Wizkid: Celebrating Black Excellence In AfroPop Music

by Duke Magazine

Wizkid, born as Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun, is a Nigerian Grammy award-winning singer and songwriter. He is the founder and CEO of Starboy Entertainment. 

Born in 1990, the hip-hop star began recording music at the young age of 11 was shot to fame giving credit to his breakthrough single “Holla at Your Boy” in 2011.

Wizkid has since gone all the way out to remain trendy in Nigeria entertainment space of music with several collaborations with Nigerian and international acts. He has however curated a distinct niche of music to himself, Afrobeat, his inspiration that stemmed from Fela Kuti, Bob Marley, and King Sunny Ade. Wizkid became the first afrobeat artiste to appear in the 2018 Guinness World Records for his contribution to “One Dance”. This global hit song collaboration with Drake had a number one spot on billboard charts in 15 countries, including the United States, Canada, Australia, and United Kingdom. The music star has had several international musical tour across the United States and United Kingdom. 

In the line of endorsements, Wizkid has been a grand ambassador of companies like MTN, Glo, Pepsi, and Guinness. 

The Nigerian legendary musician is a recipient of several awards and recognitions for his remarkable contributions to the world of music. Being one of the decorated artists to have come out of Africa, the 30-year-old music sensation won Grammy Award for Best Music Video as a lead artist on Beyoncé’s “Brown Skin Girl”, receiving his first Grammy Award. Also, Wizkid is the most awarded African at the BET Awards and the most awarded artist in the history of Headies Award.

Today, the “Holla at Your Boy” crooner is the most-streamed Nigerian artist of all time on Spotify  with over 3.4 billion streams across all credits. 

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