1. D'banj 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.
30 Facts About D'banj
1. 2.
D'banj's stage name is a combination of his first name, Dapo, and his surname, Oyebanjo.
3.
D'banj, 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.
4.
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.
5.
D'banj's debut led to collaborations with other artists, including Dare Art Alade and Ikechukwu.
6.
D'banj joined Mo'Hits Records and its collective group, Mo' Hits Allstars.
7.
D'banj was featured in Ikechukwu's 2008 hit, "Wind Am Well".
8.
In September 2016, it was announced D'banj was released from GOOD Music.
9.
In December 2012, D'banj signed a mega deal with Sony.
10.
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.
11.
D'banj released the album titled King Don Come, with guest features from the likes of Gucci Mane, Wande Coal, Harry Songs, Bucie, Busiswa etc.
12.
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.
13.
D'banj 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.
14.
D'banj performed at the AFCON 2013 closing ceremony held in South Africa.
15.
On 18 April 2015, D'banj performed at the Global Citizen Earth Day, a free concert on Capitol Hill for the 45th anniversary of Earth Day put on by the Global Poverty Project and the Earth Day Network.
16.
D'banj has won several music awards, including the awards for Best African Act at the MTV Europe Music Awards 2007, Artist of the Year at the MTV Africa Music Awards 2009, Best International Act: Africa at the 2011 BET Awards, Best-selling African Artist at the 2014 World Music Awards, Evolution award at the MTV Africa Musical awards 2015.
17.
In May 2013, D'banj was named the Bank of Industry ambassador.
18.
In November 2013, D'banj re-signed a multi-million Naira deal with Globacom, the company he parted ways with in 2010.
19.
In October 2014, D'banj was named the official African ambassador for Beats by Dre.
20.
In February 2015, D'banj was named the official African ambassador for Ciroc Nigeria.
21.
In September 2015, D'banj was made the brand ambassador of SLOT, a popular mobile phone and electronic gadget retail outfit.
22.
D'banj is the founder of the Koko Foundation for Youth and Peace Development.
23.
D'banj was Nigeria's first United Nations Youth Ambassador for Peace.
24.
In 2015, D'banj released the video "Extraordinary" to raise awareness on gender equality and women's empowerment.
25.
D'banj announced the birth of their son, Daniel Oyebanjo III, in May 2017.
26.
D'banj said she'd been abducted by Nigerian police, who turned her over to D'banj's management team, who co-opted her social media and made the retraction posts.
27.
On 7 December 2022, D'banj was arrested by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission in connection with alleged fraud.
28.
The arrest came after D'banj repeatedly ignored invitations from the ICPC to provide an explanation regarding his involvement in the alleged diversion of funds earmarked for the N-Power project.
29.
The allegations against D'banj suggest that he conspired with certain government officials to include ghost beneficiaries in the N-Power payment scheme, diverting funds intended for genuine beneficiaries into accounts linked to him.
30.
The Guardian newspaper has reported that the anti-graft agency is considering pressing charges against D'banj for alleged fraud and misappropriation of funds once their investigation is concluded.