Senegalese-American singer and music executive, Akon, has claimed that Nigerian Afrobeats superstar, Wizkid, was still an ordinary local act before he signed and helped project him to the world.
He made this bold statement during a chat on the Bagfuel Brigade podcast released earlier this week.
According to the “Lonely” crooner, he spotted Wizkid’s potential as far back as 2008 and took him under his wing as the first Nigerian artiste signed to his Konvict Music label.
“In 2008, I spent my time in Nigeria developing what you see today as Afrobeats. And all of them can attest to it,” Akon said.
He continued, “Wizkid was just the local Nigerian star before we touched him and it opened up to a bigger market.”
The 51-year-old music mogul didn’t stop there. He also added that his label went on to sign the duo, P-Square, claiming they were “the first Nigerian group that made it internationally.”
Akon, who has worked with global names like Michael Jackson, Lady Gaga and T-Pain, argued that without his early intervention, the global wave of Afrobeats might have never happened.
“I wouldn’t want to take credit for all of it but I can tell you that if we didn’t do what we did, Afrobeats would still have been in the same position it was when we got there [Nigeria in 2008]. That I can tell you 100 per cent,” he said.
He added that what Nigerian artistes had in talent back then, they lacked in music business structure.
“I brought the business side of music to Afrobeats because all they knew about was the creative. There was no business, no infrastructure, none of it attached to it,” he added.
Akon’s comments have sparked fresh debate among fans online, especially those loyal to Wizkid, who believe the “Essence” singer earned his stripes without riding anyone’s back.
Wizkid, born Ayodeji Balogun, rose to fame in Nigeria after dropping his 2010 hit single “Holla at Your Boy” under Banky W’s Empire Mates Entertainment, before going fully international with songs like Come Closer, Ojuelegba, and Essence.
As of now, Wizkid has not responded publicly to Akon’s claims.
