By ANOZIE EGOLE
…Says he hasn’t dumped EME…
Becoming a celebrity comes with a lot of challenges
and this is a fact, hip-hop star, Ayo Balogun, a.k.a
Wizkid, has found out the hard way. Recently, an
impostor, impersonating him defrauded his UNILAG
fans, prompting the police to invite him(Wizkid) for
questioning. The Pepsi ambassador has since shrugged
off the experience, but he’s on a mission to ensure it
does not repeat itself. In this interview with
SHOWTIME CELEBRITY, the artiste talks about his
UNILAG saga, fame, new record label and more. Enjoy!
What really happened between you and the UNILAG
students. You were accused of duping them?
By now, I think all is clear that there are some people
parading themselves as either Wizkid or his managers.
The unfortunate incident regarding the UNILAG
students is a case of mistaken identity where people
fell victim to some unscrupulous elements who
impersonated me or my representatives. The same
people, as we have come to know, went as far as
creating fake accounts in my name to dupe people.
Wizkid
I just don’t really want to talk much about it. There
are processes involved in booking Wizkid for shows. If
you want to book Wizkid for a show or anything of the
sort, you go to Empire Mates Entertainment, EME,
which is my label or you talk to my manager, Godwin
Tom. Those are the main channels to reach me if you
want to book me for a show. So,if you’ve been chatting
with the Wizkid on the social media and he has
promised to do something or charges you money, I
want you to know that Wizkid never charges anybody
or does his business directly. I don’t discuss price, I
don’t talk about anything like that. I allow my
management and my label to handle my business. So,
nobody talks directly to me concerning payments.
How did you come about the UNILAG palaver?
Basically, the police just called us to inform us of the
development. We can’t really give full details
because we were invited to come to the police station
and we went as law abiding citizens. When we got
there, we gave our own statement as well as the
students. But we really can’t say anything now until
the police have done their proper investigations. But
with the details on ground, what we want you to
know is that the so-called Wizkid the students have
been contacting is fake and an impostor. It’s really not
from me or from anybody around me.
Do you have a procedure for booking you for shows?
Yes, we do. My manager is going to give the proper
details, proper emails, the right phone numbers and
other things needed. We are going to definitely make
that known. We are going to give full details, so, you
will have it. It’s a simple process. Either you contact
me or you contact EME directly. But even when you
contact me, the whole procedure is that I will direct
you to the booking office as well.
It is simple. You send your request via email or you
can call us and send us your email address. The
booking office would contact you from the email
address you have provided with a booking
questionnaire. The booking questionnaire seeks
information about your event, venue details as well as
publicity activities, what you intend to do and other
special requests. We don’t really want to give more
details so that the impostors would not continue with
their fraudulent activities.
The email you are talking about that all bookings
comes through, is it the same email every
communication comes to?
No. If you have contacted anybody regarding a Wizkid
show, paid and we do not show up for the event or
you do not contact the right people; provide the bank
account details, provide the email correspondence. If
there was a contract, provide the contract – that is as
simple as it gets. We are not fighting with anybody.
We sympathise with the students who have been
duped, but for you to do it properly, for you to get
the best information that you need, it is important to
provide the necessary information.
In this case, what do you think really happened
regarding the procedure?
We are letting the police do their job. We have
nothing to say because we know very well that we
were not the ones they contacted. So, we are not
worried. What we are concerned about is to stop
others from being duped by these impostors.
What was your first reaction when you heard the
news?
I felt so bad. I just went to my Twitter account and
tweeted the normal people to contact if you want to
book a show with Wizkid. Let’s be realistic. Everybody
saw my hustle and watched me grow. When I
dropped “Holla Your Boy”, I was much younger and
wasn’t charging up to N5 million for shows. This is just
playing out and it is simple.
So, how much do you charge now?
N5 million is okay for my show. But let’s just put
things right. It is so bad to my company’s name and my
name as well. That is why I decided to open up on
this issue.
What is your relationship with EME at teh moment?
We are doing great, we have been having meetings.
Going back and forth, evolving new plans to make EME
one of the best record labels, not just in Nigeria but
also, in Africa . Everyone is in the studio. Banky W.
shot a couple of videos recently. We were at the
video shoot last week; we are still working.
There is this rumour that you are no longer with EME?
I have just released an album in collaboration with
Wizkid and EME. “Starboy” is my new company, EME is
still there for me. “Starboy” is Wizkid’s new record
label and I have a couple of producers that are
working with me in the new company. Definitely, we
are working with a lot of people. Banky W and I,
started way back. Our dreams have always been to
build an empire, to help more people and give them
that platform to showcase their talents. And all these
dreams cannot happen only with one person.
So, we have to branch out and reach out to more
people. The industry is really big and there are more
than 5 million kids out there roaming about the street
and looking for a platform to showcase their talents.
We want to give them the platform to do that. So, as
you can see, everyone can contribute to that. Now
that “Starboy” has started, we thank God, we are
doing well. Anybody can start up something. That is
just what we are trying to do with EME.
Have you released the track list of your latest album?
Yes, I have done that. I featured Olamide, D’banj and
Banky W. The album is ready right now. But we are
just putting some finishing touches to it. We will be
having a listening party of the album very soon and we
are going to announce that as soon as it is ready. We
are planning for that. The album is coming out very
strong and I thank God that I have put all the
necessary things in place. I have a very strong belief
that the album is going to win awards.
How long have you known Mallic?
I have known him for quit some time now, about a
year and some couple of months. We just talk about
business and nothing more. But we took out time and
planned something good and we are working on
actualising that. This is what I am saying about
branching out, giving people platforms to perform. So,
I have to give a lot of people that platform. What we
are doing together is to set the standard and lead the
way for people to follow.
Would you say that his production input has redefined
your music?
Of course, and everybody he has worked with. Even
he produces Afrobeat sometimes. Nobody knows it all.
We also produced in the UK, so, it was like me working
with him. We are still learning, it is a process. No one
knows it all.
There is this rumour making the rounds that you have
replaced your accidented Porsche car. Is it true?
Yes, that is absolutely true. We thank God for that.
We thank Him for sparing my life. This is not the first
time I’ve had such an encounter. That doesn’t mean I
am a freak, but I needed to be mobile. I was moving
around with a taxi all through the duration of the
accident which is not proper.
Wizkid
A whole lot of people have been blowing the accident
out of proportion. But how bad was it?
Well, I don’t really like talking about the bad side of
things. I believe that at some point in life, we all have
to learn something good about life, something that
would help our life in the future. When I had that
accident I was like, I had to check myself and know
the things I am not doing right. My mind told me that
anything I am doing, I have to do it faster. I was like, if
the world had ended that day, what would I have
done. I thanked God for keeping me alive to testify his
goodness. I made a promise to myself to never get
down because of the accident. So, life must go on, no
matter what it takes.
How has your evolution in the musical world been?
It has been massive. I have learnt so much and I have
worked with so many legends. It is really mind-
blowing. For me, I feel so excited. I am still learning
and striving to get to the top. When I look back to
where I started, I see a lot of accomplishments.That’s
what normally comes to my mind. I also feel blessed,
but it goes with a lot of responsibilities. You know,
everything is for a while. It is the legacy that you built
while you were there that lasts. So, I try as much as
possible to leave a legacy so that even when I am not
here, people will not forget my name easily.
What really prompted you to do a ‘collabo’ with Femi
Kuti?
Yes, a lot of people never expected that. People
think Wizkid talks only about girls, cars and some
flashy things in his music, but I don’t. All I talk about
in my music is true life story. When I decided to do
“Jayejaye” with Femi, I just really wanted to pass a
message of what Wizkid wants to be or ways you can
be like Wizkid. I still have not done anything, but
people think I have done many things. I don’t think I
have done a lot, I am still learning. The “Jayejaye”
music was just to bridge the gap between the old and
the young people. A big shout out to Femi Kuti for
giving me the chance to do that track with him. I
called him a day before we recorded the track and he
allowed me. So, I am just saying a big thank you.
So, what should fans expect from your forthcoming
album?
They should expect everything magical. We have put
in a lot of work and we are just hoping that everyone
likes the album. I have been in the studio for weeks
and even months now. I can’t wait for the album to be
released. I hope everybody will like the album. I have
just put in a lot of hard work.
It’s like you have a passion for flashy cars?
No, I don’t think so. A lot of people drive more flashy
cars than I do, even in the entertainment industry. I
really don’t think like that. After the accident , I had
no other car to drive around. Believe it or not, I
moving around with a taxi and I didn’t like that. I
don’t think that amounts to having passion for flashy
cars. What about people in government that spend so
much money on cars? I worked hard to make my
money, so I need to use it well. If someone works hard
for his money and decides to spend it for his pleasure,
I don’t think it is a bad idea.
How do you feel reading stories of some artistes who
cannot fend for themselves when they grow old?
I have to learn from them and know how to make
savings. If I am not learning from people that came
before, then what am I doing? It’s not that anybody is
wishing anybody bad, but we must learn and plan
ahead.

www.vanguardngr.com/2013/07/unilag-saga-my-story-wizkid/

Nice1 dere wizzy,u acted maturely n dat maks u a gud communicator

The questions are not distinct from the answers. You could have written them in bold font or another way. Nice one

Blah blah. Bulky