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D'banj

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D'banj
D'banj at MTV Europe Music Awards 2007
D'banj at MTV Europe Music Awards 2007
Background information
Birth nameDapo Daniel Oyebanjo
Also known asThe Koko Master, Igwe, Skibanj Eja Nla, Mr. Endowed, BangaLee
Born (1980-06-09) June 9, 1980 (age 44)[1]
Zaria, Kaduna State, Nigeria
GenresAfrobeat
Reggae fusion
R&B
Hip hop
Pop
Occupation(s)Singer-songwriter, instrumentalist, Entrepreneur
Instrument(s)Vocals, harmonica
Years active2004–present
LabelsDB Records, Mercury Records, GOOD Music, Sony Music Entertainment, ROCKSTAR4000, RCA
WebsiteOfficial website

Dapo Daniel Oyebanjo (popularly known as D'banj, born June 9, 1980) is a Nigerian singer-songwriter, a harmonica player, and a businessman. He has won several music awards including the awards for Best African Act at the MTV Europe Music Awards 2007,[2] Artist of the Year at the MTV Africa Music Awards 2009.[3] and BET Awards of 2011 for Best International Act; Africa. He adopted the stage name D'banj, a combination of his first name Dapo and his surname Oyebanjo.[2] D'banj is currently best known internationally for his 2012 summer hit "Oliver Twist", an uptempo dance fusion of Afro-Beats and electronic dance music that topped the African charts 2011 and was a top 10 hit in the UK singles chart in 2012 reaching #2 on the UK R&B chart.

Childhood

D'banj was born in Zaria, Kaduna State, Nigeria to a military officer who commanded an artillery regiment and a church dignitary mother who hailed from Shagamu in Ogun State. Due to his father's profession he moved several times within Nigeria and later moved to England. D'banj was expected to follow his father's military career and was enrolled to the Nigerian Military School at age eleven. However, D'banj resisted the system and disenrolled from the school after three years. While at the Military school he was a member of the elite drum corp of the Nigerian Army. From the Nigerian Military School he proceeded to another military owned institution Nigerian Navy Secondary School, Ibara, Abeokuta where he completed his secondary school education.[4]

Musical beginning

D'banj was introduced to the harmonica by his late older brother, Femi Oyebanjo, who died in a plane crash at age seventeen.[4] With D'banj's love for music being greater than his parents' military aspirations, he struggled for his parents' approval; this can be best heard through an album track, All Da Way from his debut album.[2]

BET Interview

In April, 2011, D'banj was interviewed by BET's April Woodard. The interview titled 'Welcome to America'[5] was a platform for D'banj to introduce himself to the American Music Industry and audience which he stated he was going to get into. In the interview, D'banj spoke on a wide range of topics including his music, artists he'd like to work with, his parents, Mo'Hits Records, his love life, and his role models: Kanye West, Usher, Jay-Z, R. Kelly, and others. The interview lasted 125 minutes, and was the avenue used to formally declare his determination to lead African music into many quarters that its yet to reach.

Music career

As a tribute to his mentor Fela, D'banj brings Afrobeat to life and into the 21st century with breathless enthusiasm as well as a good dose of humour. His songs are based on his life, often hilarious but with a deeper meaning which documents the struggle of a young Nigerian trying to achieve his dreams. He performs in Yoruba, English and Pidgin English.

2005: No Long Thing

D'banj's debut album, No Long Thing, was released in 2005, yielding several singles, with Tongolo as the lead single. This proved to be his breakthrough single and a hit. It also provided his Koko Master persona, with the term, koko, taking on a variety of meanings. D'banj's debut success led to collaborations with other artists, this includes Dare Art-Alade's album track, Escalade Part 2 and Ikechukwu's album. D'Banj's single koko was used by the PDP (ruling political party in Nigeria) as its campaign theme for the 2007 general elections.

2006: Rundown Funk U Up

D'banj's sophomore album Rundown Funk U Up which was released in 2006, yielded several singles including the club single, Tongolo (Remix) and the lead single, Why Me?. This proved to be another hit.

2007–2008: Curriculum Vitae & The Entertainer

D'banj, as an artist of Mo' Hits Records, is also a member of its collective group, Mo' Hits Allstars (includes artists Dr SID, Wande Coal, KaySwitch, and D'prince). He has once been spotted with one of Nigeria's most talented singers, "Smile Lasisi". The collective's debut album, Curriculum Vitae, was released in December 2007. It included hit singles, "Be Close To You", "Booty Call" and "Move Your Body", which was the lead single. D'banj was featured in Ikechukwu's 2008 hit, "Wind Am Well".

July 2008 saw the release of D'banj's third album, The Entertainer,[6] with the singles "Gbono Feli Feli", "Kimon", "Olorun Maje" and "Entertainer".

Mo'Hits/ G.O.O.D. Music

In June 2011, D'banj was signed to Kanye West's G.O.O.D Music record label as artiste. On June 9, 2011, D'banj wrote on his Twitter account, @iamdbanj, "Just like yesterday, myself and my brother did Tongolo. 7 years later, Mo'Hits signs with GOOD Music. Best Birthday gift ever. God thank you."[7]

Mo'Hits Breakup

After several months of speculation and wild rumors, ace producer, Don Jazzy confirmed via his Twitter account the breakup of Mo'Hits. After the breakup, Don Jazzy, D'Prince, Dr SID, Wande Coal started Mavin Records [8] while D'banj, Jay Sleek and KaySwitch founded DB Records.[9]

Live performances

D'banj is a regular performer for the annual ThisDay Africa Rising Music Festival. He has performed at Femi Kuti’s new Afrikan Shrine in Ikeja, Lagos as well as the Shrine Synchro System’s regular London Night at Cargo. He performed at the Black President Concert in memory of Fela’s art and legacy at the Barbican in London, and also alongside many international artists in Nigeria like Kelly Rowland at the 1st Edition of the MTV Africa Music Awards 2008 in Abuja, Nigeria.[10]

He was involved in one of the most anticipated events of the season ‘Koko Concert‘. This concert consisted of D’Banj, Don Jazzy, Dr SID, Wande Coal, D’Prince, new Mo Hits recruit Ikechukwu plus a few guest appearances including May7ven and comedian Tunde Ednut. The stage was set for a thrilling night – the Koko effect is definitely LIVE in London as fans of D’Banj and Mo’ Hits filled the O2 arena to capacity. As expected, the hits just kept coming and the momentum was sustained with on-stage antics from all the artists. In December, 2010, the Mo' Hits All Stars brought Koko Concert to Lagos[11] and D'banj kept belting out energetic performances that kept the audience screaming. Colleagues like M.I, eLDee, Jesse Jagz, and Wizkid also joined up on stage. There was also a global premiere of the highly anticipated "Mr Endowed (Remix)" featuring Snoop Dogg and also a recent track "Blame It On the Money" featuring the Californian native and Big Sean.

On June 23, 2012, D'banj performed at the Hackney Weekend to celebrate the 2012 Summer Olympics, which was headlined by Jay-Z and Rihanna. He performed alongside his friend, and fellow Universal Music Group label mate, Rita Ora on 30 August 2012 at the SCALA London Live Music, Clubs and Arts Venue to celebrate the release of her debut album Ora.[12] He also performed at the AFCON 2013 closing ceremony held in South Africa.

Humanitarian work

D'banj is a founder of Koko Foundation for Youth and Peace Development. He is also Nigeria's first United Nations Youth Ambassador for Peace.[13]

Discography

Albums

Studio albums
Title Album details
No Long Thing
RunDown Funk U Up
The Entertainer
Compilation albums
Title Album details
Curriculum Vitae
DKM (D'King's Men)

Singles

Year Title Peak chart positions Album
BEL (Vl)
[14] 		BEL (Wa)
[15] 		GER
[16] 		UK
[17]
2005 "Tongolo"
(featuring Tola HU) 		— — — — No Long Thing
"Socor" — — — —
"Mobolowowon" — — — —
2006 "Run Down (Funk U Up)" — — — — RunDown Funk U Up'
"Why Me" — — — —
2007 "Tongolo Remix" — — — —
2008 "Kimon" — — — — The Entertainer
"Suddenly" — — — —
"Gbono Feli Feli" — — — —
"Entertainer" — — — —
"Suddenly" — — — —
"Fall in Love" — — — —
"Igwe" — — — —
2009 "Scapegoat" — — — — N/A
2010 "Mr Endowed (Remix)"
(featuring Snoop Dogg) 		— — — —
2012 "Oliver Twist" 60 68 66 9 DKM (D'King's Men)
"Bachelor" — — — —
"Cashflow" (D'banj featuring Kay Switch) — — — —
"Sister Caro" (Kay Switch featuring D'banj) — — — —
2013 "Don't Tell Me Nonsense" — — — —
"For Example" (featuring Kay Switch) — — — —
"Top of the World" — — — —
"Finally" — — — —

Guest appearances

Year Title Other performer(s) Album
2012 "The Morning"[18] Raekwon, Pusha T, Common, 2 Chainz, Cyhi the Prynce, Kid Cudi Cruel Summer

Awards and nominations

Main article: List of awards and nominations received by D'banj

Won

Nominated

See also

References

  1. ^ "D'Banj BIOGRAPHY". DB Records. Retrieved 12 October 2013.
  2. ^ a b c "D'Banj – Full Biography". MTV Base. Retrieved 25 August 2010.
  3. ^ "MTV Africa Music Awards – Winners". MTV Base. Retrieved 25 August 2010. [dead link]
  4. ^ a b He also stayed in India for a while with his father.Biography of D'banj. dbanjrecords.com. Retrieved on 2012-07-07.
  5. ^ Exclusive | D’Banj BET Interview [Full Video. that1960chick.com (2011-04-03). Retrieved on 2012-07-07.
  6. ^ Newspage Weekly, The Online Edition – Get to know the Koko master. Newspageng.net. Retrieved on 2012-07-07.
  7. ^ D'banj kokomaster (@iamdbanj) op Twitter. Twitter.com. Retrieved on 2012-07-07.
  8. ^ [1]
  9. ^ [2]
  10. ^ Kelly Rowland Ft Dbanj - Like this (remix) - YouTube
  11. ^ http://www.234next.com/csp/cms/sites/koko_concert_the_lagos_series_.csp
  12. ^ Dbanj Performs With Rita Ora « Hitmagtv
  13. ^ Home. WFUNA (2011-10-14). Retrieved on 2012-07-07.
  14. ^ "Discografie D'Banj". Hung Medien. www.ultratop.be/nl/.
  15. ^ "Discografie D'Banj". Hung Medien. www.ultratop.be/fr/.
  16. ^ "Discografie D'Banj". Hung Medien. www.charts.de/.
  17. ^ Peak positions in the United Kingdom:
  18. ^ "Cruel Summer – Various Artists > Overview". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved September 21, 2012.
  19. ^ Feature: KORA Awards 2005. BBC
  20. ^ HIP HOP WORLD AWARDS WINNERS. hiphopworldmagazine.com (2006-03-13).
  21. ^ Nigeria Music Awards 2006. nigeriamusicawards.com
  22. ^ Advertising and Marketing in South Africa. Bizcommunity.com. Retrieved on 2012-07-07.
  23. ^ NEA Awards. Nigeriaentawards.com. Retrieved on 2012-07-07.
  24. ^ Museke: Channel O Music Video Awards 2007 winners
  25. ^ a b Oladipo, Tomi. (2008-11-23) Nigerians sweep MTV Africa Awards. BBC News. Retrieved on 2012-07-07.
  26. ^ Museke: MTV Africa Music Awards (MAMAs) 2009 winners
  27. ^ BET Awards 11: Best International Act Africa. M.bet.com. Retrieved on 2012-07-07.
  28. ^ a b Channel O Award nominees released. Bizcommunity.com. Retrieved on 2012-07-07.
  29. ^ MTV MAMA Music Awards with Zain nominees
  30. ^ a b Museke: MTV Africa Music Awards (MAMAs) 2009 nominees

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