For over 10 years, Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun, popularly known as Wizkid has been one of the most commercial artists from Nigeria whose music has contributed massively to the global exportation of Afrobeats.
Since impacting the Nigerian mainstream as a 20-year-old in 2011 with his debut album ‘Superstar’, Wizkid has soared to superstar status thus becoming one of the greatest and most influential artists in Nigerian history.
When it comes to the soundscape, Wizkid’s music has a heavy influence on a generation of artists who were inspired by his music and success.
Wizkid is also a prominent force in the exportation of Nigerian music with his collaborations and hit records propelling Afrobeats to a global audience.
As the Grammy winner celebrated his 34th birthday, below are 10 stellar records he has set throughout his illustrious career:
1. First Nigerian artist to enter the Guinness World Record after Drake’s ‘One Dance’ became the first song to reach 1 billion Spotify streams.
2. First Nigerian artist to reach NO. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with Drake’s ‘One Dance’.
3. First Nigerian artist to reach the Billboard Hot 100 top 10 as a lead artist with ‘Essence’ remix feat Tems & Justin Bieber which peaked at NO. 9.
4. First Nigerian artist to win a main category at the BET Awards with ‘Essence’ feat Tems & Justin Bieber which won the prize for Best Collaboration at the 2022 BET Awards.
5. First Nigerian artist to win an American Music Award with ‘Essence’ winning Favourite RnB Song in 2022.
6. First Nigerian artist to headline the O2 Arena for three consecutive nights. A feat he achieved with his ‘Made In Lagos’ tour in 2021.
7. First Nigerian to have an album certified RIAA Gold with ‘Made In Lagos’.
8. He is the most streamed Nigerian artist on Spotify with over 6.9 billion streams.
9. One of the most decorated Headies Awards winners with 17 wins including twice winning the Album of the Year, Song of the Year, and Artist of the Year.
10. Longest charting Nigerian album on the Billboard 200 with ‘Made In Lagos’ which reached 133 weeks on the chart.
Credit: Pulseng
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