29 things about Wizkid you should know as he turns 29

Wizkid has in the last decade become not just a huge export from this country but a household name in Nigeria and beyond. It may surprise you to know that Wizkid is known even in countries some people have no idea exist.

Today, as part of the activities to mark this music star's birthday, we will be sharing with you guys 29 things you should know about him. However, you might know some of these things already but you never can be too sure or let's say there might be some newbies who want to know and learn about Wizkid.

Today, as part of the activities to mark this music star's birthday, we will be sharing with you guys 29 things you should know about him [fivestardiary] Wizkid [fivestardiary] Pulse Nigeria

1. Wizkid was born Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun on July 16, 1990, in Surulere, Lagos.

2. Wizkid grew up living with 12 sisters, a father, Alhaji M.O Balogun, who is Muslim and a Christian mum, Mrs. Balogun.

3. Wizkid wasn't always known as Wizkid as he used to be called Lil Prinz when he just started singing but changed the name in 2006.

4. The Starboy boss went to Ijebu Ode Grammar School and then Lagos State University where he later dropped out. He tried going back to school after gaining admission into Lead City University but didn't finish.

Wizkid later signed to Banky W's EME record label in 2009 which was the beginning of the rise of the star we all now know ece-auto-gen

5. His sojourn in the music industry started at the age of 11-years-old when he was part of a group, Glorious Five. By the time he was 15, Wizkid had already met OJB Jezreel who he followed closely and watched other big stars like 2Face, Sound Sultan and Neato C.

6. Wizkid's very first single is titled 'Mami water.' We don't think you knew that!

7. Wizkid later signed to Banky W's EME record label in 2009 which was the beginning of the rise of the star we all now know.

Wizkid dropped his first studio album 'Superstar' in 2009 and released the hit song 'Holla At Your Boy' in 2010 ece-auto-gen

8. The release of that song reawakened everyone to a new vibe and sound. The gave him his first Headies awards as the 'Next Rated,' and numerous other awards followed suit.

9. The album 'Superstar', which was released in 2011 under Empire Mates Entertainment, took Wizkid to the length and breadth of the world as everyone couldn't get enough of the latest superstar in the room who wasn't even 20 yet!

The album 'Superstar' took Wizkid to the length and breadth of the world as everyone couldn't get enough of the latest superstar in the room who wasn't even 20 yet! [Instagram/WizkidAyo] Pulse Nigeria

10. Another album had to drop as fans couldn't get enough of Wizkid, so by 2014, he dropped the second album 'Ayo,' which had a host of music stars on its feature list. One song that stood out was 'Jaiye Jaiye' featuring the music icon, Femi Kuti.

11. Wizkid has worked with not just big music stars in the country but outside the country including Drake and Chris Brown.

12. In 2016, Wizkid became the first Nigerian singer to make it to Billboard’s Twitter Last 24 hours chart following his guest feature with Drake on the hit single, 'One Dance.'

In 2016, Wizkid became the first Nigerian singer to make it on Billboard’s Twitter Last 24 hours chart following his guest feature with Drake on the hit single, 'One Dance.' (Naijaloaded) Pulse Nigeria

13. When it comes to endorsement deals, Wizkid has made a lot of money from a number of them. From Pepsi to MTN and even Glo, the music star has cashed out hugely from these telcos and multinationals.

14. In 2019, Wizkid was announced as the headliner for UBA’s strategic corporate market event scheduled for this summer which sounds like another endorsement deal.

15. Wizkid has three albums to his credit; Superstar (2011), Ayo (2014) and Sounds from the Other Side (2017).

In 2019, Wizkid was announced as the headliner for UBA’s strategic corporate market event scheduled for this summer which sounds like another endorsement deal [Instagram/WizkidAyo] Pulse Nigeria

16. He also has a compilation album with EME; Empire Mates State of Mind which was released in 2012.

17. When it comes to his personal life, Wizkid also has a very interesting story. Just in case you don't know, he is a father to three sons but husband to none of their mothers.

18. Wizkid welcomed his first son, Boluwatife in 2011 at the age of 21 with his then-girlfriend turned baby mama, Shola Ogudugu.

Wizkid welcomed his first son, Boluwatife in 2011 at the age of 21 with his then-girlfriend turned baby mama, Shola Ogudugu ece-auto-gen

19. In 2016, Wizkid welcomed his second son, Ayodeji with his second baby mama, Binta Diallo which sparked off a lot of conversation if they were a serious couple.

20. Well just when we all thought Wizzy Baby was done with kids, the news broke of the arrival of his third son, Zion with his manager, Jade Pollock. Okay, guys, not many saw this coming but these guys were romantically linked when we thought it was just a business relationship.

Well just when we all thought Wizzy Baby was done with kids, the news broke of the arrival of his third son, Zion with his manger, Jade Pollock ece-auto-gen

21. Success has been Wizkid's second name since he joined the music industry and we've been there to monitor and break the news of every milestone he has undertaken. Like the time he sold out a 20,000 O2 Arena for his concert in 2018 in the United Kingdom. Another event which made Wizkid solidify his position on this list was his sold-out concert the 'Royal Albert Hall' in London.

22. Just so you know, there is a day set aside in Minnesota for Wizkid because the last time he performed there, he had a sold-out concert at the Skyway Theater.

Wizkid at one of his sold out concerts [Instagram/WizkidAyo] Pulse Nigeria

23. Wizkid's brand took another bold step in 2018 as his Nike jersey was created and it was sold out immediately it got to the market. Wizkid like a lot of very influential celebrities has his clothing line...only superstars do this!

24. How can we forget his hit song ‘Fever’ where he featured Tiwa Savage on its video. That song had so much buzz, it trended on social media for days. In just a few hours after it’s release, it had over 1 million views!

How can we forget his hit song ‘Fever’ where he featured Tiwa Savage on its video. That song had so much buzz, it trended on social media for days ece-auto-gen

25. Wizkid's success story took to another dimension in 2018 when he hit the runway with fashion icon and model, Naomi Campbell for Dolce and Gabbana and the Internet went into a frenzy.

Wizkid's success story took to another dimension in 2018 when he hit the runway with fashion icon and model, Naomi Campbell for Dolce and Gabbana and the Internet went into a frenzy [Instagram/WizkidAyo] Pulse Nigeria

26. In 2018, one of Wizkid's hit singles, 'Soco' became the most searched words on Google for the year.

In 2018, one of Wizkid's hit singles, 'Soco' became the most searched words on Google for the year ece-auto-gen

27. "One Dance" his previous collaboration with Drake became the most streamed song on Spotify globally with over 1.1 billion streams which became a Guinness World Record.

28. In 2017, he won the MOBO awards for "Best International Act". His victory at the MOBOs saw him receive congratulatory messages from President Buhari, VP Osinbajo, and former VP Atiku Abubakar. In November 2017, he won 3 awards at the AFRIMA awards held in Lagos.