2017 was a splendid year for Nigerian musicians working at top-flight level.
Following decades of grinding work and minor successes sowed and reaped by the pioneers of contemporary pop music, it seemed that the rewards of that huge gamble embarked on by the likes of Nelson Brown and Kennis Music was finally beginning to trickle down. Not just to those at the top of the food chain, who had on account of their first-mover status, positioned themselves appropriately to be rewarded, but to anyone willing to put in the hard work as well as those fortunate enough to benefit from arriving just in the nick of time.
The wide, varying spectrum of Nigerian Pop music, lumped problematically as Afrobeats by the West caught the world’s interest like never before in 2017. President Trump may want to build a wall to divide and separate, but the sounds on American radio were set in direct protest, as barriers to cross-pollination effectively crumbled. Despacito was the biggest song in America. Beyoncé gleefully hopped on J Balvin’s Mi Gente. Mr Eazi was an Apple Music ‘Up Next’ artiste, and Tiwa Savage‘s sickly sweet Sugarcane EP was a fixture on the playlist of Coldplay frontman, Chris Martin.
All of this, aside from many other Nigerian artistes scoring distribution and all kinds of management deals with the major music publishing houses. At the forefront of all of this exodus of Nigerian intellectual property is 27-year-old music icon, Ayodeji Balogun, known to the world by one name only, Wizkid.
Not that there is anything remotely juvenile about the man.
The Wizkid story, endlessly inspiring as it has played out publicly, is one of remarkable goodwill, and also one of grace. Of being at the right place, at the right time, and being an unwitting vessel for a movement whose time has come.
But the man is also a compulsive hard worker, has been since he was a teenager hanging around in studios owned by Mo Dogg and OJB Jezreel, learning the ropes from stars such as Banky W and 2Baba.
How does one top the career defining landmark of scoring a Billboard Hot 100 chart topper? By going on the next year to deliver more impact.
Professionally, Wizkid was on a massive roll for most of 2017. Sounds from the Other Side, his first EP with new label, Sony Music/RCA was released to mixed responses at home, on account of his flirtation with newer Caribbean sounds that strayed beyond the confines of Afrobeats. Internationally, the reviews were more welcoming as the sounds were considered exotic.
In September Wizkid cemented his iconic status on the world stage when he performed a sold-out concert at London’s storied Royal Albert Hall as part of the venue’s prestigious Albert sessions. For headlining the very first Afrobeats sessions, Wizkid joined an exclusive group with members including Adele, Sade and Lady Smith Black Mambazo.
At this year’s Music of Black Origin (MOBO) awards, Wizkid was the giant killer, slaying heavyweights like JAY-Z, Drake and Kendrick Lamar on his way to picking up the ‘International Best Artist’ award. He had earlier won three trophies at the Billboard Music Awards.
Wizkid was named Artiste of the Year at the All Africa Music Awards and at The Future Awards Africa event in Lagos, billed as the Nobel Prize for Young Africans, Wizkid beat a strong field of entrepreneurs and scientists when he clinched the biggest prize, the ‘Young Person of the Year’
An instant star, blessed with talent to burn and an unwavering knack for sucking the attention to himself whenever he grabbed a hold of the mic, Wizkid’s early promise was spotted by rap king, M.I. who as an upcoming artiste put him on a single on his debut album, and singer/label owner Banky W who promptly signed him up to his Empire Mates Entertainment (EME).
The entire country immediately saw what these guys saw and Wizkid was a hit right from his very first single. His incredible run with EME is easily the label’s golden age and Wizkid contributed more than his fair share to the EME canon, submitting two solo albums as well as doing the bulk of the vocal work on the label’s compilation record, Empire State of Mind. Along the way, contracts were renegotiated, conflicts arose, were defrayed and swords were sheathed. He left the label in 2014 and started his own Star Boy Entertainment, kick-starting perhaps the most successful second act in recent Nigerian music history.
Ojuelegba, the autobiographical stand out single from a forgettable sophomore record, took Wizkid’s career to the stratosphere when it made its way to the London grime scene and caught the attention of rapper Skepta who breathed new life into it when he passed the song along to Canadian superstar Drake.
Wizkid and Drake would make music again.
Their 2016 collaboration One Dance became a global hit, landing at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 and topping the charts in 15 countries. Wizkid is the first and only Nigerian artist to achieve this feat. Their follow up single, Come Closer which had Drake switching roles as guest vocalist, was one of the most successful singles of Wizkid’s glittering career.
For rising to the responsibility of leading the next wave of Nigerian entertainers saddled with the responsibility of taking Nigerian sounds to the rest of the world. For charting a course and clearing a path that future performers can look up to. For building bridges at home and abroad when he could easily burn them, for directly influencing his peers and encouraging them to be better. For shining so brightly as an icon while placing the country on a much needed positive footing. For doing more and inspiring countless to reach for greater heights, personally and professionally, Wizkid is the 2017 Y!/YNaija Person of the Year.
Read » The man is not a kid: Wizkid is Y!/YNaija Person of the Year 2017 on YNaija
The man is not a kid: Wizkid is Y!/YNaija Person of the Year 2017
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