The management company had expressed its willingness in extending its business arm to the African continent over a year ago and Wale recalled trying to get Wizzy signed earlier on.
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In a recent interview with New York’s Hot 97, the Washington DC native who has fostered a close working relationship with a number of Nigerian acts discussed his ties with Nigeria and its music.
‘I’m proud of Davido and Wizkid, and Olamide’, Wale said of his connection to the Nigerian music scene. ‘There’s a lot of dope artistes coming out of there. I know it was going to get there, because Nigeria’s got like a whole 60% of the swag in Africa come from Nigeria, and I have always known Wizkid.
‘I remember bringing the idea of signing Wizkid to Roc Nation, to the guys over here like early on…but that was way before his time, but I knew what it was gonna be. There’s so much money there, as far as like Dubai, London and all of that, I knew it was going to get there.
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‘I got one with Wizkid with Diplo, I’ve got like seven songs with Wizkid on the internet. But again, it was before this. Like again, If I had held on to him and put him on, it would have been a different story.’
‘I like how it’s doing, It sounds good. I would like to hear more of Wizkid on there, on One Dance’. I can hear him on ‘Controlla’ though. It sounds like a Wizkid song,’ the MMG rapper said.
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‘It sounds like a Wizkid song…The lyrics, everything. That’s just my opinion. I mean, he’s a phenomenal writer, performer and whatever, but I just feel like he sounds like Wizkid,’ he further clarified on his statement about Wizkid’s influence on ‘Controlla’.
‘I’m not making no allegations, but I do feel like he had a lot of influence on ‘Controlla’. I mean I know Wizkid catalogue, he just sounds like the lyrics and everything. Something about ‘She wanna take my money and…’ Wizkid said that. Like ‘Take my money or have nmy money, it’s like Wizkid’s Hennessy or Enemies for 2pac. That’s Wizkid’s vibe. That’s his vibe. Like she wants my money, or I’ll give you my money, or dance for my money, that’s big talk in Nigeria.’
