Maverick (Kizz Daniel Album)

''Maverick'' is the fourth studio album by Nigerian singer Kizz Daniel. It was released on 28 July 2023, through Flyboy Inc and Empire Distribution. The album features guest appearances from Johnny Drille, Yemi Alade, Blaqbonez, Becky G, Young Jonn, Jahmiel, Tekno, Pryme, Nomcebo Zikode, Chike, Not3s and DJ Big N, and Daniel's two children Jalil and Jelani. Kizz Daniel enlisted production from Philkeyz, DeeYasso, Yung Willis, Shugavibez, Reward Beatz, Xtofa, Roc Legion, M.O.G Beatz, Ayzed, DJ Coublon, Mr. Soul, Johnny Drille, Blaisebeatz, Fiokee, Sparrq and Juwonmix.

Background and recording

Kizz Daniel began working on ''Maverick'' at his Lagos residence just three months prior to its release. Originally, the artist had planned to release an album titled ''Color of Happiness'' in 2023, but due to "in-house reasons," he decided to create a new project, which became ''Maverick''. The album explores personal themes related to family, life, and loss, reflecting on Kizz Daniel's experiences over the three years since his last release. As the title suggests, ''Maverick'' embodies Kizz Daniel's decision to create music on his own terms, combining introspective moments with his signature Afrobeats sound.

Singles

The lead single "Flex," was released on 26 February 2021 and was produced by DJ Coublon. The second single, "Buga," features Tekno and was produced by Blaisebeatz, Yung Willis and Reward Beatz. Kizz Daniel announced the release of "Buga" on Instagram on the day of 4 May 2022, offering a ₦1,000,000 prize for the best Buga video content, with fans serving as the judges. He encouraged followers to participate and provided the link to the song in his bio. The third single "Cough (Odo)" was released on 14 October 2022, and was the lead single off the Empire Distribution compilation album, '' Where We Come From, Vol. 01'' (2022). The song was produced by Blaisebeatz with uncredited production from Philkeyz. The fourth single off ''Maverick'', " RTID (Rich Till I Die)" was released on 6 January 2023, with production from Reward Beatz and Blaisebeatz, and a video directed by TG Omori that reached over 1.7 million views in the span of three days. The Reward Beatz-produced fifth single off ''Maverick'', "Shu-Peru," was released on 12 May 2023, and was mixed and mastered by Jaycen Joshua. The sixth single is the remix of the third single, "Cough (Odo)," and was remixed with Becky G on 21 July 2023. The seventh single off the album " My G" was released on 9 October 2023 with a TG Omori-directed music video.

Critical reception

The album received mixed reviews from critics. Adeayo Adebiyi of Pulse Nigeria critiqued ''Maverick'' for lacking artistic depth, variety, and excitement, calling it a monotonous experience. While praising the album's opener "Red & Green" and some moments like "Feran You Two," Adebiyi found the project to be disappointingly unvaried across its 20 tracks. He gave the album a rating of 5.5/10, labeling it "average." Patrick Ezema of Afrocritik described ''Maverick'' as an uncertain and directionless album, noting that Kizz Daniel struggles to evolve musically. While the album has its good moments, the writing often falls flat, and the music feels repetitive. Ezema summarized, “Ultimately, ''Maverick'' fails to find its footing.” He also gave the album a rating of 5.5/10.

Track listing

Personnel

* Oluwatobiloba "Kizz Daniel" Anidugbe – vocals, writer, executive producer
* Augustine "Tekno" Kelechi – vocals, writer
* Emeka "Blaqbonez" Akumefule – vocals, writer
* Rebbeca "Becky G" Gomez – vocals, writer
* Chike Osebuka – vocals, writer
* Promise "Pryme" Nwabueke - vocals, writer
* Lukman "Not3s" Odunaike - vocals, writer
* Yemi Alade - vocals, writer
* John "Young Jonn" Udomboso - vocals, writer
* Nomcebo Zikode - vocals, writer
* Nonso "DJ Big N" Ajufo - vocals, writer
* John "Johnny Drille" Ighodaro – vocals, writer, producer
* Akwuba Charles Ugochukwu – producer, writer
* Marcel "Blaisebeatz" Akunwata – producer
* Philip "Philkeyz" Chukwuka – producer
* Dennis "DeeYasso" Yasso - producer
* Daniel "Yung Willis" Williams - producer
* Godwin "Shugavibez" Ifeanyi - producer
* Olawale "Reward Beatz" Isaac - producer
* Mbah "Xtofa" Christoper - producer
* Joseph "Roc Legion" Watchorn - producer
* John "M.O.G. Beatz" Dosunmu-Mensah - producer
* Azuka "Ayzed" Akaeze - producer
* Koroma "Mr. Soul"Richard - producer
* Ifiok "Fiokee" Effanga - producer
* Ayomikun "Sparrq" Emmanuel-Aro - producer
* Juwonmix - producer

Release history

References

{{Kizz Daniel

Afrobeats albums
Yoruba-language albums
2023 albums
Albums produced by Blaisebeatz
Albums produced by DJ Coublon
Albums produced by Philkeyz
Albums produced by Yung Willis
Albums produced by M.O.G Beatz
Kizz Daniel albums
Albums produced by Killertunes