10 essential Starboy songs you should listen to

Despite been heavily criticised for his failure to attend the recently held Coachella Festival, the Starboy CEO has a large following due to his consistency in dropping hit records and flying the Nigerian flag high internationally.

Ayo 'Wizkid' Balogun took the story of 'Ojuelegba', the place he grew up in the heart of Surulere, Mainland area of Lagos State, and sold it to the world, winning major awards and performing at some of the biggest stages around the world.

With two solo albums, the Sounds From The Other Side EP released under Sony Music and crucial co-signs from artists like Drake, Wale and more, Wizkid has proven to be the leader of the new school and the likely candidate in making Nigerian music have a firm imprint on global charts.

In arriving at this level, the singer has had to impress with a retinue of hit records and here are the 10 most essential of the lot that has helped shaped the trajectory of his career thus far.

1. Ojuelegba - 2014

Wizkid - Ojuelegba

Off his sophomore album is the life changing record, Ojuelegba. The fifth track off Ayo which was written by Wizkid and produced by Legendary Beatz tells the inspirational story of his hood, his struggles growing up as an upcoming artiste, the prayers of his mum and his journey to the top.

Ojuelegba peaked for many weeks at the top of charts all around the world, was ranked number 12 on the list of 107 best songs of 2015 as compiled by Fader, earned him major awards with an official remix featuring UK rapper Skepta alongside Canadian artist, Drake.

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The song is critically and commercially regarded as a classic and is the most defining moment in his career.

2. Holla At Your Boy - 2010

Wizkid - Holla at your boy

While 'Ojuelegba' is the song that sealed Wizkid's legacy locally and globally, ''Holla At Your Boy'' was the first single off his debut studio album, ''Superstar'', that broke Wizkid into mainstream recognition.

The song which was produced by DJ Klem of Knighthouse earned Wizkid several nominations including the Next Rated category at the 2011 edition of the Headies Award, which he won and has gone on to fulfil the prophesy of his lyrics.

3. Don't Dull - 2010

Wizkid - Don't Dull

Barely few days left to the end of 2010, Starboy dropped a new single for the festive season and it became one of the biggest songs in the following year.

Produced by Samklef, 'Don't Dull' was Wizkid shedding every gown of that young newbie and becoming a bonafide industry superstar.

ALSO READ:''Sounds From The Other Side''

4. The Matter - 2013

Wizkid - The Matter

UK based producer Maleek Berry had recently popped up on the Nigerian radar and he teamed up with Wizkid to deliver this heavy tune that was to set the pace for other hit records all through the year.

With the video shot in UK going viral, Wizkid created a smash single that still gets the crowd going at any event today.

5. One Dance - 2016

Drake - One Dance

Off Drake's award winning fourth studio album, Views is the hit single, One Dance.

The duo had been involved in couple of collaborations since Drake jumped on the remix of his 'Ojuelegba' single and eventually led to this joint, which clocked at Number one in fifteen countries and topped the US Billboard charts for 10 consecutive weeks.

Even though Wizkid's full verse was not included in the final release, his vocals can however be heard on the track and he is credited as being involved in the writing and production of the song, which earned him 3 Billboard awards and an ASCAP award.

One Dance helped in spreading Wizkid's name globally and becoming a more prominent act on the international scene.

7. Come Closer - 2017

'Come Closer' feat. Drake

Released as a third single off his STFOS project, Come Closer features Canadian rapper and Grammy award winner, Drake.

The single peaked at number 58 on the UK singles chart and number 54 on the Canadian Top 100 becoming his highest single as a solo artist on the charts.

Come Closer was the trilogy in terms of collaboration between the duo following Ojuelegba Remix and One Dance and the song earned him several awards including a nomination at the Soul Train Awards.

8. Beat of Life (Samba) - 2012

Sarz - Beat of Life (Samba)

Producer Sarz had laced this beat and he claimed that no artist seemed to be able to do justice to it till Wizkid jumped on it.

Wizkid gave life to the high octane instrumental, and the result was a classic dance tune that caught like wildfire around the country.

9. Dance For Me - 2013

Wizkid - Dance for me

During his time with the Empire Mates Entertainment (E.M.E), the label put up a collective album tilted ''Empire Stateof Mind'', and this was one of the smashing singles from the project.

10. Azonto - 2013

Wizkid - Azonto

Azonto is derived from a popular dance movement in West Africa, originating in Ghana.

The dance which involves traditional African moves like knee bending and hip swaying, combined with wild, complex hand movements that supposedly mimic everyday activities, had gone viral across Africa and Wizkid jumped on it in his own way.

Wizkid's Azonto version soon made it to the top eight non American summer song of 2013. It was the only song by an African on the Top 10 according to American online site, FeedBuzz.