Iconic rapper and music producer Eldee has shared an insightful memory from the early days of Wizkid's career, recalling the first time he met the young artist and instantly recognizing his potential.
During a candid conversation on the Adesope Live podcast, Eldee opened up about how he knew from the moment Wizkid walked in that the rising star was destined for greatness.
"I saw that WizKid had something as soon as he walked in," Eldee said, reflecting on the first encounter with the then-upcoming artist.
Eldee also recalled his discussions with Banky W, the man credited with discovering Wizkid. While he humbly downplayed his role, Eldee believed that his words played a key part in giving Banky W and the team the confidence to fully back Wizkid. "I'm not trying to take credit or anything but I feel like part of what I might have said to Banky W was part of what gave them the full confidence to be like 'you know what, let's do it!'” Eldee explained. “I told him, 'This kid has something and we have to figure out a way to make sure that he doesn't fall into the wrong circles.'"
During the formative stages of Wizkid's career, Eldee played a significant role in shaping the young star’s sound. He emphasized the importance of crafting a balanced music style that could appeal to a wide audience. Eldee shared his perspective on the genre influences they were considering at the time, particularly Roc City’s mixtape style. He advised Banky W that Wizkid's music needed to strike a balance, drawing inspiration from diverse influences but avoiding being pigeonholed into a single genre.
"There were a lot of kids at the time who had talent and you needed someone you could mould and give directions," Eldee recalled. "I remember one of the things that I brought at the time was that we were listening to a lot of Roc City, and they had mixtapes they had done. So I told Banky that if we wanted the music to go far, our music had to align with that. Some of that is what we used to play to WizKid at the time and asked him to find the middle ground because he couldn't do all dancehall because he wasn't a Jamaican."
Eldee's insights and mentorship seemed to have paid off when Wizkid debuted his hit single "Don't Dull." Eldee described his reaction to the track: "When WizKid first played 'Don't Dull' for us, for the first time I was like, 'This is it.'"
This was just the beginning of Wizkid’s rise, with his first major performance coming at the Sound City Video Music Awards, marking a significant moment in his career. Eldee concluded, "That was his first big performance," reflecting on the early moments that would set the stage for Wizkid’s global stardom.
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