Akon Reveals How Banky W Helped Wizkid Get Global Breakthrough

(Akon And Wizkid. Photo by Punch News)

Senegalese-American music star, Aliaune Thiam, better known as Akon, has opened up about how he became involved in Wizkid’s early career, revealing that he signed the Nigerian singer through Olubankole Wellington, popularly known as Banky W, after recognising his potential during a visit to Nigeria.

Speaking in a now-trending interview on Tuesday, Akon dismissed suggestions that he personally discovered Wizkid, insisting that the credit belongs to Banky W, who had already identified and developed the young artiste before introducing him.

He explained that Banky W was the one who discovered Wizkid, recalling that during a trip to Nigeria, Banky had brought him to meet the singer, and he immediately recognised his star quality.

He noted that given the limited resources available to them at the time, signing Wizkid was what ultimately helped break him into the United States market.

Akon explained that his involvement helped expose Wizkid to the American market at a time when the Nigerian music industry had limited international reach.

The Grammy-nominated singer also reflected on a separate opportunity involving Canadian rap superstar Drake, revealing that he declined to sign him around 2008 because of the financial demands.

According to Akon, Drake was still an emerging artiste at the time and had not yet developed the sound that would later make him one of the world’s biggest music stars.

He explained that Drake was the only artiste he had shown public support for and hoped to formalise a deal with, clarifying that his hesitation was not due to a lack of belief in Drake’s potential, but because Drake, who was not yet a major star at the time, had requested $1 million to sign with him.

He recalled that Drake’s early sound resembled that of Eminem, and it was only after Drake released “Best I Ever Had” that he became truly convinced of his star power, by which point it was already too late, as Drake had become too expensive for him to afford.

Drake’s breakthrough single, “Best I Ever Had,” was released in 2009, helping launch him into global stardom before he signed with Lil Wayne’s Young Money Entertainment later that year.

Wizkid, born Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun, was discovered by Banky W in 2009 after impressing the R&B singer with his talent as a teenager in Lagos.

Banky W subsequently signed him to Empire Mates Entertainment, where he became 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 arrived in June 2011.

The album also produced hit songs including “Tease Me/Bad Guys,” “Don’t Dull,” “Pakurumo” and “Love My Baby,” establishing him as one of Nigeria’s leading Afrobeats stars.

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

After years of commercial success under EME, Wizkid left the label in 2013 following the expiration of his recording contract.

In March 2013, he announced the establishment of his own imprint, Starboy Entertainment, a move that gave him greater creative and business control over his career.

Since launching Starboy Entertainment, Wizkid has grown into one of Africa’s biggest music exports, releasing internationally acclaimed projects and collaborating with global stars including Drake, Beyoncé, Chris Brown, Tems, Skepta and Justin Bieber.