Wizkid was born on 16 July 1990 in Surulere, a residential and commercial area of Lagos. He grew up in an interfaith household with twelve female siblings. His mother is a Pentecostal Christian and his father practices Islam.
In a 2012 radio interview with Tim Westwood, he said that his father has three wives. During his upbringing, he listened to songs recorded by King Sunny Ade, Fela Kuti, and Bob Marley.
Wizkid started singing at age 11 and went by the stage name Lil Prinz until 2006. During an interview with Adesope of Factory 78 TV, Wizkid described his life in a nutshell. He said he formed a group called the Glorious Five with a couple of his church friends.
The group managed to release an album prior to disbanding. Wizkid later met OJB Jezreel, a record producer who prevented him from recording for a year.
While visiting OJB’s PointBeat Studios frequently, he watched 2 Face Idibia record songs for his Grass 2 Grace album.
He was also present during the recording sessions for Sound Sultan’s debut album, Jagbajantis. Wizkid cited Naeto C as one of the people who mentored and coached him when he was 15 years old.
Wizkid also told Factory 78 TV that his parents weren’t receptive of his music from the onset. In order to gain his father’s trust, he had to work hard and spend lots of time in the studio. Wizkid co-wrote Banky W’s “Omoge You Too Much”, a song off The W Experience album. He also worked with Naeto C, OJB Jezreel, Ikechukwu, and M.I while developing his craft. In 2009, Wizkid inked a record deal with Banky W.’s Empire Mates Entertainment.
He attended Ijebu Ode Grammar School. In mid-2009, he dropped out of Lagos State University (LASU) to focus on his craft. He later attended Lead City University but dropped out after completing two sessions.
Wizkid Celebrates His 29th Birthday Today(Drop Your Well Wishes)
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