&w=64&q=75)
Afrobeats has seen several musicians whose stars twinkled and who momentarily captivated the mainstream.
On this week's Afrobeats Throwback, we will be revisiting the memorable mainstream run of Wizboyy, who is one of the ultimate streets-will-never-forget artists whose music impacted the scene in 2010.
Borrowing from his Igbo roots, Wizboyy was armed with melodies whose roots spread to the Highlife music of Eastern Nigeria and Ghana. Little wonder, his smash hit single Owu Sa Gi carries a similar cadence as the 2003 timeless hit Ahomka Wonu by Ghanaian Afrobeats group, VIP.
With his music crossing into Lagos and invariably spreading to other parts of the country, Wizboyy followed it up with the smash hit Screen Saver which positioned him as a budding pop star.
His debut album New Face Of My Story made him the poster boy for the creative hub in Eastern Nigeria. Wizboyy carried along other budding talents from the East like Zoro, Stormrex, and Slim Brown all featured on the album. He recruited the assistance of J Martins, a leader in the Eastern creative hub and other producers who crafted an Afrobeats album driven by Igbo sonics.
With his debut album, Wizboyy would rise to commercial success and even rub shoulders with Afrobeats superstars like 9ice whom he recruited for Owu Sa Gi remix in a bid to bring more listeners into the fold.
New Face Of My Story is shaped by the music of its time as it carries Western R&B influences like in Iyawo Mi feat Clique II, and Nobody Pass U feat Chivagu & Stormrex. These songs carry striking similarities with songs from P-Square who hacked a smooth way to domesticate Western R&B music within Afrobeats' framework.
Wizboyy's mainstream run extended till 2012 when he delivered the hit Till Infinity feat Slim Brown on his sophomore album, Infinity, which failed to live up to the heights of his debut.
While Wizboyy's time in the mainstream was short-lived, he made his impact in popularising Igbo Afropop music and helping other artists from the East cross into the Lagos market.