Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun (Wizkid) is a popular Nigerian musician. He is a Nigerian songwriter and singer. He started doing music at a very early age and made a joint album with his church friends, Glorious 5. His music is a fusion of Afrobeats, R&B, Dancehall, Reggae, and pop.
Wizkid rose to stardom at age 19 after releasing his debut single, “Holla At Your Boy”. He is also known as Starboy, Big Wiz, Daddy Yo, and Baban’la.
Below Are The Major Things In The Life Of Wizkid;
Early Life And Education
Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun was born on the 16th of July 1990 into a polygamous family. He is the last born of 12 female siblings. Wizkid was born and brought up in Ojuelegba, Surulere, Lagos State. His mother was a Pentecostal Christian and his father is a Muslim.
The Polygamous family he was born into made it a tough beginning for him. His father married 3 wives and there were little or no resources to go around. He always recounted how life was difficult for him and his siblings and how his mother stood by him and supported his music despite all odds.
Furthermore, he attended Ijebu Ode Grammar School and in mid-2009, he dropped out from Lagos State University (LASU). Also, he quit Lead City University after 2 years.
Career Beginning
He listened to Bob Marley, Fela Kuti, and King Sunny Ade while growing up. He and his church friends formed a musical group called the Glorious Five. Before the music band was dissolved, they released an album together.
Until 2006, his stage name was Lil Prinz. He met with a record producer, OJB Jezreel. OJB stopped him from recording for a whole year, as he allowed him in his studio to watch music stars of the time record and produce their songs.
Furthermore, he met artists like 2Face, Sound Sultan, Naeto C, etc. He was just 15 at the time when he was being mentored and coached by Naeto C. Also, he was in the studio when Sound Sultan’s debut album “Jagbanjatis” was being made.
In 2009, he got signed to Empire Mates Entertainment (EME). The record label was co-owned by a popular Nigerian RnB singer, Banky W. During his artist development in the label, he co-wrote a song on Banky W’s The “W Experience” album. He also worked with Naeto C. and MI.
Superstar
In late 2009, he started recording music for his debut album. On 2 January 2010, he released his generational hit single “Holla at Your Boy”. The hit single won him the Next Rated award at The 2011 Headies.
The album’s 2nd single, Tease Me/Bad Guys was released on 2 April 2010, followed by the 3rd single “Don’t Dull”. Finally, on 12 June 2011, the “Superstar” album was released by EME. The album encompasses Afrobeats, R&B, reggae, and dance hall.
Consequently, the album went on to break barriers, as the impact of the album was heavily felt across the nation. The classic album sold millions of copies and it is regarded today as the best debut by any Nigerian act since 1999. In addition, it is regarded as one of the few albums that changed the Nigerian pop sound to what it is today.
The album won the Album of The Year at the Nigeria Entertainment Awards (NEA) and got a nod at The Headies 2012 for Album of The Year.
Ayo
He toured London in 2012 after the success of the album. On 4 June 2012, he lit up the HMV Apollo with his album. His label did a compilation album in that same year and he was the standout guy in the compilation.
Furthermore, EME artists like Skales, Shaydee, and Niyola along with Wizkid and Banky W toured the United States of America. The tour started in July 2012 and ended in September. In addition, he performed alongside Angel, Kendrick Lamar, Trey Songz, and Tulisa at the BBC Radio 1xtra live O2 Academy in Brixton.
In 2014, he released his sophomore, self-titled album, “Ayo”. The album featured Femi Kuti, Banky W, Akon, Seyi Shay, Phyno, and Wale. Sarz, Legendury Beatz, Dokta Frabz, Spellz, Uhuru, Del B, and Shizzi handled the production of the album. The album produced several hits such as ” Ojuelegba”, “Jaiye Jaiye, ” Bombay”, “Joy”, ” On Top Your Matter”, etc.
Earlier in 2014, Wizkid became the first Nigerian musician to surpass 1 million followers on the then Twitter, now X.
Following the release of the “Ayo” album, Wizkid left EME and established his own record label, Starboy Entertainment. He signed Maleek Berry, Mr Eazi, Efya, Terri, and DJ Tunez in the subsequent years.
Ojuelegba And The Story Changed
On 5 January 2015, he released the visual for the song “Ojuelegba”. The video tells the story of the struggles he faced while on the come-up. The song brought the attention of British-Nigeria rapper, who played it for Canadian rapper, Drake.
As a result, the two rappers jumped on the remix of the song. In July 2015, Ojuelegba remix was premiered on OVO Sound Radio. On 5 April 2016, his feature on Drake’s “One Dance” took over everywhere. On 12 May 2016, the song got to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart. It was No. 1 for 10 non-consecutive weeks.
Furthermore, the song topped the charts in 15 countries outside the United States including the United Kingdom, France, Canada, and Germany. The hit song became Wizkid’s No. 1 in these countries.
RCA Record Label
He signed a record deal with RCA Records in March 2017. He released his 3rd album “Sounds From The Other Side” on the label. The album comprises Afrobeats, EDM, house music, and R&B. Drake, Chris Brown, Ty Dollar Sign, Efya, Major Lazer, Bucie, and Trey Songz. Despite the commercial success of the album, it wasn’t well received on the home front. However, it did well internationally as it debuted at 107 on the US Billboard 200. In addition, it debuted at 58 on the Canadian Albums Chart.
For his collaboration on “One Dance”, he became the 1st Afrobeat star to appear in Guinness World Records. His hit single “Soco” became the first Afrobeats song to be certified in Canada. Later in 2018, he was featured on Normani and Calvin Harris‘s “Checklist”. The song got to No. 1 on the Billboard World Digital Sales Chart.
His First Grammy win And Made In Lagos
Wizkid was featured on “The Gift” album by Beyoncé amongst various Afrobeats artists. He got featured on “Brown Skin Girl”. The song was the most popular in the album and was described as one of the shining moments of the year. Furthermore, the video of the song earned him his first Grammy for ” Best Music Video”. He also won several international awards for his songwriting on the song. He won 2 Soul Train Awards, and a NAACP Image Award.
After he released “Joro” and “Ghetto Love” in August, he ended the year with an EP, Soundman Vol. 1. The EP was released on his Starboy Label. On 16 July 2016, he released a single “Smile” ft H.E.R to his highly anticipated album, Made In Lagos (MIL). On 17 September, Wizkid released the 2nd single titled “No Stress” and made an announcement that MIL would be released on 15 October 2020.
However, the album was later postponed due to the End SARS protests across the nation. On 30 October 2020, the album was released. MIL became a groundbreaking album and reshaped the “Afrobeats to the World” movement. “Essence” ft Tems, a single from the album became the 1st Nigerian song to make it to the US Billboard Hot 100. Aside from Tems, he also featured Burnaboy, Damian Marley, Terri, Ella Mai, Tay Iwar, and Projexx.
On 13 August 2021, Wizkid released an “Essence” remix, (which was on the album Deluxe) that has Justin Bieber, the song peaked at No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100. It became the highest-charting song by an African act in 2021.
In addition, the album and the hit single “Essence” got Grammy nods at the 64th Grammy Award but they lost out on the Award night.
More Love Less Ego, Soundman Vol. 2, Morayo
In September 2022, Wizkid became the 1st African act in history to headline the Rolling Loud Toronto hip-hop festival. On 11 November 2022, he released his 4th studio album, More Love Less Ego. The album has Skepta, Ayra Starr, Naira Marley, Don Toliver, Skillibeng, and Shenseea. It was executively produced by P2J. The album did well but fell short of the standard MIL set.
In December 2023, he released Soundman Vol 2. The EP has only Zlatan Ibile featured on it.
His 5th studio album “Morayo” is reportedly on its way. The album’s name is after his late mother. Wizkid’s mother passed away on 18 August 2023.
Personal Life
Wizkid has 4 sons with 3 different women. Early in his career when he just had his first son, it was reported he was a deadbeat father.
Legacy
Wizkid is credited with the popularization of Afrobeats globally. He introduced the genre to a wider audience internationally when he broke out in 2010. And he is still one of the major artists flying the genre today. He has spent over 13 years in the Nigerian music industry.
Conclusion
Wizkid’s rise has been regarded as a phenomenon. A teenage boy who grew up in Surelere, Lagos, took up the challenge of music with the baggage and became great at it. His impact on African music is so immersive.
Wizkid’s story will inspire every young child in Africa and the ones to come. You can become anything you want to be no matter how young you are.
