much that I want to do me, and what I know how to do, I want to make music the way I want to make music. For ‘Maverick’, it’s my expression, and I think the music will explain itself. I want to give a piece of me that I have been hiding all this while.”
Diving deeper into his thought process for making the album and calling it “Maverick”, Kizz Daniel adds: “I am very passionate about this body of work, and I want it to make sense. It’s not like there’s no ‘gbedu’ there, but then, the most part of this album is actually my journey, I even have songs for my kids on the project as well. ‘Maverick’ is someone that sticks out, someone that doesn’t go with the norm, but goes their own way. I have always seen myself as a maverick from the onset, but I feel I have been shying away from that label, so I’ve decided to embrace it on this album.”
Stream “Maverick” by Kizz Daniel on Spotify here:
The album starts off with “Red & Green”, a pleasing progressive Afrobeats track that leads the listener in and prepares us for what is to come. Soulful and coming from the heart, Kizz Daniel shows off his vocals in this introduction track before plunging into a fired-up rap verse that is rhythmic and strong. “My G” follows next, starting off with a soulful choir chorus that flows perfectly from the previous track. Proving why he is one of the top Afrobeats stars in the world, Kizz Daniel has epic flow, incredible lyrics, and unforgettable vocals, wrapping together Afrobeats, soul, hip-hop, and rap. The tuneful backing beat hits hard and brings an addictive melody that you can’t help but love. “Flex” is the third track, which brings versatility to the table, not that Kizz Daniel needs to show even more versatility, giving a jazzy, reggae vibe of a backing track that is infused with iconic Afrobeats style while this top artist delivers with rhythmic energy. The fourth track on the album is “Cough (Odo)”, which starts off with cough vocal sounds (we should’ve expected it), which has crisp vocals from Kizz Daniel over a melodic backing track and an awesome addictive chorus. It’s not a surprise that this is his most popular track on Spotify at the moment.
Next up is the first of many collaborations, this one with Pryme, titled “Show You Off”. It begins stripped-back with vocal cords kicking off the beat starting with an addictive chorus guaranteed to draw the listeners in, right before the melodic verses kick in with both Kizz Daniel and Pryme bringing integrity, heart, and feelings, certain to give chills to the listener – this song clearly means a lot to them. The seventh track is “Shu-Peru” which takes Salt-N-Pepa’s 1993 hit “Shoop” and reworks it into an Afrobeats style that is full of summer vibes and one catchy hook that we absolutely love. His collaboration with Tekno is next, titled “Buga (Lo Lo Lo)”, which starts with a rhythmic drum beat and plunges the entire album into a more Afrobeats style – perfect for following “Shu-Peru”. Tekno and Kizz Daniel work brilliantly together giving an all-around African sound with a chorus that sounds like no other track we’ve heard and fully grips its listeners – this is one of those songs you have to listen to again and again, and so it’s unsurprising to see it has raked in 62.7 million Spotify streams. “Feran You Two” follows next, which is a collaboration with Jalil and Jelani, and starts off with a piano chord with one of the artists asking a child if they want to say something into the microphone, and then we hear a child’s babble. This comes off as an interesting demo-like interlude before it launches into some incredible vocals and a choir chorus that beams the entire track. It may seem familiar as it samples and reworks Cyndi Lauper’s hit track “True Colors”. We hear the child’s babble again towards the end of the song.
Kizz Daniel teams up with Johnny Drille for track number nine, “Feran Mi”. This brings the album back to Afropop as we know it, with both artists impressing vocally and lyrically as they bring heart-filled emotion. There are depths of hip-hop included as they add an addictive bridge but it’s that gorgeous chorus that is just going to stick with us for the rest of the week – this is the laid-back summer track from the album that we need to hear while sunbathing on a beach. Following that is “Complicated” which is a collaboration with Jahmiel, Nomcebo Zikode, and Not3s. This is a stand-out track on the album for all the right reasons, it’s got versatility, soulfulness, and a rhythmic jazzy Afrobeats backing track which shouldn’t work but totally does as it compliments all four artists. Every single one of the artists shines throughout with each of them making their parts known and their own with Jahmiel’s Afrorap, Nomcebo Zikode’s harmonies and her soulful verse, Not3s showing British rap energy, and Kizz Daniel holding the track together with his vocals. “E’better” is track number 11, and after four collaborations, it’s nice to have a solo track that is pure Kizz Daniel’s Afrobeats signature style with a rhythmic groove and an addictive melody. Track 12 is titled “Blood Is Thicker”, bringing his unforgettable hip-hop sound mixed in with Afrobeats that is one of those tracks that has massive viral potential for TikTok as the beat breaks and vocal segments are perfect for short video usages.
“One Dollar” is next up, which is a collaboration with Blaqbonez. This track is unique in itself as they deliver a darker Afrobeats energy that includes soulful brass instruments that brings a nostalgic vibe to listeners, almost as if this is inspired by the 1980s. The collaboration with Chike is next, titled “Easy To Love”, which has a laid-back vibe that is full of love and passion as the artists champion the women in their lives who they love. When the right person comes along, it’s easy to love them. A sweet song that is sure to melt many hearts. Track 15 is “Pour”, which shows off Kizz Daniel’s creative side as he experiments with his own signature sound, transforming the Afrobeats style that we know and love from him, and giving us an alternative rhythmic vibe with deep beats and intricate melodies. “Never” is next up, which spins what we heard in the previous track into a deep soulful Afropop number with rap energy that also includes another choir chorus but it’s used as part of the backing track creating a powerful progressive rhythm that is hard not to adore.
Track number 17 is “Anchovy” which brings back the intricate and beaty backing track with experimental instrumental chords used, showing off Kizz Daniel’s incredible artistry as he melds his vocals with these complex melodies. “RTID (Rich Till I Die)” follows next and we love this one as he shows off his iconic Afrobeats sound and style. This track is pure Kizz Daniel from start to finish with a confident attitude in his lyrics and strength in his vocals as he believes in every single word. This is the perfect choice for the last solo track as it leaves a brilliant lasting impression of who Kizz Daniel is. Following this track is “Side Chick”, which is a collaboration with DJ Big N, Yemi Alade, and Young Jonn. Giving Afropop throughout, this track allows Yemi Alade and Young Jonn to shine completely as the former comes in with a brilliant female vocal while the latter brings a powerful rap. That’s twisted around Kizz Daniel and DJ Big N’s vibes, making this an undeniable treasure on the album. Wrapping the album up is the worldwide surprise collaboration between Kizz Daniel and Latin superstar, Becky G, giving us a Latin-Afrobeats anthem that we didn’t know we needed until we first heard it. Remixing the Kizz Daniel hit track, this one is titled “Cough” and doesn’t switch up the original that much, but Becky G has laid down a Latin verse towards the end of the track that mixes the two styles of the artists bringing something new to the track with a few added harmonies in the chorus. The female vocals are refreshing to hear on the track and Becky G completely shines to no end while Kizz Daniel brings his effortless Afrobeats energy – we expect nothing less from him. This collaboration is one that should go down in history!
“Maverick”, the fourth studio album from Kizz Daniel, is available to download and stream, right now, across all platforms, via FlyBoy INC / EMPIRE.