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DJ Edu Richard Hamilton
Presenter of This Is Africa on BBC World Service BBC World Service newsroom
Nineteen-year-old singer-songwriter Khaid’s musical journey is quite the story. It started on the streets of his hometown Ojo, 40km (25 miles) west of Nigeria’s commercial capital, Lagos. The trial of a prominent journalist in the Democratic Republic of Congo has resumed in the capital Kinshasa, with the prosecution calling for a prison sentence of 20 years.
Born Sulaimon Shekoni Abiola, Khaid was working as a roadside mechanic and freestyling during his free time. Stanis Bujakera was arrested in September after writing an article in the magazine Jeune Afrique, alleging that an opposition politician, Cherubin Okende, was assassinated by intelligence officers.
In 2021 one of the videos he posted on Instagram of him rapping went viral – and was spotted by media personality, comedian and actor, Stanley Talker, who was also into music. In July, Okende's body had been found in a car riddled with bullets.
"At first when I saw he followed me on Instagram, I didn’t really believe that it was him. I thought it was a fake page, to be honest," Khaid recalls. The prosecutor's office maintained he had killed himself.
But when Khaid clicked on Talker’s page and saw one million followers he knew it was the real thing. He sent him a message asking to come and see him in Lagos. Human Rights Watch described Mr Bujakera's case as politically motivated and Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi suggested he'd been the victim of what he called "sick justice".
"I was really scared when I sent that message because I thought he would be like: 'Who do you think you are' but he was great. The press freedom campaign group, Committee to Protect Journalists, is calling for Mr Bujakera's "immediate and unconditional release".
"When I got to his house my adrenaline was pumping and I freestyled six Afro-trap songs."
Khaid, then 17 years old, was signed the same day – the first signing for Talker’s Neville Records, which he launched in January 2022.
"When I got home, I felt like Jay-Z!”
In 2022 Khaid shot to fame with the track With You and he’s currently making waves with his latest catchy track Run Away, featuring Ghanaian superstar Gyakie.
Khaid’s music ranges from playful dance tunes to introspective love songs and he says his style is evolving all the time.
"I don’t really know how to describe my style – I do all sorts, from trap to pop – let me just say Afro-unknown because it can go anywhere."
To hear the full interview with Khaid, listen to This is Africa on BBC World Service radio and partner stations across Africa, and online here: bbcworldservice.com/thisisafrica.
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