Wizkid

Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun, known professionally as Wizkid, was born July 16, 1990, in Surulere, Lagos, Nigeria, and recorded his first album at age eleven with the church group Glorious Five. After signing with Banky W's Empire Mates Entertainment in 2009, "Holla at Your Boy" (2010) made him a star across West Africa overnight. His international breakthrough came with the 2016 feature on Drake's "One Dance"—which became the first song in history to surpass one billion streams on Spotify and sat at number one in 15 countries simultaneously. His own "Essence" (2020, feat. Tems) became the longest-charting African song in Billboard history and won the Grammy for Best Global Music Performance in 2023. "Made in Lagos" (2020) debuted on the Billboard 200, confirming Afrobeats' mainstream crossover potential. Wizkid sold out Madison Square Garden (2018), the O2 Arena multiple times, and the Ghana Black Star Square (2022) with 80,000 attendees. He has collaborated with Beyoncé, Drake, Skepta, and Chris Brown. His influence on mainstreaming Afrobeats globally is rivaled only by Burna Boy, and together they represent the most significant African contribution to popular music since highlife.