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“Wizkid Was Just a Local Star Until I Brushed Him Up”—Akon
Senegalese-American singer and entrepreneur Akon has stirred controversy with a bold claim about Afrobeats and one of its biggest stars, Wizkid.
Speaking on the Bagfuel Brigade podcast, Akon said he played a pivotal role in shaping the Afrobeats genre into the global force it is today—and insists that Wizkid was a local act before he stepped in to refine his career in 2008.
“In 2008, I was in Nigeria developing what you now know as Afrobeats,” Akon said. “Wizkid was the first artist we signed officially, and we later signed P-Square, who became the first Nigerian group to go international.”
According to Akon, his involvement went beyond just signing artists. He claims to have introduced the Nigerian music scene to the business side of the industry, stating that most creatives at the time lacked access to proper infrastructure and industry knowledge.
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“Wizkid was just a local Nigerian star before we touched him and opened him to a bigger market,” he added. “If we didn’t do what we did, Afrobeats might still be where it was in 2008.”
His comments have sparked a heated debate online, with fans and music insiders questioning the extent of his influence and whether Wizkid’s rise would have happened regardless.
Watch the video below…
https://x.com/OneJoblessBoy/status/1918254067358597
