“To My Fellow Nigerian Soldiers And Personnel, Please Do Not Shoot Or Open Teargas On Peaceful Protesters. Let Them Exercise Their Civil Rights. Even If An Order Is Given, Still Make Use Of Your Brain. How Will You Feel, Or Even Sleep, If Your Children, Wife, Mother, Father, Or Relative Is One Of The Kidnap Victims In The Bush?”. ~ Nigerian Soldier Warns
“One day at 3am, I got a message saying Wizkid wanted to meet me. I didn’t believe it at first and even called my friend and sister before deciding to go. I only believed it when I arrived at the studio and met him.
I was very shy, but he and his team made me feel comfortable. He even found a left-handed guitarist in the neighborhood because I’m left-handed.
Wizkid is someone I grew up listening to in Gabon and across Africa, so meeting someone who played such a big role in my musical world was truly special.”
— Anaïs Cardot told Spotify.
“One day at 3am I received a message that Wizkid would like to meet me, I didn’t believe it so I hesitated a bit, I called my friend and my sister and they encouraged me to go ahead and meet him. I doubted the authenticity of the message till I was at the entrance of the studio where I finally met him. I was very shy but him and his team did everything possible to make me feel comfortable. He even went out of his way to get me a left handed guitarist in the neighborhood because I’m left handed.
Wizkid is an artist I grew up listening to, both in Gabon and across Africa more broadly. Meeting him in person and seeing someone who had played such a major role in my musical world was truly impressive.”
- Anaïs Cardot talks about working with Wizkid
After Wizkid’s partnership with Nike in 2018. The Starboy jersey retailed for €64.95 and sold out within just 10 minutes of being made available on Nike’s official website. So tell me, does a partnership with that level of demand not deserve a review and an improved deal?
The reality is that because he’s African, many people and corporations have historically undervalued African talent and failed to recognize its true commercial worth. If you think our global stars only have fans in Nigeria or Africa and don’t have supporters across the world willing to buy whatever they’re associated with, then you’re simply ignoring reality.
When Wizkid and Future were billed as co-headliners for Rolling Loud in 2022 and both reportedly received $1 million, that is exactly the principle Wizkid has always been fighting for, equal valuation, equal respect, and equal pay for equal work. It’s the same reason he publicly challenged BET years ago for giving African artists awards backstage while their international counterparts received the main-stage spotlight. That campaign helped force a change.For years, Wizkid has consistently used his platform to push for Africa to be treated by the same standards as the rest of the world. What many dismiss as arrogance is often him demanding the respect, recognition, and compensation that African artists have earned.
If here na Argentina, Wizkid na Messi. If here na Portugal, Wizkid na Ronaldo. Our national treasure WIZKID!
When it comes to putting Africa on the map, nobody does it better than Wizkid.