Senegalese-American music star Aliaune Thiam, known as Akon, has discussed his role in Wizkid’s early career, revealing that he signed the Nigerian singer through Olubankole Wellington, aka Banky W, after recognising his potential during a visit to Nigeria.
During a now-trending interview with The Shade Room on Tuesday, Akon dismissed claims that he personally discovered Wizkid, emphasizing that the credit goes to Banky W, who had already identified and nurtured the young artist before introducing him.
“Banky W discovered Wizkid. That’s how that collaboration went. I went to Nigeria, and Banky brought me Wiz, and I’m like: ‘Bro! This kid is a star.’ They had limited resources, so when I signed Wiz, that was what helped him break into the United States.”
Akon explained that his involvement helped introduce Wizkid to the American market at a time when the Nigerian music industry had limited international reach.
The Grammy-nominated singer also reflected on a separate opportunity involving Canadian rap star Drake, revealing that he declined to sign him around 2008 because of the financial demands.
According to Akon, Drake was still an emerging artist at the time and had not yet developed the sound that would later make him one of the world’s biggest music stars.
“Drake was the only one I had a shoutout at, and I wanted it to become official. It wasn’t that I didn’t see the vision that he was going to be big; he just wasn’t big then and was requesting a whopping $1 million to sign for me,” Akon said.
He continued, “He was the Drake that sounded like Eminem. The records that they played sounded like those of Eminem, but then later, when he did ‘Best I Ever Had’, that was when I got really into him, but by that time, it was too late. He was too expensive. I don’t have a million dollars.”
Drake’s breakthrough single “Best I Ever Had” was released in 2009, helping to propel him into global stardom before he signed with Lil Wayne’s Young Money Entertainment later that year.
Wizkid, born Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun, was discovered by Bankole “Banky W” Wellington in 2009 after the R&B singer was impressed by his talent as a teenager in Lagos. Banky W subsequently signed him to Empire Mates Entertainment, where he became the label’s first major breakout star.
In January 2010, Wizkid released “Holla at Your Boy,” the lead single from his debut album, Superstar, which arrived in June 2011.
The album also produced hit songs including “Tease Me/Bad Guys,” “Don’t Dull,” “Pakurumo,” and “Love My Baby,” establishing him as one of Nigeria’s leading Afrobeat stars.
During his time at EME, Wizkid collaborated with labelmates and other prominent Nigerian artistes, including Banky W, Skales, Niyola, Shaydee, and DJ Xclusive, as well as with stars such as 2Baba, Wande Coal, D’banj, Naeto C, and Sound Sultan.
After years of commercial success under EME, Wizkid left the label in 2013 following the expiry of his recording contract.
In March 2013, he announced the establishment of his own imprint, Starboy Entertainment, a move that granted him greater creative and business control over his career.
Since launching Starboy Entertainment, Wizkid has grown into one of Africa’s biggest music exports, releasing internationally acclaimed projects and collaborating with global stars including Drake, Beyoncé, Chris Brown, Tems, Skepta, and Justin Bieber.
