yodeji Ibrahim Balogun a.k.a Wizkid is a talented singer, songwriter and performer. He kicked off his singing career at the early age of 11 when he recorded his first song with one of Nigeria's celebrated music icons, OJB Jezreel. He went on to record a 7-track album, which he released in his church in Lagos, under the name of Lil' Prinz; this was just a stint that earned him a remarkable deal of encouragement and recognition from family, his church and other artistes.
Years later in 2006, with a new stage name, and a passion for making music and God-given talent, Wizkid got back into the studio to hone his craft. He continued to develop as a Singer and Songwriter by working under some of Nigeria's biggest Musical names such asOJB Jezreel, Naeto C, Ikechukwu and many others. Over the next few years his talent as a Singer and Songwriter became evident and it resulted in Wiz being prominently featured alongside some of the biggest Artistes in Nigeria's Music Industry to much critical and commercial acclaim.
2009 would prove to be Wizkid's break-out year, as his collaboration with M.I on "Fast Money, Fast Cars" on the Talk About It album drew major attention to his distinct voice, singing style and penchant for great songwriting. He went on to feature on Kel's "Turn by Turn", the Barcelos radio jingle and many other high profile projects. He also got signed to Banky W's Empire Mates Entertainment, and featured prominently on Banky's "The W Experience" album.
Early life and career
Wizkid was born on July 16, 1990 in
Lagos,
Nigeria. He comes from a large family and is the last of six children. In an interview with
Tim Westwood, Wizkid stated that his father has three wives. Wizkid started singing at age 11; he sang in his church's choir and released a 7 track album entitled "Lil Prinz". Wizkid's first song featured one of
Nigeria's celebrated
musical icon, OJB Jezreel.
Moreover, in 2006, Wizkid collaborated with
Naeto C and Ikechukwu prior to rising to stardom. In 2009, Wizkid became a household name within
Nigeria's musical landscape; he was featured on
M.I's "Fast Money, Fast Cars", and Kel's "Turn by Turn". Wizkid was featured on Banky W's album,
The W Experience, after getting signed to Empire Mates Entertainment.
At the age of 20, this extremely talented and charming young man had already achieved so much, thanks to his drive and focus for turning his life's experiences into incredible music. In 2010, he released his first singles, "Holla at your Boy", "Gidi Girl" and "Ori Mi" with label mate, Skales; then there was the hit song, "Tease Me" which was just a studio freestyle that got leaked online and turned into a big hit in different parts of Nigeria and among Nigerians worldwide.
Collaborations
Since the genesis of his career, he has made a name for himself from featuring on the records of other artistes. He was first featured on M.I.'s 'Fast Money, Fast Cars', then Lynxxx featured Wizkid on "Fine Lady",
Iyanya on "Sexy Mama",
Ice Prince on "Aboki Remix" and "Olofofo", Bracket on "Girl", R2Bees on "Slow Down", Maleek Berry on "The Matter" and "Your Love", Sarz on "Samba (Beat of Life)", Samini on "Time Bomb", Olamide on "Omo To Shan", Samklef on "Molowo Noni", 2kriss on "Good Life",
Wande Coal on "For Me", Chidinma on "Emi Ni Baller", Flakes on "Go Down", Omawumi on "Warn Yourself", EME on "Get Down Tonight" and "Baddest Boy", elDee on "Never Let You Go", Jiron on "No Fronting", Jayru on "Familarity", Durella on "Gaga", Yung6ix on "Follow Me", Basketmouth on "Where You Dey", and
Camp Mulla on "Prices". In an interview with Ndani Tv, Wizkid said he worked with
Wale, and fans can expect the record to be on his upcoming mixtape. He also hinted to working with
Young Jeezy and
Game,
and stated that he's not sure when they will release the features.
World tours and performances
He bagged the coveted award for the Promising Artiste of the Year at the 2010 edition of the Dynamix All Youth Awards, collaborated with several artistes and performed at some A-list events; some of which include the Soundcity Music Video Awards, Lord of the Ribs Lagos, Rhythm Unplugged, the Shutdown Concert with Rick Ross, the Koko Concert, Crack Ya Ribs Lagos, Face of Selera 2010 Abuja just to mention a few.
To complement the release of their album, Wizkid and his label mates,
Banky W, and Skales, announced their 2011 Empire World Tour. The tour began on June 24 at the Lincoln Theater in
Washington DC, followed by Variety Playhouse Theater in
Alanta,
Georgia on July 2, Auditorium at Museum of Science & Industry in
Chicago,
Illinois on July 9, AYVA Center in
Houston,
Texas on July 15, Grand Ballroom in
New York on July 16, and California Theater in
San Jose,
California on July 23. The tour featured a live band, full stage productions, and onstage dancers. As an incentive, concert attendees who purchased advance tickets to the aforementioned tour received Wizkid's
Superstar as a token. Wizkid toured London in 2012 and performed at the HMV Apollo on June 4, 2012 in
London,
England.On November 12, 2012, Wizkid performed at the BBC 1xtra Live 02 Academy in
Brixton alongside
Trey Songz,
Tulisa,
Kendrick Lamar, and
Angel.
Record Label: Empire Mates Entertainment
Management: M.et.al Entertainment
Nominations
Promising Artiste of the Year, Dynamix All Youth Awards 2009
Song of the Year, Dynamix All Youth Awards 2010
Awards
Promising Artiste of the Year, Dynamix All Youth Awards 2010
