The controversy as always been there about who is
Africa’s biggest artist at the moment. No doubt, two
names which keep popping up are Star Boy Record
Boss Wizkid and DMW CEO Davido.

The world’s fashion bible, Vogue, however believe Wizkid
is the undisputed hottest African popstar by almost any
measure. This came after the launch of his Pop Shop in
New York, United States of America.

Read their editorial below:-

This past Saturday, Wizkid currently Africa’s hottest pop
star by almost any measure unveiled his new capsule
collection with a takeover of Reign in Manhattan’s
Meatpacking District.
Better known as a destination for hard-to-find Y-3 gear,
the New York City streetwear shop was remade, floor to
ceiling, in Wizkid’s image for the pop-up, complete with a
glass dome emblazoned with “Starboy” (the name of the
new collection, as well as Wizkid’s music imprint and
longtime nickname).

From this futuristic perch, the Starboy himself performed
and posed for a veritable flash mob of devotees. “For me,
when I dropped my last project, I just felt it was time to
do something for my fans, so they could have almost like,
a piece of me,” explained Wizkid, unwinding from the
impromptu concert in the shop’s secluded backyard.

“I sat down with my team, and we did a couple designs,
we designed some shirts and some bandanas, and we
just decided to put it up for the fans—something we
intend to do like every three months, put out new
collections.”

Afrobeats, a scene centered in Lagos, fuses the melodic
sense of West African Highlife and Palm-wine music with a
range of Black Atlantic sounds, including dancehall, Soca,
and U.K. soul, to arrive at a truly Pan-African pop place.
(In fact Wizkid and some other Nigerian artists describe
the movement as “Afropop” and avoid the term
“Afrobeats,” which was coined in the U.K. to describe the
emerging sound).

Lest those new to it underestimate the street value of a
piece of Wizkid—the genre’s undisputed king—the shop
was jam-packed with hundreds of die-hard fans feverishly
snapping pics and exuding Beatlemania-levels of nervous
energy at being so close to their idol (he generally
performs at arena-size venues in New York and London).
They were also ready to scream the words to every song
he performed, from his international crossover “Ojuelegba” (which inspired Drake and Skepta to jump on
a remix) to more recent hits like “Soco.” Though the crowd strongly represented the West African diaspora, it was sprinkled with faces from all over the world, including shoppers from Europe and Asia, who also showed interest
in getting their hands on the exclusive gear.

The collection, which includes a Starboy-branded tour
jacket style bomber and a Made in Lagos green and
purple gradient tee, is admirably minimal, given the
ubiquity of splashier West African prints and Black
Panther knockoffs over the last year or two.

Interpolating Wizkid’s brand with subtle references to
classic rock memorabilia and pop culture (the Made in
Lagos design, for instance, has a distinct Lost in Space
feel that echoes the Star Trek inspired font of the Starboy
logo), resulting in pieces that pair as easily with a Bape
hoodie as a Bad Brains tee.

As he tells it, the star only had two criteria for his creative
team when they brainstormed the look: “One: simple and
two: fresh.
It has to have a more universal appeal to it. Something
you can be proud wearing not just as a Starboy fan but
proud being an African,” he said.
“But I also want people around the world to be able to
wear it. Even if you’re not from Lagos, it should be
fashionable enough for you to just throw it on. I want
people to look back and be like, Yo, I had that Wizkid T-
shirt when it dropped.”

Made in Lagos is the title of his forthcoming album
(currently slated to drop on October 1) and putting Lagos
on the pop cultural map is very much Wizkid ’s mission at
the moment, even if it means coming all the way to the
streetwear mecca of New York to do so.
Still, the Afropop ambassador looks quite at home in
downtown Manhattan, even if Ojuelegba (the Lagos
neighborhood which was home to his first studio) is an
ocean away. “New York style is very, very similar to Lagos
style,” he said.

“Because New York is a cosmopolitan city, you have so
many different people from different parts of the world,
just throwing on whatever they like, whatever they think
looks good. Lagos style is the same; when you stand on
the street, that is like a fashion show on its own.”

This stateside launch also hints at a larger American
invasion in the works. Although he wasn’t ready to talk
details, the singer did reveal he has “a little project I’ve
been working on with a very big producer, here in
America, something I’m very excited about.”
Initially reluctant to pinpoint the project anywhere more
specific than “America,” when pressed, Wizkid ended the
interview on a single tantalizing word: “Atlanta.”

For those who’ve witnessed the way Wizkid’s style has
impacted global music and culture from Lagos to London,
the possibility of a major confluence of trap and beats
can only mean one thing: America, there’s a new Starboy
in town.

Its either davido or nobody.