Banky W Talks Wizkid, Humble Beginnings and Talent | A Superstar Made in Lagos
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Respected musician and entrepreneur Banky W, who signed Wizkid at 19 years old in 2009 and executive produced the album, shares:
"He would just go to any studio where they would let him hang out. He would hang out all day and just wait, and hope and pray, for the engineers or producers to take pity at me and say 'come and record for 15/30 minutes' cause obviously he couldn't pay for his [own] sessions. All day long he would be working on hooks, melodies, and just coming up with things, in case he was given an opportunity to jump on the mic for a few minutes... For me, I think, that's where the name 'wiz' comes from and why it's so appropriate... and obviously the 'kid' cause he was very small in stature but big in heart"
Ten years later, Starboy, as he is now affectionately known, is an international superstar. He has been instrumental in the recent global recognition of Afrobeats, having worked with the likes of Beyoncé, Drake, Chris Brown, Wale, Skepta, Damian Marley and more. He recently won Grammy, Soul Train and BET awards for his contribution to Beyoncé's anthem "Brown Skin Girl". And he famously assisted Drake to get his first Billboard Hot 100 number one single, as the lead artist, with "One Dance".
As a label boss and founder of Starboy Entertainment, Wizkid has done the same that was done to him for other artists such as Terri, DJ Tunez and many others who have since left the label.
Terri Talks Wizkid and Working Hard | A Superstar Made in Lagos
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Speaking about his boss' work ethic, Terri says:
"He is hard working. I never knew that Wiz would work as much as he does until I started to roll around him. He doesn't sleep. There are times where everybody in the house feels like 'yo, my guy you've been on the road for how long…' but instead of him trying to find ways to relax, he is calling five producers at the same time."
Many fans and critics agree that Superstar is a classic, and was a monumental album for contemporary Nigerian popular music. Wizzy's approach has certainly grown and evolved since then, but his debut album laid the foundation for it all. And if the title is anything to go by, Wizkid and Banky W (who gave the album its name and used to call Wiz a superstar) believed he would be where he is today. His latest album Made In Lagos and its singles "Ginger" and "Essence" are critically acclaimed, and continue to soar.
A Superstar Made In Lagos is available on the StarBoyTV YouTube channel.
Anthony Joshua Talks Wizkid and Ojuelegba | A Superstar Made in Lagos
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