We’re celebrating the BIRTHDAY SPLASH for Oladapo Daniel Oyebanjo, the Nigerian musician, singer, songwriter, rapper, entrepreneur, and television personality, more commonly known by his stage name D’Banj. He was born on June 9, 1980, in Zaria, Nigeria.
D’banj’s career has been marked by many accolades, including the MTV Europe Music Award for Best African Act in 2007, Artist of the Year at the MTV Africa Music Awards in 2009, Best International Act: Africa at the 2011 BET Awards, and Best-Selling African Artist at the 2014 World Music Awards. He also received the Evolution award at the 2015 MTV Africa Music Awards.
The 44-year-old Kokomaster – as some call him, gained international fame with his 2011 hit single “Oliver Twist,” which blends Afrobeats and electronic dance music. The song topped the African charts in 2011 and reached number 9 on the UK singles chart in 2012, while also hitting number 2 on the UK R&B chart.
In 2016, D’banj married Lineo Didi Kilgrow, and they had a son, Daniel Oyebanjo III. Like David Adeleke – Davido’s son, Daniel tragically drowned in 2018.
Notwithstanding these challenges, D’banj has hugely contributed to music and social causes. For example, in 2015, he released the song “Extraordinary” to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment, which the World Bank endorsed.
D’banj’s entrepreneurial ventures include the launch of THE CREAM PLATFORM in partnership with MTN Nigeria and the Bank of Industry. This platform, established in 2016, aims to discover and nurture young creative talents in Nigeria. By the end of 2016, it had over 2 million subscribers and had discovered numerous talents.
D’banj has also been involved in controversies. In 2020, he faced rape allegations, which led to legal battles and settlements. In December 2022, he was arrested by Nigeria’s Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) for allegedly diverting funds meant for the N-Power Project – a government program intended for tackling unemployment.
D’banj’s discography includes albums like “No Long Thing” (2005), “RunDown Funk U Up” (2006), “The Entertainer” (2008), “King Don Come” (2017), and “Stress-Free, Chapter 1” (2021).
JolibaLive joins millions of fans to wish this great son of Africa, D’banj, a happy 44th birthday and many more years of rich contributions to the world of entertainment and humanity in general.
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