Akon Recalls Early Days of Afrobeats: Starboy Wizkid’s Rise to Stardom
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Akon Recalls Early Days of Afrobeats: Wizkid’s Rise to Stardom
Senegalese-American singer, Akon, has revealed that he played a key role in the career success of Nigerian international Afrobeats star Wizkid. According to Akon, Wizkid was just a local musician before he signed him to his record label in 2008 and helped brush him up.
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Speaking on the Bagfuel Brigade podcast, Akon claimed that Afrobeats wouldn’t have been what it is today without him developing some artists in Nigeria and opening bigger markets for them in the late 2000s to 2010s. “In 2008, I spent my time in Nigeria developing what you see today as Afrobeats. And all of them can attest to it,” he said.
Wizkid was the first artist Akon signed officially, followed by other notable acts like P-Square. Akon stated, “Wizkid was just the local Nigerian star before we touched him and it opened up to a bigger market.” He believes that his involvement was instrumental in Afrobeats’ global success, saying, “If we didn’t do what we did, Afrobeats would still have been in the same position it was when we got there.”
Akon credits himself with bringing the business side of music to Afrobeats, introducing infrastructure and expertise that helped shape the industry. “I brought the business side of music to Afrobeats because all they [Nigerian artists at that time] knew about was the creative [side of music].”
Akon’s recollections highlight his pivotal role in shaping Wizkid’s career and the Afrobeats landscape. As the genre continues to dominate global charts, Akon’s early investment in Nigerian talent paved the way for future success.
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