Akon Talks About Signing Wizkid in 2008

Senegalese-American music star, Aliaune Thiam, known as Akon, has shared how he got involved in Wizkid’s early career. He revealed that he signed the Nigerian singer through Olubankole Wellington, also known as Banky W, after seeing his talent during a trip to Nigeria.

In a recent interview with The Shade Room, Akon cleared up claims that he discovered Wizkid himself. He said the credit goes to Banky W, who had already found and nurtured the young artist before introducing him to Akon.

“Banky W discovered Wizkid. That’s how that collaboration went. I went to Nigeria, and Banky brought me Wiz, and I’m like: ‘Bro! This kid is a star.’ They had limited resources, so when I signed Wiz, that was what broke him into the United States,” Akon explained.

Akon said his involvement helped Wizkid reach the American market when the Nigerian music scene was not well known internationally.

The Grammy-nominated singer also talked about missing a chance to sign Canadian rap star Drake. He said he turned down the offer around 2008 because of Drake's high financial demands.

Akon noted that Drake was still building his career and had not yet created the sound that would make him a global superstar. “Drake was the only one I had a shoutout at, and I wanted it to become official. It wasn’t that I didn’t see the vision that he was going to be big; he just wasn’t big then and was requesting a whooping $1 million to sign for me,” Akon said.

He added, “He was the Drake that sounded like Eminem. The records of him that they played were sounding like that of Eminem, but then later when he did ‘Best I Ever Had’, that was when I got really into him, but by that time it was too late. He was too expensive. I don’t have a million dollars.”

Wizkid, born Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun, was discovered by Bankole “Banky W” Wellington in 2009. Banky W was impressed by Wizkid’s talent as a teenager in Lagos. Banky W then signed him to Empire Mates Entertainment, making him the label’s first major breakout star.

In January 2010, Wizkid released “Holla at Your Boy,” the lead single from his debut album, Superstar, which came out in June 2011. The album also featured hit songs like “Tease Me/Bad Guys”, “Don’t Dull”, “Pakurumo” and “Love My Baby”, which made him one of Nigeria’s top Afrobeats stars.

During his time at EME, Wizkid worked with labelmates and other well-known Nigerian artists, including Banky W, Skales, Niyola, Shaydee, and DJ Xclusive. He also collaborated with stars such as 2Baba, Wande Coal, D’banj, Naeto C, and Sound Sultan.

After enjoying commercial success under EME, Wizkid left the label in 2013 when his contract ended. In March 2013, he announced he was starting his own label, Starboy Entertainment, which gave him more control over his career.

Since launching Starboy Entertainment, Wizkid has become one of Africa’s biggest music stars, releasing successful projects and working with global artists like Drake, Beyoncé, Chris Brown, Tems, Skepta, and Justin Bieber.