WIZKID: You need to succeed on your own terms

Looking at the trajectory of Wizkid's post music label career, one could easily deduce that success indeed come from one's own term.

Wizkid's relevance on the world music scene proves that young Nigerians can dream big.
The compact singer whose third solo project drops on July 14, 2017, will be remembered for one thing- succeeding on his own terms and his distinctive legacy  would sooner be more than awards  and plaques.

When Canadian rap star Drake said, "Everybody got a deal, I did it without one" he could have been foretelling Wizkid's future (an artist he would end up working with three times).

The course of development of Wizkid's post-music label career is astounding. He navigated the global charts just with the power of his sound than a heavy cheque from a label. It's not every day a kid from West Africa captivates the attention of the world.

You see, people from this part of the world are not expected to make global headlines. When you grow up in Nigeria, you don't exactly think the world is your playing field. For many of us, the aim is to make it in Nigeria and retire. Going toe-to-toe with the best in the world is not necessarily in our agendas. The plan is to do well in Nigeria, hopefully in Africa and call it a day afterwards.

 There are Nigerians like Wizkid who break this pattern. Young Nigerians are no longer limiting themselves to just the +234 phone code. The world is their playing field and they are going to run through it. Chimamanda Adichie, Asa, Nneka and a few others have shown us this is possible.

The poor level of education and non-existent health care system already indicates that the powers that be don't care about the youth. From early on, you already know that you must make something out of this life on your own.

Sadly, not many of us do so. We prefer to be stuck inside the box than to challenge the system. The Nigerian dream is to have a go to school, graduate, have a job, get married, have kids, retire and die. There is nothing about challenging the system and being the best you can be. The environment doesn't give you the audacity to maximise your potential.

Wizkid's giant strides in the global market defies this. Not content on being the local champion, he was ambitious and daring enough to see the world. Many people called him mad for leaving a river and chasing a waterfall. Today he has been justified.

Success should really come on your terms. Anything less is settling for a life that is not yours