The last few days have been thrilling and lively for many Nigerians, especially the youth. The 2021 edition of the Grammy Awards (the 63rd, actually), an event of reckoning for music and musical artistes, proved to be a historic one. Nigerians competed against the rest of the world, and two of our number won.
Burna Boy (Damini Ogulu) came first with his album, Twice as Tall, in the Best Global Music Album category. Wizkid (Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun) emerged on top in the Best Music Video category, with Beyoncé and her daughter, Blue Ivy, for their song, Brown Skin Girl. This is the same song that has been in the news as the best song that celebrates the brown-skinned African woman since Tuface Idibia’s African Queen.
So Nigerian (and African youths are overjoyed), and so is Nigerian economist, Africapitalist, and philanthropist Tony Elumelu. For those familiar with Wizkid, a few big names have played a role in his journey to superstardom, and Elumelu might just be the biggest of all.
Around this time last year (March of 2020), Wizkid made the big reveal that insightful folks were already aware that Tony Elumelu was his mentor. Folks were initially shocked but eventually thought things through and found no other explanation for Wizkid’s momentum as a music star. The artiste is still a brand ambassador for Elumelu’s United Bank for Africa (UBA), so Wizkid offered the basis for everything. Wizkid has become to Nigerian music what Tony Elumelu is to African economics and business. Why won’t Elumelu be proud?
Anyone familiar with Elumelu knows that it is all about taking Nigeria and Africa to the world and helping the world see the awesomeness of our 290+ million people. And that is what Wizkid is doing—no longer a tiny fish in a tiny pond but a flood dragon in the big leagues. What a duo! The mentor is flourishing in business and Africapitalism, and the mentee is doing the same in music.
