Senegalese-American music legend and record executive Akon has cleared the air on his role in the rise of Nigerian Afrobeats icon Wizkid, insisting that the credit for discovering the singer belongs entirely to Olubankole Wellington, popularly known as Banky W. Speaking in a highly publicized interview with The Shade Room on Wednesday, July 15, 2026, Akon dismissed long-standing rumors that he was the one who unearthed the “Ojuelegba” crooner, emphasizing that Banky W had already done the heavy lifting of nurturing Wizkid’s early talent.
Akon recalled visiting Nigeria during the early days of the Afrobeats movement, during which Banky W—who had signed a young Wizkid to his Empire Mates Entertainment (EME) label in 2009—personally introduced the rising star to him.
“Banky W discovered Wizkid. That’s how that collaboration went,” Akon explained. “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 noted that partnering with Wizkid through his Konvict Muzik imprint provided the young singer with vital entry points into the competitive American music scene at a time when African music did not enjoy the massive global infrastructure it has today.
The Grammy-nominated executive also shared an intriguing behind-the-scenes look at his signing choices from that era, revealing that around 2008, he actually passed on signing Canadian rap titan Drake. According to Akon, Drake—who was still finding his signature sound and rapped similarly to Eminem at the time—was asking for a whopping $1 million advance. “By the time he did ‘Best I Ever Had’, that was when I got really into him. But by that time it was too late… I didn’t have a million dollars,” Akon admitted with a laugh. Choosing to focus his international efforts on Wizkid instead paved the way for the historic growth of Afrobeats, laying the groundwork for Wizkid’s eventual record-breaking global run.
