Wizkid was born Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun on 16 July 1990 in Ojuelegba suburb of Surulere, Lagos State and he is a talented Nigerian singer and songwriter.
During an interview with Adesope of Factory 78 TV, Wizkid reveals that he began his musical career by forming a group with his church friends which was known as the Glorious Five.
According to him, they managed to release an album before they disbanded, and afterwards Wizkid went by the stage name Lil Prinz until 2006 where he met the late OJB Jezreel, a record producer who delayed him from making any music for a whole year.
While frequenting the OJB Jezreel’s Point Beat studios, Wizkid said he watched 2face Idibia recording songs for his “Grass 2 Grace” album and he was also present during the recording sessions of the late Sound Sultan’s debut album which was titled “Jagbajantis”.
He mentioned Nigerian rapper Naeto C as the musician who mentored and coached him when he was just 15 years old until he met Banky W, the CEO of E.M.E records who gave him the platform to become a global star we are seeing today.
Even though many people know that Wizkid has his own record label known as Starboy Records, they are still wondering if he is still signed to Empire Mates or else the Empire Distribution record label.
That is why I am writing this article to give you an insight concerning Wizkid and Empire Records, so without any further ado, let’s get started with it.
Is Wizkid In Empire Records?
Wizkid is currently not signed to any Empire Records, either Banky W’s record label known as “Empire Mates Entertainment” or Ghazi Sham’s global record company known as Empire Distribution.
However, it is worth noting that Wizkid signed a record deal with Empire Mates Entertainment in 2009, where he rose to limelight after the release of the hit single “Holla At Your Boy” from his debut studio album which was titled “Superstar” in 2011.
Wizkid left Empire Mates after his contract expired and would move on from there to achieve global recognition after collaborating with Drake on the hit song “One Dance”.
The song peaked at No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and top charts in almost 14 additional countries. Wizkid broke multiple records with the song amongst which he became the first Afrobeats artist to appear in the Guinness World Records.
Wizkid’s debut album was recorded in English and Yoruba language and was released on the Empire Mates imprint on 12 June, 2011.
The album had elements of Afrobeats, dancehall, R&B, and reggae incorporated together, and he also collaborated with record producers like E-Kelly, Jay Sleek, Shizzi, DJ Klem, Masterkraft, Q-Beats and Samklef as well as had guest features from artists like Banky W., Skales, D’Prince and Wande Coal.
The launch party for the album was hosted at the Expo Hall of the Eko Hotel and Suites and featured performances from notable artists like Banky W, Skales, 2face Idibia, Samklef, Wande Coal, D’Prince, Olamide, eLDee, Jesse Jagz, Ice Prince, Lynxxx and Seyi Shay.
Indeed Wizkid is a force to be reckoned in the Nigerian music industry.
