Senegalese-American singer, songwriter and music executive Akon has credited Nigerian singer and entrepreneur Banky W with discovering Wizkid and playing a pivotal role in launching the Grammy-winning artist’s career.
Speaking in a recent interview with The Shade Room, the Konvict Muzik founder recounted how his partnership with Banky W and Empire Mates Entertainment (EME) led to Wizkid’s emergence on the international music scene.
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Akon revealed that Banky W introduced the then-unknown singer to him during a visit to Nigeria in 2008, a meeting that eventually culminated in Wizkid signing with Konvict Muzik through a partnership with EME.
“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 said.
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Why Wizkid?
The music executive explained that before meeting Wizkid, he had considered signing Canadian rapper Drake, who was then an emerging artist. However, Akon said the deal never materialised because Drake reportedly demanded a $1 million signing fee, a figure he considered too high at the time.
Drake had yet to release his debut album, Thank Me Later (2010), although his 2009 mixtape, So Far Gone, had already begun attracting widespread attention. Unable to reach an agreement, Akon shifted his focus to Nigeria’s fast-growing music industry, where Banky W introduced him to Wizkid.
Banky W’s role
Banky W signed Wizkid to Empire Mates Entertainment (EME) in 2009 after the young singer left his childhood music group, Glorious Five. Under EME, Wizkid released his breakthrough single, ‘Holla at Your Boy’, in 2010, followed by his debut album, Superstar, a critically acclaimed project widely regarded as one of the albums that helped shape the modern Afrobeats movement.
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During that period, Konvict Muzik entered into a strategic partnership with EME, providing Wizkid and other artists under the label with international exposure at a time when Afrobeats was still finding its footing on the global stage.
Global success
More than a decade later, Wizkid has become one of Africa’s biggest music exports. The Grammy Award winner has collaborated with international stars, including Drake, Beyoncé, Chris Brown, Justin Bieber and Tems. His appearance on Drake’s 2016 global smash hit “One Dance” made it one of the world’s most-streamed songs and is widely regarded as a defining moment in Afrobeats’ global expansion.
He has also headlined major venues, including London’s O2 Arena and Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, while earning numerous international awards and nominations.
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