Wizkid seems to be putting the Afrobeats GOAT argument to rest with his latest O2 Arena feat putting him ahead of counterparts Davido and Burna Boy, here are his top achievements that set him apart from others.
Nigeria is undoubtedly the African continent’s entertainment capital, and its music industry is one of its greatest exports. It is made more intriguing by how competitive the industry is, churning out massive talents at every turn. Truth be told, the talent is so surplus that it is hard to separate the artists based only on quality. However, an irrefutable fact is that the successes and achievements either slightly or greatly outweigh one another’s as the case may be.
Names like Wizkid, Davido, Olamide, and Burna Boy have headlined the Nigerian music industry domestically and globally for the longest time. For lack of a better word, these guys have revolutionized the music industry and pushed the boundaries as we knew it. With giant strides after giant strides, they have crossed the continent’s shores and established themselves as forces to be reckoned with worldwide. It is, therefore, not a surprise that there are nonstop debates about who is the biggest of the best Nigeria has to offer.
While this article is not particularly one of such materials, it is centred on the highly decorated Ayodeji Balogun, popularly known as Wizkid. One of the greatest to ever come out of Nigeria’s illustrious music industry. The Afro-beat star has stayed on top for over a decade and keeps reaching even greater heights. In the wake of his latest achievement, which saw him join a league of artists who have sold out the O2 Arena the fastest, we take a quick look at some of the most significant achievements in his decorated career.
11 significant Wizkid career achievements
Billboard Music Awards nominations
Wizkid is the first African artiste to bag seven Billboard nominations. In the 2016 edition of the awards, he was nominated for Top Hot 100 Song, Top Selling Song, Top Radio Song, Top Streaming Song, Top Collaboration, Top R&B Song, and Top R&B Collaboration, winning in three categories. These wins came from his guest vocal feature on Drake’s hit song “One Dance”. Wizkid also has songwriting credits as well.
Grammys nominations
In 2016, Wizkid became the youngest African artist ever to get a Grammy nomination. He earned the nomination as a featured artist on Drake’s album “Views”, nominated in the Album of The Year category. Five years later, he won the Grammys for Best Music Video alongside Beyoncé for “Brown Skin Girl”.
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iTunes World Chart
The “One Dance” song was a stroke of genius and a massive breakthrough for all involved. It topped every chart at one point or the other after its release. One of such was the iTunes World Chart which it topped for many weeks. By this, Wizkid set yet another record and became the first Nigerian Musician to top the iTunes World Chart.
Sold out Royal Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall is arguably London’s most iconic venue. In 2017, Ayo Balogun set two records as he became the first African artist to headline at the Royal Albert Hall and sell out the event centre. Wizkid’s tickets were sold out within 72 hours, and on 29 September 2017, he gave a stellar 2-hour performance in front of over 5000 fans. The show was also broadcast live on his official Facebook page to the delight of fans who couldn’t be at the venue.
Sold out O2 Arena under 15 minutes
Following his hugely successful “Made In Lagos” album and the record-breaking single “Essence” climbing and topping charts worldwide, Wizkid added another feather to his cap by selling out the O2 Arena in just 15 minutes, and unsurprisingly so.
