South African rapper Nasty C has praised Nigerian superstar Wizkid for helping African music gain worldwide recognition.
During a recent podcast interview, the rapper said Wizkid’s 2016 collaboration with Canadian rapper Drake on the hit song One Dance played a major role in opening international doors for African artists and Afrobeats music.
According to Nasty C, the success of the song gave African music a huge boost globally and even influenced some rappers to switch from hip-hop to Afrobeats because of how profitable and popular the genre became.
He explained that during interviews in countries like Nigeria and Ghana, several media personalities told him many artists started embracing Afrobeats after seeing the massive success of Wizkid’s collaboration with Drake.
One Dance, which also featured British singer Kyla, became one of the biggest global records of its time.
The song blended Afrobeats, pop, and dancehall sounds, helping introduce Afrobeats to a wider international audience.
The record also made history as the first song to reach one billion streams on Spotify.
Drake later acknowledged Wizkid’s major contribution to the song, with the Nigerian star credited as a co-writer, co-producer, and performer.
