Oladapo Daniel Oyebanjo, better known as D’banj, was born June 9, 1980 in Zaria, Nigeria. D’banj is a singer-songwriter as well as a harmonica master and a charismatic stage performer with boundless energy. D’banj grew up listening to music by Fela Kuti (“My great mentor.”) and has performed at Femi Kuti?s New Afrika Shrine in Lagos, as well as the Shrine Synchro System’s regular London night at Cargo and the Black President (The Art & Legacy of Fela Kuti) concert series at the Barbican in London.
Without ever turning into a mere carbon copy of his hero D’banj brings Afrobeat to life and into the 21st century with breathless enthusiasm, as well as a good dose of humor. He vows that all of his songs are based on true stories of his own life, often hilarious, but also with a deeper meaning which documents the struggle of a young African trying to achieve his dreams ? in his case is to be a successful artist/musician.
D’banj performs in Yoruba, English and, like his hero Fela Kuti, in Pidgin (broken) English, and has performed his songs as a special guest at various JJC & 419 Squad shows including this year?s WOMAD Rivermead.
Discography:
No Long Thing (Mo’Hits Records, 2005)
RunDown Funk U Up (Mo’Hits Records, 2006)
The Entertainer (Mo’Hits Records, 2008)
King Don Come (DKM Inc, 2017)
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
