Senegalese-American singer Akon has claimed he played a major role in making Afrobeats and artists like Wizkid global stars.
In a recent episode of the Bagfuel Brigade podcast, Akon said Wizkid was just a local Nigerian artist before he signed him in 2008 and helped polish his career. He also said that without his early efforts, Afrobeats might not be where it is today.
“In 2008, I spent my time in Nigeria developing what you see today as Afrobeats,” Akon said. “Wizkid was the first Nigerian artist we signed officially. Then we went on to sign P-Square, who were the first Nigerian group to make it internationally.”
According to Akon, he didn’t just help artists; he brought structure to the Nigerian music industry. “I brought the business side of music to Afrobeats,” he said. “Back then, most Nigerian artists only focused on the creative part—there was no business or real infrastructure.”
Although he says he doesn’t want to take full credit, Akon firmly believes that his involvement helped push Afrobeats out of Nigeria and into global spaces.
