Reasons Wizkid Went From Being Loud To An Introvert

Growth happens in every section of life. Everything grow and it comes with changes. Those changes may either be good or bad. When it comes to humans, everyone passes through stages in life. Those stages come with changes too and these same changes can affect the person involved either positively or negatively. It can go on to affect people around the person too.

What about celebrities? As popular as celebrities are, their growth don’t only affect them but their supporters too. When it comes to them, these changes can happen to them due to the pressure from their supporters. I’m as much as some seem tough and can endue anything thrown at them by the netizens, most of them still succumb to the pressure at the end of the day. That being said, some of them also change for the good of their career or they do it for family or friends.

Also, their supporters’ positive impact on their careers can’t be overlooked. They buy tickets to their concerts and events, they stream their favorite songs and movies and these celebrities make money as the result. But what everyone has been asking is what happened to Wizkid.
Why the sudden change in his personality? Why once a cheerful person is now reserved and quiet? Is it growth or there is something bothering him that his fans don’t know about?

Who Is Wizkid?

Wizkid also known as Machala, Big Wiz, Wizzy, Starboy and Baba Nla whose real name is Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun was once a young, vibrant and talented young man who was mostly very loud on Twitter, now known as X. Born in Ojuelegba, Surulere in the heart of Lagos, Nigeria, Wizkid who was then called Lil Prinz started his music career at the age of 11. He started in a group formed in his church called The Glorious Give. He left the group and continue his solo journey after an album with the group.

As an only son with 12 female siblings, Wizkid was very determined to the core. Birthed by a Christian mother and a Muslim father also shaped his religious life. Taking inspiration from music icons like King Sunny Ade, Fela Kuti and Bob Marley, Wizkid was always in OJB Jezreels studio where he watched on as older artists like 2Face and Sound Sultan record.
At the age of 15 he met Naeto C who mentored him.

Wizkid’s Deal With E.M.E:

Wizkid signed to Banky W’s Empire Mates Entertainment or EME record label in 2009. He went on to release hits songs like Holla at Your Boy, Don’t Dull, Love My Baby, Bad Guys and albums like his debut Superstar, Ayo, etc.  and became a global sensation and had a very huge fanbase in and out of Nigeria. He goes on tours, set records and also won many prestigious awards. Wizkid dropped out from two universities after struggling to combined the music and education.

His E.M.E Exit:

But the unfortunate happened when he started having monetary issues with his record label and left afterwards. According to him in an interview, he left the record label with no money in his account.

After leaving EME, he launched his own record label Starboy Entertainment in 2013 and signed fellow artists like Maleek Berry , Terri, R2Bees and others.

Wizkid or Big Wiz that we know today was not the Wizkid in the early 2010s. Wizkid then had no mercy for whoever that stepped on him. His battle ground where he goes toe to toe with his rivals is X, formerly known as Twitter. He was known as one of the most fearless and vocal celebrities on the app. He can drop as many tweets as he wants until he decided to let go. And yes, he was feared too because of how loud he was.

Most of the people he beefed were older than him as at then. Well, age doesn’t count on the battle field. As far as you come for him, he will definitely come for you and his was always brutal. Popular Nigerian female blogger, Linda Ikeji, his former record label boss Banky W, his former record label mate Skales, Reekado Banks, his former producer SamKlef, Mr Jollof among others were some of the personalities he went wild on.
Now let’s dive into all his rivalries and what caused them.

Wizkid VS Linda Ikeji

In 2016, the popular blogger Linda Ikeji put up a story on her blog about Wizkid and that’s how the whole drama started. According to the story, a Guinean lady by name Binta Diamond Diallo welcomed a baby which Wizkid was alleged to be the father. Another story posted by Linda also hints that Wizkid was given a quit notice to vacate his Lekki house, a house Wizkid claimed he bought. This news got Wizkid furious as he took to his socials to rain insults on Linda.

“By the time I’m your age, I would have done way better than anyone in your family”

He continued “All those shoes and bags won’t help you find a good man, you and your laptop will stay married for life.”

“I googled Linda at 25 and found nothing. You wish you had all I have at 25!” Wizkid rants on Instagram.

He went on and on and even threatened to get Linda beaten in the process. It was so brutal to the extent that Linda had to filed a police complaint against Wizkid. The beef remains one of the most ugliest rivalries in the Nigerian entertainment scene.

Wizkid VS Skales

In 2015 Skales, a Nigerian singer and Wizkid’s former record label mate was doing Questions and Answers on Twitter with his fans. It was an up closed moment between Skales and his fans until a fan asked about Wizkid. The fan suggested Wizkid should be featured on Skales upcoming album “Man of the Year”. But what Skales tweeted later became the weapon that divides two friends who were hailed from the same record label. “Wizkid does not have my time anymore” Skales reveals. Wizkid replied saying “dude! Lol my home is your home anytime g! U know I’m here whenever u’re ready! Blood still!”.

The Peak of The Exchange:

But Skales pushed further with another tweet “no bad blood bro, we family but show support at ur own for real. It’s not by tweeting or bare words”. Skales went on to accused Wizkid of stealing his beat which the producer denied and confirmed that Wizkid paid for the beat.
“All these hate buried inside you for so long but you been pretending to be real. All these curse words but you still a f dude tho” Skales continued dragging Wizkid. Wizkid on the other hand kept dropping series of tweets as the two continued their banter.

Wizkid tweets “My guy Skales I know you’re looking for publicity for your new album. So I won’t say nothing anymore! When you see me! You see me!”

Then Skales replied “Wizkid, I don’t need p.r from you bro. That’s the least thing let’s call a spade a spade… you’re a fake a** n, that’s scared of peoples success”.

And Wizkid comes again “I went on a tour with you when nobody called you for the show! And split my money with the whole team! Wow”

He continued “Life is crazy my people! Can’t explain how much I’ve learnt since I came up. Your enemies are closer than you think”

Skales tweeted again “I know where I’m from, I know where I’m headed. Meeting you was only a stepping stone, you outta my way now N. No be only you God fit bless”

The banter continued for days. The internet was in frenzy. Wizkid also mocked Skales for not dropping hit songs. He also added he was there for Skales when their former record label wanted to canceled Skales contract because he wasn’t making any profit for the label while calling Skales a “zero brain”

Wizkid VS Reekado Banks

2020 was a tough year for Nigeria as the country were fighting against police brutality. A lot of protests took place as celebrities also did their part fighting for their beloved country. During the chaos, Reekado Banks dropped a song he made with Wizkid dubbed “Omo Olomo”. Seeing the state of the country, Wizkid got furious and descended on Reekado Banks on Twitter ordering him to take down the song. He replied Reekado Banks’ song announcement post “delete this dude! Can’t believe you’re doing this at a time like this. Old Song! #endsars “. He also called him a clout animal.

According to Reekado Banks in an interview following Wizkid’s tweet, he revealed that Wizkid’s tweet made home realized that he wasn’t respected as he assumed. They later settled in 2024 as they were seen partying together.

Wizkid VS Davido

Started by fans, Wizkid and Davido’s rivalry is one of the biggest and longest ever in the Nigeria music space. Two friends that became rivals. The most amazing thing about this rivalry is the duration, more than a decade.

It all started when fans started comparing the two music icons. Even though Wizkid blew up a year before Davido, Davido actually leveled up after dropping his hit song “Back When” and that was what fueled the comparison. It was just fans feud between the Wizkid FC and the 30BG until 2014 when things escalated when Wizkid made a tweet “Proper shows, proper venues” after his successful shows in New York City. The tweet everyone perceived was directed at Davido who was also done with his own shows.

They later settled and hanged out few times before going back to the rivalry. It has been back and forth and settling for more than a decade.

The Quiet After The Storm:

After all these rivalries that Wizkid got involved, something happened. The old Wizkid that dragged people and say mean things to them, is no more. He hardly addresses rumors these days, he hardly call people out when they go against him and has become very rare on social media. What could be the problem? What changed? Why does he lost his voice? These may be the answers:

GROWTH AND MATURITY

At the early stages of his career, he was young and energetic. He was in his teens and early 20s and that made him to be more open to the public and the fans. But after spending a lot of years in the music industry, maturity sets in. He now thinks about things to put out there, when to make public statements and appearances.

FAME FATIGUE

Many referred to fame as a drug. It’s exhausting and overwhelming and if not managed properly can negatively affects the creator. Being in the spotlight every single day might made Wizkid to reflect on his mental health and decided to limit his exposure and become introverted.

FATHERHOOD

Back when he started his career, he was young with no partner and no kids. But now as a father of 4 kids, coming online to banter and drag issues with colleagues seem irrelevant to him. He needs to set example for his kids. He needs to raise his kids in a toxic free environment.

SHIFT IN ARTISTIC VISION

When he started his career, he was hungry for fame and success hence his involvement in constant banters coupled with frequent appearances. But now that he is successful, his vision changed. He doesn’t need to chase fame anymore. He now focuses on building his legacy.

DELIBERATE REBRANDING

Making himself less-accessible might make him more powerful over his colleagues. The more he hid from the public eyes, the more the fans will crave for him. And it extends his longevity in the music space because fans will always be expecting something new.