Wizkid – A Little Man Making A Big Splash

Only 11 when he recorded his first celebrated song with producer and singer OJB Jezreel, Ayodeji Ibraham Balogun was known back then as Lil’ Prinz—a little man making a big splash, at least within his church and family and among very close friends. He might have become a little more famous after releasing a 7-track album to that same group of people. Today, of course, you know him as WizKid, one of Nigeria’s fastest growing stars of Afro-pop. From the outside, it can look like success in show business comes magically and overnight, but WizKid can testify to the fact that it takes extra patience, talent and hard work to become famous. From when he was born, July 16, 1989 to when he rebranded in 2006, the singer had seen plenty in life that he just wanted to tell through lyrics and rhythm. He got back into the studio and began working with Nigeria’s celebrated music icons such as Naeto C and Ikechukwu, and partnered once again with OJB Jezreel. After three years in building his singing and writing talent, Wizzy had even bigger breakthroughs. His collaboration with M.I in “Fast Money, Fast Cars” on the “Talk About It” album drew gigantic attention. He was featured on “Turn by Turn” a hit Barcelona radio jingle by rapper Kel. In addition to the good tidings, he finally got hooked to Banky W’s Empire Mates Entertainment record label and played a major role in bringing Banky’s “the W Experience” LP into the limelight. Finally, 2010 saw the release of WizKid’s smash singles “Holla at Your Boy,” “Tease Me” and “Don’t Dull.” He released his debut album ‘Superstar‘ in 2011, and performed his sold out concert of the same name in June. With a rare combination of charisma and humility, Wizkid has become a huge success story even at just 23. He walked home with a brand new car as the next rated winner at the 2011 Headies and probably has more wrist watches than the president. He continues to rack up chart-topping hits and has rendered too many collaborations with both national and international stars, including Camp Mulla of Kenya, to count. In 2012, WizKid won the BET Best International Act in Africa award with Ghanaian rapper Sarkodie, and he’s been signed to the prestigious Konvict records label. With “Dance for Me,” he became one of the first musicians in Nigeria to shoot a video in 3D. As his fame continues to spread worldwide, he still keeps it all about working hard to please his fans no matter what. “I’m trying to be one of the best that’s ever done it, so for me to do that I have to work 10 times harder than the people who’ve been here before me,” he recently told DJ Fully Focus in an interview at Konvict Studios in Atlanta. “My fans show me love, and I never want to let them down.”