Senegalese-American artist Akon has claimed he played a pivotal role in the global rise of Nigerian Afrobeats superstar Wizkid.
Speaking on the Bagfuel Brigade podcast, Akon said Wizkid was merely a local act before being signed by his label in 2008, which he credits with launching the singer onto the international scene. According to Akon, Afrobeats as a genre wouldn’t be where it is today without his early involvement in the Nigerian music industry during the late 2000s and early 2010s.
“In 2008, I spent time in Nigeria developing what is now known as Afrobeats. Everyone there can vouch for that,” Akon said. “Wizkid was the first Nigerian artist we officially signed at the time. Then we signed a group called P-Square, who became the first Nigerian group to break internationally.”
“Wizkid was just a local Nigerian star before we got involved and opened the doors to a wider market,” he continued. “I don’t want to take all the credit, but I can tell you that if we hadn’t done what we did, Afrobeats would’ve remained exactly where it was when we got there in 2008. I can say that with 100% certainty.”
The Konvict Muzik boss also asserted that he introduced the commercial side of the music business to Afrobeats at a time when Nigerian artists, he claims, only focused on the creative aspects.
“I brought the business infrastructure into Afrobeats, because all they [Nigerian artists at the time] knew was the creative side. There was no commercial structure, no industry framework, none of that,” he said.