Latest Release
- 30 JUL 2024
- 1 Song
- Lungu Boy · 2024
- Bella (feat. Wizkid) - Single · 2018
- Tonight (feat. Wizkid) - Single · 2016
- Ayo · 2014
- Made In Lagos · 2020
- Made In Lagos · 2020
- Joro - Single · 2019
- Kana - Single · 2018
- Cupid Stories · 2011
- Tokooos · 2017
Essential Albums
- After amassing a significant UK and African fanbase in the wake of his acclaimed 2011 debut, Superstar, Wizkid’s international profile began to rise in earnest. He toured the U.S., garnered industry co-signs and began to prepare his next project, working with a varied collection of pop and hip-hop talent. The eventual product of his efforts—his 2014 second album, Ayo—feels more indebted to West African musical tradition than its predecessor. Ayo was Wizkid’s first proper primer in his seductive, pop-forward distinctive brand of Afrobeats—the kind that went on to make him a marquee star on any continent. The track that kicked off this ascent, at least in North America, is “Ojuelegba”, a tribute to Wiz’s upbringing in Lagos, featuring a bouncy and dense rhythm track citing Yoruban music and pirouetting synth-horn counterpoint. The hook was undeniable; the feel totally singular. Drake and Skepta’s remix the following summer would introduce Wizkid to a whole new listenership. Many of Ayo’s standout moments find the singer and rapper addressing his hometown roots directly. Lead single and opener “Jaiye Jaiye” features a prestigious turn from Femi Kuti, a member of one of African music’s true royal families. The saxophonist’s fierce and soulful playing mingles with the thicket of synths as Wiz sings triumphantly about overcoming adversity and creating a better life for himself and his family. With cameos from Tyga, Akon and repeat collaborator Wale alongside a formidable roster of hometown talent, Ayo is a crucial document of the increasing sophistication and pliability of the evolving Afrobeats style at large. Nigerian-born rhythms and stylistic flourishes give the album a foundation that makes its outlier moments—the post-Timbaland radio-rap groove of “Murder” or the reggae-inflected ballad “Joy”—feel like welcome surprises rather than self-conscious experiments. If Superstar was Wizkid taking a spread of world pop styles and lyrical postures for a test drive, Ayo is the moment he sublimated and synthesised them, forging a sound that would become inimitable across subsequent releases.
Artist Playlists
- Worldwide appeal that’s rooted in African heritage.
- The Nigerian legend’s hits take shape and colour.
- His honeyed melodies have inspired a new generation of Afrobeats stars.
- The Nigerian star bridges the gap between Africa and the world.
- From hits to deep cuts, breaking down the samples that have inspired one of music’s most vital artists.
Live Albums
- Rexxie, Naira Marley & Skiibii
- Dotty connects with Wizkid and celebrates More Love, Less Ego.
- The artist talks about "Rose Gold (feat. King Von)."
More To See
About Wizkid
“Everything about Lagos is me,” Wizkid told Apple Music in 2020. “That’s what shaped me, that’s what made me, that’s what inspires me every day.” In turn, Wizkid is shaping not just the sound of his city but the image of Nigeria worldwide. Born Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun in Lagos in 1990, Wizkid hit the stage early, forming the group Glorious Five with church friends at just 11. A decade later, he had regional success with his synth-kissed single “Holla at Your Boy”, which would appear on his 2011 debut solo album Superstar, but it was the lilting “Ojuelegba”, from 2014’s Ayo, that announced him as a force to be reckoned with. Afrobeats—the 21st-century fusion of styles like highlife and juju with house and UK funky—was on the rise, and for Wizkid, it was a case of right time, right place, right voice. Wizkid’s feature on Drake’s 2016 smash “One Dance” cemented his role as one of Afrobeats’ chief ambassadors, paving the way for 2017’s Sounds From the Other Side, his major-label debut. Assisted by global names like Ty Dolla $ign, Major Lazer, and Drake, the album embraced EDM and dancehall while further developing Afrobeats’ irresistibly airy grooves. It didn’t hurt that Wizkid’s blend of African and Caribbean styles coincided with reggaetón’s explosion, satisfying listeners seeking new sounds from a distinctly global perspective. In 2020, Made in Lagos fused more ideas still into his most cohesive whole and confirmed Wizkid’s role as a musical visionary—not just for African music, but for pop music worldwide. A year later, he won the Apple Music Award for Artist of the Year — Africa, and in 2022, he performed an Apple Music Live session in London.
- HOMETOWN
- Lagos, Nigeria
- BORN
- 16 July 1990
- GENRE
- Afrobeats