Entertainment

Wizkid Was Local Star Before I Touched Him —Akon

Published

11 months ago

May 2, 2025

Senegalese-American singer, Aliaune Damala Badara, popularly called Akon has revealed that he played a crucial in bringing Nigerian Afrobeats star Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun, also called Wizkid into limelight.

According to Akon, Wizkid was just a local musician before he signed him to his record label in 2008 and brushed him up.

Speaking in a recent episode of the Bagfuel Brigade podcast, Akon also claimed that Afrobeats would not have been what it is today without him developing some artists in Nigeria.

He also stated that he opened up bigger international markets for Nigerian artists in the late 2000s to 2010s.

“In 2008, I spent my time in Nigeria developing what you see today as Afrobeats. And all of them can attest to it,” he said.

“Wizkid was the first artist we signed officially at that time. And then we went on to sign a group called P-Square, which was the first group that made it internationally.

“Wizkid was just the local Nigerian star before we touched him and it opened up to a bigger market. I wouldn’t want to take credit for all of it but I can tell you that if we didn’t do what we did, Afrobeats would still have been in the same position it was when we got there [Nigeria in 2008]. That I can tell you 100 per cent.

“I brought the business side of music to Afrobeats because all they knew about was the creative. There was no business, no infrastructure, none of it attached to it,” he said.

-Leadership

Entertainment

Talentless Artists Use ‘Afrobeats’ To Hide Their Lack Of Skill – Ruggedman

Published

6 hours ago

March 27, 2026

Olumide Ojo

Veteran rapper Michael Ugochukwu Stephens, popularly known as Ruggedman, has criticised the use of “Afrobeats” as a catchall term for all African music, calling it misleading.

In a recent interview with Day Genius, the rapper argued that the term is often used to group artistes who lack real talent and rely only on catchy beats.

Ruggedman expressed his dislike for the “Afrobeats” tag, noting that it was a mistake from the beginning to put every sound from the continent under one umbrella.

“For me, Afrobeats with an ‘S’ is a name talentless Nigerians hide behind. All you need to make a hit is just a good beat and street slang. Then you repeat it many times and spend money to promote it,” he said.

The rapper also claimed that many artists in this category struggle with live performances and freestyling because they depend too much on autotune and studio effects.

He noted that the trend of tagging every African song as Afrobeats started in the UK.

Ruggedman added that when he first complained about the name, people accused him of jealousy, but he insists it misrepresents the diversity of African music.

-Leadership

Entertainment

Nollywood Actress Mama No Network Gets New Car

Published

6 hours ago

March 27, 2026

Olumide Ojo

Nollywood actress and comedian, Kudirat Abeniade Soremi, popularly known as Mama No Network, has bought a new car.

She posted on her Instagram page and shared pictures of her new car, congratulating herself.

Praying for her fans, the actress declared that celebration will never cease in her home and that God will keep surrounding them with people who genuinely love and celebrate God’s gifts in their lives.

“Congratulations to me. Your car is next in line for Jesus.
May the celebration never cease in our home. May God surround me and you with people who genuinely love and celebrate God’s gift in your life,” she posted.

Her colleagues and fans congratulated her on this feat. Rejoicing with her, Bimpe Akintunde wrote, “Congratulations, Iye mi

Tawa Ajisefinni wrote, “Congrats ma
One ola_mhii_ wrote, “Next one na Lambo insha Allah

One miloz_glam wrote, “Congratulations ma

The actress is known for playing a deaf woman and mother in the Yoruba movie industry.

Last year, she was conferred with a chieftaincy title in Texas Ijebuland, which is (Yeye Owu Ojuwo of Ijebuland)

-Leadership

Business

Davido To Host First UK Festival In London

Published

2 days ago

March 25, 2026

Olumide Ojo

Afrobeats singer Davido has announced his first-ever United Kingdom music festival, titled Davido and Friends.
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‎Davido, who announced on Monday via social media, titled the event, ‘Davido and Friends’ and stated that the music festival will take place on August 14 at the Crystal Palace Bowl in London, with pre-sale tickets available from March 26 and general sales beginning March 27.
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‎The award-winning singer described the upcoming show as a unique experience for fans and added that it will be his only outdoor performance in London this summer.

‎“For the first time ever, I present to you ‘Davido and Friends’. This will be my only outdoor show I am performing in London this summer. We will be taking over the Crystal Palace Bowl on the 14th of August. Make sure you get your friends down, says the music star
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“‎Sign up for first access F (link in bio)
‎Pre-sale 26 March 10am GMT
‎General sale 27 March 10am GMT,” he added in the post.
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‎Davido first gained widespread recognition in 2012 with the release of ‘Dami Duro’, a breakout track from his debut album ‘Omo Baba Olowo’. Since then, he has grown into one of Africa’s biggest music exports and a key figure among Afrobeats’ globally recognised “Big Three”.

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‎Over the years, the musician who gained widespread recognition in 2012 with the release of ‘Dami Duro’, a breakout track from his debut album ‘Omo Baba Olowo,
‎ has released several successful projects, including ‘A Good Time’ (2019), ‘A Better Time’ (2020), ‘Timeless’ (2023), and ‘5ive’ (2025), further cementing his influence across the global music scene.
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‎Beyond his music career, the singer is also the founder of DMW, a record label established in April 2016 that has nurtured and promoted multiple talents within the Nigerian music industry.
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‎The music festival, tagged ‘Davido and Friends’, is set to deliver a large-scale live experience, reinforcing his presence on the international stage while connecting with fans in the United Kingdom.

-Leadership