{"id":4974,"date":"2023-10-08T18:16:19","date_gmt":"2023-10-08T23:16:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/read.streamapse.com\/?p=4974"},"modified":"2026-04-13T16:58:21","modified_gmt":"2026-04-13T21:58:21","slug":"nigerian-music-star-wizkid-taking-over-the-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/streamapse.com\/Magazine\/?p=4974","title":{"rendered":"Nigerian Music Star Wizkid \u2013 Taking Over The World"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"legacy\">Who is Nigerian music star Wizkid \u2013 and why is he taking over the world?<\/p>\n<p>The global appreciation of West Africa\u2019s Afrobeats music has grown significantly in the last decade. Afrobeats stars are touring the world, racking up record sales, winning awards and collaborating with big-name international artists.<\/p>\n<p>In fact, seven of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.musicinafrica.net\/magazine\/playlist-africas-2022-grammy-awards-nominees\">nine<\/a> African artists <a href=\"https:\/\/www.grammy.com\/news\/2022-grammys-complete-winners-nominees-nominations-list\">nominated<\/a> for a 2022 Grammy Award \u2013 one of the world\u2019s most sought after music awards \u2013 are West African. Most of these make music driven by Afrobeats sounds.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.teenvogue.com\/story\/afrobeat-history\">Afrobeats<\/a> is a broad, generic term for African contemporary popular music with rhythmic and harmonic influences of West Africa\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/art\/highlife-African-music\">highlife<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.masterclass.com\/articles\/afrobeat-music-guide#what-is-afrobeat\">Afrobeat<\/a> traditions and Euro-American funk and hip-hop.<\/p>\n<p>For the 2022 edition of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.grammy.com\">Grammy Awards<\/a>, Nigeria\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.grammy.com\/artists\/wizkid\/20080\">Wizkid<\/a> is nominated twice \u2013 for best global music album and best global performance. Wizkid <a href=\"https:\/\/www.grammy.com\/videos\/beyonce-blue-ivy-wizkid-win-best-music-video-brown-skin-girl-2021-grammy-awards-show\">won<\/a> his first Grammy Award in 2021 for the video of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=vRFS0MYTC1I\">Brown Skin Girl<\/a>, a track he made with US superstar Beyonc\u00e9.<\/p>\n<p>The 31-year-old stands out as a leading Afrobeats artist from Nigeria whose music has already made a huge sway on the charts of many countries. Wizkid boasts over 32 hits, more than 70 music awards, 50 singles and four albums, as well as sold out concert performances across Africa, Europe and America. As a result, he commands a fan base of more than 30 million combined followers on <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/wizkidayo?lang=en\">Twitter<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/wizkidmusic\">Facebook<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/wizkidayo\/?hl=en\">Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>His songs straddle the rhythmic texture of Nigerian pop that connects with West African diaspora communities across the globe. And when it comes to his career, he set his eyes firmly on America and strategically propelled himself to global fame.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/ticketstream.streamapse.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-4798\" src=\"http:\/\/streamapse.com\/Magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/smartphone-designify_Banner.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"700\" srcset=\"http:\/\/streamapse.com\/Magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/smartphone-designify_Banner.png 700w, http:\/\/streamapse.com\/Magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/smartphone-designify_Banner-300x300.png 300w, http:\/\/streamapse.com\/Magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/smartphone-designify_Banner-150x150.png 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h2>Career<\/h2>\n<p>Wizkid was born Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun on 16 July 1990 in Surulere, Lagos State, Nigeria. He started singing and recording music at the age of 11 in a group called the Glorious Five. He joined Empire Mates Entertainment record label in 2009.<\/p>\n<p>The songwriter, singer and performer worked hard in the early days of his music career in Nigeria\u2019s highly competitive industry. In one of his hit songs, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Q7QiLceJSLQ\">Ojuelegba<\/a>, he narrates his experience at Mo\u2019Dogg studio in Lagos, where he toiled for a better life. He became famous in Nigeria in 2011 after the release of his debut album titled <a href=\"https:\/\/guardian.ng\/life\/music\/celebrating-wizkids-superstar-album-seven-years-later-top-seven-songs\/\">Superstar<\/a>. The album opened up many more live performance opportunities.<\/p>\n<figure><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/FCUk7rIBBAE?wmode=transparent&amp;start=0\" width=\"440\" height=\"260\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><figcaption><span class=\"caption\">Joro references Fela Kuti.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>As a young star who foresaw his music traveling beyond Nigeria, Wizkid seized every opportunity to make connections across the music world. For instance, when US R&amp;B star <a href=\"https:\/\/www.chrisbrownworld.com\">Chris Brown<\/a> (also famous for allegations of sexual violence against women) performed in Lagos in 2012, Wizkid was with him on stage and subsequently collaborated with Brown on the song <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=2v17Ob7pCP8\">African Bad Gyal<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Unlike some other Nigerian popular musicians, Wizkid understood the power of transnational collaboration and worked hard to align his music within the structure and texture of American hip-hop and R&amp;B. In a 2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/davidsmyth.co.uk\/2019\/10\/wizkid-interview-evening-standard-11-oct-2019\/\">interview<\/a>, he is quoted as saying he did not make music just to be an African superstar.<\/p>\n<p>In 2016, transnational appreciation of his music grew after his collaboration with <a href=\"https:\/\/drakerelated.com\/#front\">Drake<\/a>, the Canadian singer and rapper. It is a <a href=\"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/en\/one-dance-wizkid\/\">popular opinion<\/a> among Nigerian music analysts and journalists that Wizkid\u2019s collaboration with Drake marked the genesis of his global appeal.<\/p>\n<p>He has since collaborated with top-notch American stars such as Beyonc\u00e9, Akon, Lil Wayne, Rick Ross and Nicki Minaj.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/ticketstream.streamapse.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-4798\" src=\"http:\/\/streamapse.com\/Magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/smartphone-designify_Banner.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"700\" srcset=\"http:\/\/streamapse.com\/Magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/smartphone-designify_Banner.png 700w, http:\/\/streamapse.com\/Magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/smartphone-designify_Banner-300x300.png 300w, http:\/\/streamapse.com\/Magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/smartphone-designify_Banner-150x150.png 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h2>Sexism<\/h2>\n<p>Wizkid\u2019s music career has not been without controversy. Like many of his contemporaries in the industry, he rose to fame amid worries over objectifying images of women in some of his lyrics and music videos. I have argued <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tandfonline.com\/doi\/abs\/10.1080\/07494467.2020.1753479\">elsewhere<\/a> that sexual objectification of women has been a useful strategy for publicity, and serves as a means of enhancing his social status and commercial viability in the Nigerian popular music industry.<\/p>\n<p>Wizkid is particularly accused of emphasizing and objectifying female bodies in the songs <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=2YsSCQpJm7M\">In My Bed<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=cQU99okRgvk\">Expensive Shit<\/a>.<br \/>\nThe <a href=\"https:\/\/thenewsnigeria.com.ng\/2016\/04\/17\/olamide-wizkid-lil-kesh-banned-by-nbc\/\">public outcry<\/a> against sexist messages in his music culminated in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.musicinafrica.net\/magazine\/nigerian-body-bans-songs-wizkid-nicki-minaj-and-others\">banning<\/a> of In My Bed in 2015, by the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation. Despite this, his local and international appeal continued to grow.<\/p>\n<figure><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/jipQpjUA_o8?wmode=transparent&amp;start=0\" width=\"440\" height=\"260\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><figcaption><span class=\"caption\">With fellow Nigerian star Tems.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>Pop\u2019s promised land<\/h2>\n<p>Wizkid has won more prestigious local and international music awards than any of his Afrobeats peers. He has more than 100 nominations in different categories of music awards. Some of his big wins include Artist of the Year at the 2021 Apple Music Awards, two BET Awards for Best International Act, three Soul Train Music Awards, an MTV Europe awards for Best African Act, three Billboard Music Awards \u2013 and that 2021 Grammy.<\/p>\n<p>For Africa, especially Nigeria, America is the popular culture promised land. To make it in America is to conquer the pop world. And a US Grammy is the most cherished music award. Following the global spread of West African migrants that consume and promote Afrobeats, the music will continue to gain more listeners across the world as more people yearn for new sounds from Africa. Likewise, the demography of its global consumers on Youtube and Spotify grows as top record labels \u2013 such as Sony and Universal Music \u2013 sign up and promote more Afrobeats artists.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/ticketstream.streamapse.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-4798\" src=\"http:\/\/streamapse.com\/Magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/smartphone-designify_Banner.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"700\" srcset=\"http:\/\/streamapse.com\/Magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/smartphone-designify_Banner.png 700w, http:\/\/streamapse.com\/Magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/smartphone-designify_Banner-300x300.png 300w, http:\/\/streamapse.com\/Magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/smartphone-designify_Banner-150x150.png 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Propelled by the growing spread of Afrobeats, Wizkid has achieved global fame through a strategic set of music goals throughout his career \u2013 and has boosted his image by courting controversy and big name collaborators, infusing Western pop with African flavor in the process.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;\" src=\"https:\/\/counter.theconversation.com\/content\/179775\/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic\" alt=\"The Conversation\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" \/><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https:\/\/theconversation.com\/republishing-guidelines --><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/profiles\/samson-uchenna-eze-1331246\">Samson Uchenna Eze<\/a>, <em><a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/institutions\/university-of-nigeria-2336\">University of Nigeria<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/profiles\/samson-uchenna-eze-1331246\">Samson Uchenna Eze<\/a>, Lecturer, <em><a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/institutions\/university-of-nigeria-2336\">University of Nigeria<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p>This article is republished from <a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\">The Conversation<\/a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/who-is-nigerian-music-star-wizkid-and-why-is-he-taking-over-the-world-179775\">original article<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Who is Nigerian music star Wizkid \u2013 and why is he taking over the world? The global appreciation of West Africa\u2019s Afrobeats music has grown significantly in the last decade. Afrobeats stars are touring the world, racking up record sales, winning awards and collaborating with big-name international artists. In fact, seven of the nine African [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4975,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,30,159],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4974","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles","category-streamapse-reports","category-videos"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/streamapse.com\/Magazine\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4974","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/streamapse.com\/Magazine\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/streamapse.com\/Magazine\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/streamapse.com\/Magazine\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/streamapse.com\/Magazine\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4974"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/streamapse.com\/Magazine\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4974\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5727,"href":"http:\/\/streamapse.com\/Magazine\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4974\/revisions\/5727"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/streamapse.com\/Magazine\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4975"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/streamapse.com\/Magazine\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4974"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/streamapse.com\/Magazine\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4974"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/streamapse.com\/Magazine\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4974"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}