KOKO Master, DBANJ Dazzles Everyone

• At GBENGA ADEYINKA’s Laffmatazz Show

Days after the show, many people are still talking about D’Banj’s superlative performance at Gbenga Adeyinka’s comedy show at the Balmoral Hall at Federal Palace Hotel, V.I.

He was one of the 2 stars that headlined the show. Waka Queen Salawa Abeni was the 1st artiste to come on stage, after a few comedy acts had thrilled the audience. Other comedians also came on stage to perform. Then came DBanj. It was like the big return of Dbanj. He looked slim and fit. I am Dbanj, his favourite phrase popped up. He was not alone. He had his band back him up. He began to sing all his favourite songs back to back and the Kokolets went wild.

A lot of ladies in the house left their seats and gravitated towards the stage, some even jumped on stage at some point, out of frenzy. And Dbanj danced with one or 2 of them. As usual, he not only sang, he danced, as he moved around the big stage.

He performed for over 1 hour and he just before he bowed out, he reminded his fans that he was in a celebratory mood. He is currently celebrating his 20 years on stage. The celebration has been on for months now. Dbanj recently celebrated his 20th anniversary in the Music industry, making 2 decades since he started his journey in 2004 with MoHits Records, a label he co-founded with Don Jazzy.

To commemorate this milestone, he released a brand new single titled Koko, produced by Eskeez and written by Olamide. In his post on his X (formerly Twitter) account, DBanj expressed his excitement for the new single and thanked Olamide for the gift of the song. “What does the Koko mean to you since 04 and right now in 2024? Koko from upcoming album out now! Big shoutout to my brother @ Olamide Baddo LEE for blessing me with this jam and to the amazing producer.

Deskeez and beat. You can call this The New Koko anthem.

As part of the celebrations, DBanj also honoured his former partner, Don Jazzy by inviting him to his anniversary dinner, a moment filled with nostalgia. He even performed at a free street concert to show appreciation to his fans.

Throughout his career, Dbanj has made significant contributions to the Nigerian Music industry, earning him the nickname Koko Master.

Many see his 20th anniversary celebration as a testament to his enduring legacy and impact on African entertainment. For the past few months, DBanj has been celebrating 2 decades in the Nigerian music scene, having started his journey in 2004 with Mohit Records, a label he co-founded with Don Jazzy. This release follows previous singles Since 04 and Taya, which feature collaborations with artists like Timaya, Zlatan, Bhadboi OM, Kayswitch and Specikinging.

DBanj recently visited Don Jazzy to present a special gift pack, commenorating their shared history and his milestone 20th anniversary  in the industry.

Let’s tell you more. DBanj whose real name is Oladapo Daniel Oyebanjo turned 44 on 9th June. He signed with American rapper, Kanye West’s record label GOOD Music to release his 2012 single “Oliver Twist”, an uptempo dance fusion of EDM and Afrobeats for which he became best known. With record producer Don Jazzy, he co-founded the record label Mo’ Hits Records. His stage name is a combination of his first name, Dapo, and his surname, Oyebanjo.

Many don’t know D’banj, also known as the Kokomaster or Bangalee, was born in Zaria, the northern part of Nigeria to a military officer father and a devoutly religious businesswoman mother from Shagamu in Ogun State. Dbanj has twins as siblings, Taiwo and Kehinde Oyebanjo.

D’banj’s parents hoped he would follow in his father’s footsteps and join the military, but D’banj turned to music instead being introduced to the harmonica by his late older brother, Femi Oyebanjo, who died in a plane crash at the age of seventeen. D’banj’s struggle for his parents’ approval inspired his music, most notably on the album track, All Da Way, from his debut album.

D’banj’s debut album, No Long Thing, was released in 2005. It yielded several singles with Tongolo as the breakthrough lead single. It also provided his Koko Master persona, with the term, Koko, taking on a variety of meanings. D’banj’s debut led to collaborations with other artists, including Dare Art Alade and Ikechukwu.

D’banj’s second 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?.

In 2007, D’Banj’s single Koko was used by the PDP (ruling political party in Nigeria) as its campaign theme for the general elections.

D’banj also joined Mo’Hits Records and its collective group, Mo’ Hits Allstars (which included artists Dr SID, Wande Coal, KaySwitch, and D’Prince). December 2007 saw the release of the collective’s debut album, Curriculum Vitae.. It included 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, with the singles “Gbono Feli Feli”, “Kimon”, “Olorun Maje” and “Entertainer”.

In June 2011, D’banj was signed to Kanye West G.O.O.D Music record label as an artiste. On 9 June 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.” In September 2016, it was announced D’banj was released from GOOD Music.

After several months of speculation, producer, Don Jazzy confirmed via his Twitter account the breakup of Mo’Hits. After the break-up, Don Jazzy, D’Prince, Dr SID and Wande Coal started Mavin Records,[14] while D’banj founded DB Records, and he signed his younger brother Kayswitch to the label alongside two producers, Jaysleek and Deevee.

In December 2012, D’banj signed a mega deal with Sony. Speaking on the importance of the deal to Sony, the Managing director of Sony Music Entertainment described the deal as a “Pan African multi-album deal with Sony Music’s RCA Records. It also involves an exclusive management deal with Sony Music and strategic partner ROCKSTAR4000 for the continent. Add to that a multi-album, worldwide exclusive contract with emerging Nigerian singer-songwriter star Kayswitch, and a strategic partnership with D’Banj’s Nigerian record label, DB Records”.

The single “Bother You”, inspired by the film Half of a Yellow Sun, was released on 7 April 2013, by Mi7 Records and D’banj’s label, DKM Media.In June 2014, D’banj introduced artists under his record label, which includes him, his younger brother Kay Switch, brothers MossKriss and Ralph Kriss, and Tonto Dikeh and Ebeneztizzy.

He released the album titled King Don Come, with guest features from the likes of Gucci Mane, Wande Coal, Harry Songs, Bucie, Busiswa etc. in August. The album includes singles ‘It’s Not A Lie’, ‘El Chapo as well as his 2012 mega hit ‘Oliver Twist’.

In December 2010, the Mo’ Hits All Stars brought Koko Concert to Lagos.

On 23 June 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. He also performed at the AFCON 2013 closing ceremony held in South Africa. On 18 April 2015, D’banj performed at the Global Citizen Earth Day, a free concert on Capitol Hill (Washington Monument Grounds) for the 45th anniversary of Earth Day put on by the Global Poverty Project and the Earth Day Network.

D’banj has won several music awards. With D’banj’s first album came his first endorsement from an energy drink called Power Fist. In May 2013, D’banj was named the Bank of Industry (BOI) ambassador. In November 2013, D’banj re-signed a multi-million Naira deal with Globacom, the company he parted ways with in 2010. In June 2014, D’Banj secured a deal with Heritage Bank. In October 2014, D’banj was named the official African ambassador for Beats by Dre. In February 2015, D’banj was named the official African ambassador for Ciroc Nigeria. In an exclusive story on Tush Magazine Issue 11, Banky W and Dbanj shed more light on how they became Ciroc Ambassadors.

In September 2015, D’banj was made the brand Ambassador of SLOT, a popular mobile phone and electronic gadget retail outfit. Dbanj is now among the richest Afrobeats artists in Nigeria.

D’banj is the founder of the Koko Foundation For Youth and Peace Development. He was also Nigeria’s first United Nations Youth Ambassador for Peace. Dbanj has been described as a ONE campaign ambassador. He released the song “Cocoa Na Chocolate” in support of Agriculture investments. ‘Cocoa Na Chocolate’ featured 18 other African artists and won Best African Collaboration at the All Africa Music Awards in 2014.

In 2015, he was applauded by World Bank Chief, Jim Yong Kim for using his music power and high celebrity status to bring attention to serious and critical issues in Africa, with a special focus on Agriculture and Poverty alleviation.