Popular South African rapper Nasty C has praised Nigerian music star Wizkid for helping African music gain global recognition.
Speaking during a podcast interview, the “Zulu Man With Some Power” rapper said Wizkid’s 2016 collaboration with Canadian superstar Drake on the hit song “One Dance” helped open international doors for African artists, especially those in the Afrobeats genre.
According to Nasty C, the success of the song gave African music a major boost around the world. He explained that Afrobeats became so profitable after the collaboration that some rappers began leaving hip-hop to focus on the genre instead.
He said, “Wizkid and Drake collaboration on ‘One Dance’ opened the door for African artists. After the collaboration, African music received a significant boost. During some of my interviews in Nigeria and Ghana, the hosts told me that some rappers were even switching to Afrobeats because of how lucrative it has become after Wizkid’s collaboration with Drake.”
“One Dance,” performed by Drake and featuring Wizkid alongside British singer Kyla, made history by becoming the first song to reach one billion streams on Spotify, earning a Guinness World Record.
The song combines Afrobeats, dancehall, and pop sounds, and is widely seen as one of the tracks that pushed Afrobeats into the global spotlight.
Drake also admitted in an interview that Wizkid played a major role in the success of the song.
Wizkid was credited as a co-songwriter, co-producer, and performer on the hit record.
