In its most fundamental concept in biology, evolution is the process by which organisms change over successive generations. When you apply that context to art and music invariably, it is safe to deduce that an artiste’s sonic evolution is the process in which they grow and change over successive eras, most likely denoted by album cycles.
The best of artistes undergo meaningful evolution phases to ensure longevity in their respective fields. Great art imitates reality, while amplifying its beauty so it makes sense for artists to undergo notable changes, after encountering new experiences and lifestyle upheavals. Evolution isn’t a one-size-fits-all concept and it takes a myriad of varying forms.
Some artists transition into different genres over time, while some become more sophisticated versions of their OG sonic identity. Sometimes artistes shed layers of dynamism and become much more…laidback and calm iterations of theirselves. Some others remain rooted in their dominant genre of music, but evolve their thematic arcs over time to tell progressive stories that chronicle growth and evolution.
Basically, there is a lot of nuance to consider when evaluating an artist’s evolution and the merit to it. After understanding what type of evolution they’re opting for, then the end-product of said evolution needs to be gauged for the same level of artistic merit the prior version held. Sure, artists sacrifice core aspects of their artistry in between transitions but if they’re not making up for said loss with something new and invaluable, then there is a depletion of dynamism and that is a failed transition.
Afrobeats Veterans like Wizkid and Olamide are the prime examples of great sonic evolutions in their era. The older Wizkid records had a charismatic ‘lamba bite to it, that has made way for a much calmer, rhythmic version that places emphasis on ambience and mood over grooves. Sure, it might not make you move your body like before but it’s probably better therapeutic mood music.
Olamide has also outgrown the high pitched, aggressive flows that defined his peak as a rapper, and with time his voice morphed into a baritone and his cadence into something with heavier gravitas and unmissable clarity. Perhaps, his rapping isn’t as ‘nuclear’ as it used to be but his most recent albums are much more sonically cohesive and refined. Both legends sacrificed certain key traits of their artistry but gained new attributes that justify the transition.
We’re more than halfway into the decade and have already witnessed the younger generation go through the motions in real time. Rema’s sophomore album saw a sharp deviation into hyper-pop territory, after a preceding EP that heralded a new phase and prior music that teased his rave music tendencies. Omah Lay’s sophomore album sees him embracing the vices he once scorned as demons on his debut album, while Fireboy DML has gone from a naive, starry-eyed lover on his debut to a more assured, confident one on his latest outing.
The aforementioned examples all justify their evolutions in their own right. They might not be everyone’s favorite versions of said artists, but there is absolutely new merit that was unearthed after said transition. Now to get to the matter at hand, or rather topic of the article – Ckay. Weeks ago after teasing his new single featuring Kidd Carder, there was a resulting vociferous protest and scrutiny online about the direction of his artistry.
Look, people don’t like change in the first place. It’s the main reason why nostalgia always sells. Once people find a resonant quality to a piece of art, they want it to remain the same. Despite the great evolution examples cited in this article and how they’ve been mostly successful, there was initial backlash and protest too before most people came around to it. So is that simply what is happening with Ckay? Are people only going to adjust in due time?
Sad Romance was the ultimate encapsulation of everything Ckay in all the right ways. Moody yet sensual ambience, toxic coping mechanics, simple but relatable writing that struck emotional chords and great melodic harmonies too. On his sophomore outing, Emotions—Ckay attempted a sharp deviation from his roots, but unlike Rema who soft launched his deviation with a great EP and provided enough artistic merit post-evolution, Ckay hasn’t done the same.
Now using our established criteria for assessing evolutions, let’s take a closer look at Ckay’s. His first three projects—two EPs and debut album—were records anchored in emotional resonance. They existed within the tempo and soul of R&B and were also embedded with the angst and emotions of ’emo’ records. This writer isn’t a fan of Afrobeats artists coining out personal monikers to define their own brand of Afropop, as it detracts from the global feasibility of Afrobeats but Ckay was mostly right when he dubbed his music, ’emo-Afrobeats.’
As I opined in my Emotions review, the problem of that album stemmed from Ckay chasing hits, which landed him in soundscapes where he couldn’t replicate the core elements of his emo artistry or replace them with new invaluable ones. It was generic pop music because his music has always been an acquired taste, but the runaway success of Love Nwantiti had placed him in the strata of superstars where he had to compete with artists who had the knack of churning out multiple hits.
Ckay has doubled down since then, despite Emotions being panned and he is laser focused on anything that would give him a hit record. Fortunately and unfortunately for him, Body paid off last year thanks to a culturally viable Mavo verse and Ckay is now stuck in limbo—chasing the high off that formular and hoping he can replicate the same success with his new offerings. Once again, there has been no new merit that has been unearthed in this new version of Ckay.
The emotions and sensuality of his music has been stripped away for…pop music that gets you on your feet? There is nothing inherently wrong with groovy pop music, but that can’t be all there is to your new identity after you abandoned a much distinct old one. Ckay can tweet that Fela also sang about yansh, despite the legend being a topical heavyweight in his music but Fela always remained rooted in his sonic roots and when he did breach promiscuous topics, it was always as a by-product of his decadent morality and society’s.
So are people right to scrutinise the abrupt turn Ckay’s music has taken? Mostly yes. There is very little artistic merit to it and it’s not borne from an organic growth of his old music, but rather a desperate attempt to keep chasing hit songs. If Ckay had approached his transition into mainstream territory with more intention and care, then this ‘evolution’ wouldn’t have come off so…forced and unnatural.
Matter of fact, it could have been smooth because promiscuity has always been a thematic occurence in his music, so establishing a link from that to pure hedonism is in no way an herculean task. Unfortunately though, Ckay has become the most recent example of an artist milking a moment past its expiry date. He’s not the first and he certainly won’t be the last to fail at this because when the audience clocks your gimmick, the least you could do is give them great music that they can’t help but enjoy.
And with Badaminton, African Girls and even the Raba snippet—Ckay has consistently failed to do that.
