“Essence” is truly coming for song of the summer status. Black Twitter is having a wide range of reactions to WizKid‘s “Essence” remix with Justin Bieber, with many fans complaining about the new version of the song, while others are praising the remix for taking the song “to the next level”
WizKid’s latest hit, “Essence,” is one of the biggest songs of the season. From his 2020 Made in Lagos album, the song has done exceptionally well on the U.S. charts, steadily climbing the Billboard Hot 100 since its release, currently sitting at No. 54.
On Thursday, WizKid announced the remix of “Essence” on his official Instagram account, giving little to no notice to his fans.
The remix is a part of WizKid’s upcoming deluxe version of Made in Lagos, set to drop on Aug. 27. Bieber himself took to Instagram to officially thank WizKid for letting him feature on the remix, writing in a caption, “Thank u for letting me jump on the song of the summer. Essence remix out now.”
The remix is sure to only help the success of the track. Speaking to the viral nature of the song, Paul Rosenberg, the CEO of Def Jam, told Billboard,”That song has become emblematic of being back outside. Then, a narrative on the internet started about the song being the song of the summer — and we took that energy and ran with it.”
Black Twitter had a varied reaction to the remix.
Cheekily referencing the lyrics of the song, one user seemed to think the song was just fine without Bieber, writing, “Listening to Wizkid and Tems song remix with Justin Bieber and I’m like We don’t need no other bodies on that song…”
Another user seemed to be upset that Bieber, a white artist, was hopping onto the track, writing, “Now I’m fully upset, not the essence remix with Justin Bieber… The most popular afrobeats song of all time went worldwide and white people could not help but to colonize again. Africa, build that wall!”
Some seemed to appreciate the remix, however, indicating that Justin hopping on the song may be exactly what WizKid needs to get a worldwide number 1 hit.
One user wrote, “Those saying Wizkid doesn’t need Justin Bieber to hop on “Essence Remix” should go find out what happened when Justin Bieber hopped on “Despacito”. Sometimes, that little “stardust” is all that’s needed to turn a hit into a worldwide #1 smash.”
Another user went on to call WizKid the best in Africa after the remix, writing, “After listening to Essence remix with Justin Bieber, it’s clear that Wizkid is the biggest in Africa right now. No bias, just fact.”
Another user seemed to agree, writing in a tweet, “Justin Bieber sang his heart on Essence remix. You can feel the emotion he introduced in the remix of the song. The Pop influence that he introduced has officially made Essence the afro song of the year for me. Wizkid, Tems, and Justin Bieber are geniuses.”
On Friday morning, the song is already #8 on trending on YouTube. Listen to the remix below:
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