Wizkid’s journey from the streets of Ojuelegba in Surulere, Lagos, to global music superstardom is a story of raw talent, persistence and perfect timing.
Born Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun in 1990, he started singing in church and recording in small Lagos studios as a teenager, dreaming of breaking out of his modest background.
His big break came after he signed with EME Records and released Holla At Your Boy in 2010, a hit that made him a youth favourite and earned him the Next Rated award at the Headies.
Over the next few years, he built a strong fan base with back to back singles and tours across Nigeria and the diaspora, setting himself up for a defining moment in his career.
That moment was Ojuelegba, the reflective anthem inspired by his hustle in Surulere, which connected deeply with Nigerians at home and abroad and later caught the attention of Drake and Skepta.
The remix with Drake helped introduce Wizkid and Afrobeats to new audiences and opened the door to further global collaborations, including his appearance on Drake’s record breaking One Dance.
He went on to form Starboy Entertainment, take control of his sound and style, and steadily push Afrobeats into mainstream charts in Europe and North America.
In 2020, his album Made In Lagos and the smash single Essence with Tems cemented his status as a global star, with the song entering the Billboard Hot 100 and earning wide critical praise.
Wizkid has since sold out major arenas around the world, won a Grammy for Brown Skin Girl with Beyoncé and established himself as one of the leading figures of modern Afrobeats.
His story from Ojuelegba to world records continues to inspire young African artists who see his success as proof that local stories and sounds can resonate on the biggest stages.
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