Nasty C Credits Wizkid for Taking African Music Global
South African rapper Nasty C has credited Nigerian music star Wizkid for helping push African music onto the global stage.
Speaking during a podcast interview, the rapper said Wizkid’s 2016 collaboration with Canadian superstar Drake on the hit song One Dance changed the international perception of African music and opened more doors for artists from the continent.
According to Nasty C, the success of the song gave Afrobeats massive global exposure and made the genre more commercially rewarding.
“Wizkid and Drake collaboration on ‘One Dance’ opened the door for African artists. After the collaboration, African music received a significant boost,” he said.
The rapper also revealed that during interviews in countries like Nigeria and Ghana, some media personalities told him that several rappers began switching to Afrobeats because of the financial opportunities attached to the genre after the release of the song.
DAILY POST reports that One Dance, which also featured British singer Kyla, became a global success and was recognised by Guinness World Records as the first song to hit one billion streams on Spotify.
The song blended Afrobeats, dancehall and pop sounds, and is widely regarded as one of the records that helped bring Afrobeats to mainstream global audiences.
Drake had also acknowledged in a past interview that Wizkid played a major role in the success of the song, with the Nigerian singer credited as a co-songwriter, co-producer and performer.
