Wizkid FC! This one’s for you.
BigWiz who is better known as Wizkid is one of Nigeria’s most celebrated artists. He was born in the early 90’s as Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun and the years have seen him grow from a next rated artist to a global icon with over fifty awards to his name–including a Grammy!
In this article, we share ten interesting facts about Wizkid for the fans and the haters too:
1. His Zodiac sign is cancer: Wizkid was born on the 16th of July 1990 and his birthday falls under cancer Zodiac. Cancer is the fourth astrological sign in the zodiac and those born from June 21 to July 22 fall under this sign.
2. Wizkid’s favorite color is black: It’s been said that people whose favorite color is black are usually artistic and sensitive *gasps* (could that be why…). I guess that explains why when Wizkid bought his first car in 2011, it was a black Honda Accord i- VTEC.
3. Before Wizkid there was Lil Prinz: Wizkid’s singing career started when he was 11 years old, he was part of a five-man singing group called The Glorious Five. His stage name at the time was Lil Prinz. The group’s first album sold about 10, 000 copies.
4. Pharrell Williams’ style inspires him: Wizkid who wears a mixture of street wear and traditional clothes, mentioned in an interview with Vogue magazine that his fashion icon is American record producer and songwriter Pharrell Williams.
5. Wizkid was once a LASUite: BigWiz gained admission to study sociology in 2008 at the Lagos State University, which is commonly known as LASU. However, he dropped out a year later to focus on his music. A while later he enrolled into Lead City University to study International Relations but dropped out after two semesters. For his secondary school he attended the prestigious Ijebu Ode Grammar School.
6. His only religion is music: Wizkid grew up in a interfaith household; with a Pentescostal Christian mother and a Muslim father. He mentions that there was never a time his parents argued over religion and his father was cool with whether his children wanted to be Christians or practice Islam. However, Wizkid has said that Music is his only religion.
7. Wizkid’s first international collaboration was with Akon: In 2011, Wizkid collaborated with Akon on the remix of his song Don’t Dull. This would prove to be the first of many international collaborations. Over the years, he has collaborated with international music stars like Beyoncé, Chris Brown, Drake and Skepta, to mention a few. He has been regarded as one of Nigeria’s biggest exports.
8. Wizkid has three children: The Joro singer is the father of three adorable sons. In May 2011, he welcomed his first son Boluwatife Balogun with Shola Ogudu. His second son, Ayodeji Balogun, was born in January, 2016. His mom, Wizkid’s second baby mama, is Guinean-American model Binta Diallo. The youngest of Wizzy’s sons is Zion Balogun, who was born in October, 2020 to Wizkid’s manager, Jada Pollock.
9. October 6 is Wizkid Day in Minnesota: In 2018, Mark Dayton, a former governor of the state of Minnesota in the United States of America, declared the 6th of October as Wizkid Day. This came after Wizkid became the first African Artist to sell out Skyway Theatre in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The former governor cited Wizkid’s numerous achievements in his declaration.
10. Wizkid is a Grammy Award Winner: During the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards, which took place on the 15th of March 2021, Wizkid won his first Grammy award with his feature on Beyonce’s “Brown Skin Girl” song. The award was for the ‘Best Music Video’ category.
#Updated brings you lists, roundups and the latest news on the hottest topics. In this edition, we dish out 10 fascinating facts about one of Nigeria’s music G.O.A.Ts: Wizkid.
