Why I signed Wizkid in 2008 — Akon

Senegalese-American music star Akon has clarified his role in the early career of Nigerian singer Wizkid, explaining that he signed the artist in 2008 through Nigerian music executive Banky W. Akon emphasized that Banky W deserves the credit for discovering Wizkid, having already identified and nurtured the young talent before introducing him to Akon during a visit to Nigeria.

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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.’

"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,’" Akon said in a recent interview. He noted that his signing of Wizkid was instrumental in breaking the artist into the United States market at a time when the Nigerian music industry had limited global reach.

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They had limited resources, so when I signed Wiz, that was what broke him into the United States.

Akon also shared an anecdote about a missed opportunity with Canadian rapper Drake. He revealed that he declined to sign Drake around 2008 because the artist was requesting a substantial $1 million fee. At that time, Akon explained, Drake was an emerging artist whose sound was similar to Eminem's, and he had not yet developed the distinct style that would later propel him to global fame. Drake's breakthrough single, "Best I Ever Had," was released in 2009, after which he signed with Lil Wayne's Young Money Entertainment.

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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 whooping $1 million to sign for me.

Wizkid, born Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun, was officially signed by Banky W to Empire Mates Entertainment in 2009. His debut single, "Holla at Your Boy," released in January 2010, and his subsequent album "Superstar" in June 2011, established him as a leading Afrobeats artist in Nigeria. His time at EME also saw collaborations with labelmates and other Nigerian artists.

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He was the Drake that sounded like Eminem. The records of him that they played were sounding like that 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.