Senegalese-American superstar Akon has finally broken his silence on the pivotal moment that helped launch Wizkid’s global career, crediting Banky W for discovering the then-teen sensation while revealing he passed on signing a young Drake due to a staggering $1 million price tag.
In a trending interview with The Shade Room, Akon set the record straight on how the collaboration came about during one of his visits to Nigeria.
“Banky W discovered Wizkid. That’s how that collaboration went. I went to Nigeria, and Banky brought me Wiz, and I’m like: ‘Bro! This kid is a star.’ They had limited resources, so when I signed Wiz, that was what broke him into the United States,” Akon disclosed.
The move proved transformative for Wizkid, providing the international push the Nigerian music scene desperately needed at the time. Wizkid, born Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun, had already impressed Banky W, who signed him to Empire Mates Entertainment (EME). Akon’s involvement opened doors to the US market, paving the way for hits like “Holla at Your Boy” and eventual global domination under his Starboy imprint.
Akon also reflected on a near-miss with Canadian rap icon Drake around the same period.
“Drake was the only one I had a shoutout at, and I wanted it to become official. It wasn’t that I didn’t see the vision that he was going to be big; he just wasn’t big then and was requesting a whooping $1 million to sign for me,” he explained.
At the time, Drake sounded like Eminem on the tracks Akon heard. Everything changed with the 2009 breakout “Best I Ever Had,” but by then the price had skyrocketed.
“He was too expensive. I don’t have a million dollars,” Akon admitted.
The revelation has ignited massive conversations online, with fans celebrating Akon’s role in boosting Afrobeats while playfully teasing the “what if” with Drake. Wizkid has since become one of Africa’s biggest exports, collaborating with global heavyweights including Drake himself.