The Apprenticeship (Wizkid UK Tour, 2012)
A Gospel of Afrobeats story
In 2012, Afrobeats in the UK lived in community spaces. Student halls, clubs, house parties, barbershops and butchers. Flyers taped to shop windows. BBM broadcasts and chain messages lighting up phones. Conversations carried from hand to hand.
The culture moved on belief before validation. It moved through people.
That year, Wizkid toured the UK.
Manchester and London.
Both shows sold out.
Today, people look at Wizkid and see stadiums, global charts, and billion stream milestones. What is often unseen is the apprenticeship. The years where nothing was promised and everything had to be earned through patience, humility, and repetition.
In Mastery, Robert Greene explains that the apprenticeship phase is not about titles, income, or recognition. It is a formative season where the focus shifts from being seen to becoming skilled. During this period, ego is slowly dismantled, false expectations are replaced with lived experience, and reality becomes the teacher.
Progress comes from showing up daily, paying close attention, and committing to the unglamorous work. Over time, those small, consistent efforts compound, and real skill is built brick by brick.
That was 2012.
The foundation had already begun the year before. In 2011, the Afrobeats Festival brought together P Square, Wizkid, Basketmouth, Abrantee, and a growing community that believed in the sound before it had mainstream language. That moment helped anchor Afrobeats in the UK consciousness. It also laid early groundwork for Wizkid’s journey in the UK.
Before SMADE became what people recognise today, my grounding was Cokobar. Before titles, there was proximity. I sold tickets. I promoted venues. I worked in the background. I moved people. Cokobar was the brand and I was learning the business from the inside.
That period taught me a lesson many skip.
Access is earned through contribution.
Visibility comes after value.
I helped sell out D’banj in 2009. I learned how culture moves when trust is present and effort is consistent. Observation mattered more than visibility. Learning mattered more than credit.
The founder of Cokobar, Ropo, became a mentor to me. Alongside Abi and Tunde - Phoenix Media, I learned the foundations of entertainment. Risk. Relationships. Patience. Structure. Long term thinking.
Greene writes,
“The apprenticeship is the phase in which you immerse yourself in the field, observing and absorbing its rules.”
That immersion shaped everything.
For promoters, the lesson was clear. Culture does not scale without infrastructure. Events alone are moments. Media, distribution, trust, and systems turn moments into movements.
For artists, the lesson was embodied. Growth comes from humility, presence, and respect for process.
That spirit surrounded Wizkid in 2012. At 21, he carried vision with humility. He was present, patient, and grateful. He understood the value of process and welcomed access, allowing people to walk alongside the journey.
Manchester came first.
London followed.
Both shows sold out.
Fans travelled from across the UK, drawn by belief and connection at a time when Afrobeats was still finding its footing. The demand already existed. It lived in the community, waiting to be recognised.
Greene reminds us,
“All masters go through a period of intense apprenticeship. They apprentice themselves to reality.”
Reality meant explaining Afrobeats repeatedly.
Reality meant building belief carefully.
Reality meant continuing with discipline while understanding was still forming around the sound.
Cokobar understood this. They built more than events. They built vessels. Media platforms. Distribution channels. Ecosystems. Culture grows when it has structure to hold it.
Nothing about that tour stood alone. Promoters, media partners, street teams, creatives, and community leaders moved together. That is how culture expands.
For the culture, the lesson is this. Longevity comes from collective effort, not individual shortcuts.
What remains most powerful is access. Wizkid allowed people into the process. He practiced openness. That openness built trust. Trust created longevity.
Many creatives study the finished image. Few study the formation.
Greene writes,
“The time that leads to mastery is dependent on the intensity of your focus.”
Mastery grows through attention, repetition, and respect for the journey.
SMADE was built in that same spirit. Quiet work. Relationship led growth. Brick by brick. Learning placed above reward. Community held at the centre.
This is the Gospel of Afrobeats.
Community before clout.
Learning before earning.
Mentorship before mastery.
Process before outcome.
For promoters, artists, and the culture, the message is the same. Honour the apprenticeship. Commit to learning. Stay present with the process.
That is where everything meaningful begins.
This story is part of a longer record.
Archival footage, posters, and moments from the Wizkid UK Tour 2012 live here:
drkingsmade.com/past-events/wizkid-uk-tour-2012
Dr. King SMADE
Journal Entry
London, UK, February
