Wizkid rises from Lagos studio rat to global icon

One kid from Ojuelegba turned free studio scraps into Grammy wins and Billboard history, basically rewriting the global playbook for Afrobeats.

From Lagos streets to studio grind

• Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun grew up last of 12 kids.
• Wizkid camped out at OJB Jezreel's studio for free time.
• His music career kicked off at age 11 as Lil' Prinz.
• A church group called Glorious Five was an early outlet.

EME deal changed the whole game

• Banky W's Empire Mates Entertainment signed him in 2009.
• Holla at Your Boy blew up commercially in 2010.
• Superstar dropped in 2011 and made him a household name.

Global crossover hits kept stacking

• Drake's One Dance collab in 2016 broke everything wide open.
• Guinness World Records recognized him as a first for Afrobeats.
• Beyonce's Brown Skin Girl handed him a Grammy win.
• Made in Lagos put Essence on the Billboard Hot 100.

Legacy runs deeper than chart numbers

• Wizkid says pulling his family from poverty tops everything.
• Rolling Loud headlining gigs show how far he traveled.
• His trajectory basically mapped the global rise of Afrobeats.