Artiste: Maziyke

After listening to “Let Dem Say”, you come off with the feeling, here finally is an artiste and track worth their salt.
In these days of declining musicianship and artistry, WOKOIKE’s return with this massive international track is a highly welcome development. The days of great , good music are back!

This smash hit is a brilliant assemblage of multiple genres: Afro-sounds, jazz, pop,rock, rhythm and blues, soul, Afro-soul , etc, into a truly seminal recording that is at once compelling,soulful and evocatively nostalgic. If great music is your thing, then, this is your track.
Being the veteran that he is, I couldn’t have expected lesser musicianship from the maestro, WOKOIKE; and he proved pointedly, that the long wait by his fans around the world was worth it. He rewarded them with this ingeniously crafted masterpiece of a track, Let Dem Say.
The song opens beautifully with a richly blended doowop style chorus that sweeps you up in a soothing musical high.
Scoring truly professional harmonies has been a recurrent weakness of many of today’s tracks. But WOKOIKE would have none of that! The choruses here are beautifully blended,soothing, soulful, bright, crisp and silky. He ensured that department was well taken care of.

And his own lead vocals are a master class in vocal delivery. Bristling with soul,style and experience, he effortlessly breathed them on the mic with the flair and expertise of a vocal guru. His velvety rich voice was in its A game. Every line is a masterstroke! Don’t take my word for it; go listen for yourself and come thank me later for this rec.
And a thing about veterans is their ucanny ability to craft their song on the appropriate sonic key that maximizes both their own lead voice and the other instruments and voices on the track. It’s a function of great song writing, and WOKOIKE had that crucial question sorted out in the writing of this scintillating track.
The songs’s mid tempoed rhythm makes it a soothing, delightful listening piece.

“Let Dem Say what they like
Let Dem do what they want
I’ll never give up on you
I’ll never stop loving you….”, he croons!

That’s a bold love declaration!
And appropriately titled, “Let Dem Say” is a bold love declaration. Lovers around the world and indeed those pledging their love in marital vows just received a big boost and a new love anthem in this classic track. This is your next big international song on the key of love.Trust me!
And the soulful, anthemic baseline of this track rumbles sonically and definitively underneath throughout this masterpiece, as if putting a stamp on it and augmenting its mellow mood.

Spicy, classic, jazz-influenced and Spanish styled guitar riffs, and disciplinedly strummed arpeggios help tell the song’s story at professionally interspersed intervals.
The soothing world class mix and professional mastering are the icing on the cake. The total effect on you is , you want to press replay after each listen.

Carefully measured arrangements of chorus-verse alternation hold your attention and interest on the song for the 3 minutes or therebouts from its intro to to its coda.
And here’s the caveat about this massive track! The chorus is very singable and highly addictive! You might find yourself whistling the melody in the bathroom. I warned you!

This is a viral song.All the marks are in place and on point. A certified hit amongst pop, rnb, soul, urban and adult contemporary audiences.
I gladly give this 5 full stars.

Franz Dickson

Maziyke, Nigeria’s famed international singer, and award-winning record producer, formerly known as Allabama,  is back with a  sizzling, hot new gospel track titled  “Testify” !
This highly inspirational track opens gloriously with elegant guitars and soul-lifting choruses,  In it, WOKOIKE , appreciates, magnifies, thanks and praises God for His goodness.
He testifies of God’s mercies and faithfulness.

Those who know and follow the award-winning, diaspora-based music icon, have for long been wondering about the hitmaker’s long absence from the music scene.  

But he is  back with this mega-hit track which he says has a big story behind it.
The iconic singer and media tycoon opened up to Lagos-based writer, Franz Dickson in this rare chat. Hear him:
“This is the story behind ‘Testify’- a gospel track in my oncoming album release. 
“Many years ago, when I newly opened a recording studio in Castle Hill area of The Bronx, New York, I received a call from a ten-year-old kid who later introduced herself to me as Precious Ahunamba.

“The young kid told me she called me from Motifeire Hospital, East Gun Hill Road, Bronx, New York. I was startled on hearing she called me from her hospital bed. I never knew how she got my cellphone number. I had never met her family before.

” After listening to her soft voice, I realized that little Precious was a cancer patient who doctors told her  had a little time left in this world. But, she didn’t give up, and before anyone counted her out, her cancer went into remission. 

“So she told me about her dream to record a song she co-wrote  with her mother . Her dream was for me to put her out there and let the world hear her story.

“Back in the day when I was a teenager, I wrote songs for Nigeria’s singing kid prodigy, Tosin Jegede, so working with kids was part of me. It runs in me. 

“I listened to her song and wrote three more songs while she was still in  hospital. She was diagnosed with Leukemia, cancer of the bone and made it to my studio for weeks. 
Precious stood in my singing booth for hours throughout the recording sessions. It took us two months to complete the entire project. Her younger brother, who now attends one of the United States’ elite universities, also recorded a rap song I wrote during the project. 

“Precious came with her little friends, and when she went back to the hospital, we recorded in her absence.
 “The very morning of her album release and grand launching at the Holy Rosary hall, information got to me about what happened that morning at the hospital. Precious died hours before her album lunch. 
“In my state of shock and disbelief, I wept uncontrollably. That news changed my life and my career. We went ahead with the album lunch since it was her dying wish. We had a successful event albeit overshadowed by this little angel’s sudden departure. 

“Though I won the African music producer of the year for that album, I stopped producing and playing music. I was too heartbroken to play music. I saw life as a bitch and wondered why death would snatch such a little kid star away from this planet.

“My fans have all been wondering if I will ever play music again. I remember many upcoming musicians who wondered why I refused to work with them. I have not forgotten many clients who bad-mouthed me for refusing to play in their events. 
“I stopped headlining concerts and openly refused awards, including honorary doctorate awards for headling  President Obama’s African Inaugural ball in Washington DC in 2009.
“Close friends and family members had  all given up on me music-wise. So I took a long music break after headlining the Edmonton -African music festival in 2011.

“Like everyone close to me would say, I don’t usually talk much about my songs; I typically just allow the listeners to have the final say. So, there’s no age, color, religion, or race-based  stumbling block in my music. Instead, I hope to tell her story and make the world know who she was- little Precious Ahunamba.”

And that was the music maestro, WOKOIKE telling in his own words the  touching story behind the new  comeback song, “TESTIFY.”
Thankfully, WOKOIKE  has again found his voice and bounced back with this  epic track of testimonies.
He’s back to Testify  of God’s love, goodness and faithfulness. 
Testify is one of the singles from WOKOIKE’s  upcoming album.



Franz Dickson.
Lagos.

I just tested positive for COVID. I’ve had a scratchy throat for a couple days, but am feeling fine otherwise. Michelle and I are grateful to be vaccinated and boosted, and she has tested negative.

It’s a reminder to get vaccinated if you haven’t already, even as cases go down.

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) March 13, 2022

The former President of the United States, Barack Obama said on Sunday that he has tested positive for COVID-19 and is “feeling fine” other than a scratchy throat.

Both the 60-year-old Obama and his wife Michelle Obama are fully vaccinated and boosted, the former president said. Michelle Obama has tested negative.

Obama said his diagnosis is “a reminder to get vaccinated if you haven’t already, even as cases go down.”