Nigeria's multiple award winning afrobeat sensation, Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun, better known by his stage name as Wizkid, has been named 'Nigeria’s best dressed pop star' by Vogue magazine.
The publication wrote, "Wizkid is pretty much the biggest thing in Nigerian pop, which itself seems to advance on the global music stage almost as quickly as the country’s economy, one of the fastest growing in the world. He scored a massive smash last year with 'Ojuelegba,' an insatiable rags-to-riches hit with a shoulder-shrugging Afrobeat, which inspired Drake to jump on a remix…"
Below are excerpts from his interview;
On "Ojuelegba" the song that made him famous in the world when Drake hopped on a remix:
We kept it original. The beat—it’s Afrobeat but mellow. And the message behind the song is so powerful and strong. Every African who hears that anywhere in the world is going to be able to relate to it. It’s just me talking about Ojuelegba; it can refer to any hood you are from, any beginning. Now to where I’m at. It’s a song of where I used to be, where I’m at now, and where I want to be. I want to be a positive force. Keep your dreams alive, keep working. It’s a positive vibe. The old and young love it.
On why is it important to shout out Ojuelegba where he's from:
Ojuelegba is where I grew up. It’s crazy, rough, tough. That’s what built me into what I am today. The streets of Lagos are definitely different from anywhere else in the world. Making it out of there is just madness. You have to experience it. You have kids on the street hawking, just the hustle and bustle.
If you stay in the car and drive past Ojuelegba, you will feel the vibe and you will feel the hustle. It’s a very, very, very, very important place to me, because it’s where one of the studios I started recording is [located]. I was there every day of my life for like three, four, five years.
On where he lives now and how Lagos is the place to be:
I live in Lekki now. There are new clubs popping up every day. We go to places like Escape, Sip, and it’s madness. December is the craziest time to be in Lagos. I just left there, so I’m pretty exhausted from going hard. Africa is the next thing right now. Talking fashion, music, anything—Africa is on top of all that.
On how he can describe Lagos style:
Lagos style is fresh and different. Even with the tailors, they get very innovative with their stuff, with the cuts. When my parents used to make the traditional wares, it was a little bit baggy. But now the tailors are able to infuse the European style, making it slim-fit. Lagos style is different, man. Innovative.
On if he wear a lot of traditional Nigerian clothes:
When I’m back home, all I wear is African fabric. All I really rock is the traditional stuff. That’s the in thing right now. That’s really coming back. Back in the day, our parents used to wear it every day, and they still do, but now it’s cool for we young ones to wear it. It’s amazing. We’re doing it differently. We’re having it a little bit more fitted. We have styles on it, embroideries and stuff, by local people, made by hand, designed on it.
On the process it takes to get clothes made for him:
I design everything myself, and I get them to make it. I do a little sketch; sometimes I just sit down with a tailor and describe what I want. Sometimes we go back and forth, like, for days, trying to get it right. Sometimes it’ll take a day to make it, sometimes three, four days. I have a lot of tailors. If I want something made in 12 hours, it will be made in 12 hours.
On if he will ever own a clothing line:
I’m hoping to release a clothing line after my EP, planned for April. It’s going to be tracksuits, T-shirts, hats, and African attire as well. I’ll have a special line for traditional [clothes] with my tailors. Taking Africa to the world.
On if he has style icons:
I love Pharrell’s style. It inspires me. It’s not about the brands, you know, it’s how you put them together. Everything he rocks, he makes it look so good.
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