Nigeria, May 3 -- Senegalese-American singer Akon has claimed he played a major role in making Afrobeats and artists like Wizkid global stars.

In a recent episode of theBagfuel Brigadepodcast, Akon said Wizkid was just a local Nigerian artist before he signed him in 2008 and helped polish his career. He also said that without his early efforts, Afrobeats might not be where it is today.

"In 2008, I spent my time in Nigeria developing what you see today as Afrobeats," Akon said. "Wizkid was the first Nigerian artist we signed officially. Then we went on to sign P-Square, who were the first Nigerian group to make it internationally."

According to Akon, he didn't just help artists; he brought structure to the Nigerian music industry. "I br...