A fresh perspective on the long-standing comparison between Nigerian music heavyweights Olamide and Wizkid has emerged, following Olamide’s recent comments about their early careers.
Although both artists rose to mainstream fame in 2010 — with Wizkid’s breakout track “Holla At Your Boy” arriving in January of that year and Olamide’s “Eni Duro” gaining traction shortly after — many fans have consistently viewed them as industry peers. Their joint nomination in the Next Rated category at the 2011 Headies Awards further strengthened that perception, especially after Wizkid clinched the award.
Speaking in a new interview with streamer Azeeez, Olamide offered a clearer timeline of their journeys, noting that Wizkid began releasing music ahead of him.
According to him, “Wizkid and I didn’t start doing music at the same time. He started a year or two before me, he was already putting out music before I came.”
Wizkid’s early appearance on M.I Abaga’s 2008 hit “Fast Money/Fast Cars” serves as evidence of his pre-mainstream activity, showing his presence in the industry roughly two years before his major breakthrough.
Olamide’s remarks help reshape the narrative around their careers, positioning Wizkid as the earlier entrant while acknowledging how both artists have grown into influential figures in modern Afrobeats.