Wizkid was born Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun on 16 July 1990, in Surulere, Lagos.He grew up in an interfaith household with twelve female siblings. His mother is a Pentecostal Christian and his father practices Islam. Wizkid attended Ijebu Ode Grammar School. He grew up listening to King Sunny Ade, Fela Kuti and Bob Marley. In a radio interview with Tim Westwood in 2012, he said "his father has three wives". In another interview with Adesope of Factory 78 TV, Wizkid said he formed a group called the Glorious Five with a couple of his church friends. They managed to release an album prior to disbanding. Wizkid went by the stage name Lil Prinz until 2006.He later met OJB Jezreel, a record producer who prevented him from recording for a year. While visiting OJB's Point Beat Studios frequently, he watched 2 Face Idibia record songs for his Grass 2 Grace album. He was also present during the recording sessions for Sound Sultan's debut album .He cited C as one of the people who mentored and coached him when he was 15 years old. Wizkid inked a record deal with Empire Mates Entertainment in 2009. He co-wrote "Omoge You Too Much", a song from Banky W.'s The W Experience album.He also worked with Naeto C, Ikechukwu and M.I while developing his craft. In mid-2009, he dropped out of Lagos State University (LASU). He later attended Lead City University, but dropped out after completing two sessions.