Glam Africa: The Revolutionary Edition (2019)

FEATURE STORY
D'BANJ
THE LEGEND:
15 YEARS ON
Interviewed by Adesope Olajide
for The Beat London (103.6FM)
Written by Eniafe Momodu
So far into his career, D'banj remains humble,
driven and an all-round positive spirit. Meanwhile,
on stage, he's a force to be reckoned with.
There's no doubt that he has a lot left to show us
and to achieve in the years to come. To celebrate
this icon, here are 5 D'banj classics that never fail
to remind us why we love him.
With his sweet vocals, infectious dance moves and
untouchable swagger, D'banj has firmly cemented
himself among the most iconic figures in Afrobeats
history. After almost 15 years of hitmaking and
boundary-breaking, one of the pioneers of the neo-
Afrobeat movement is still at the top of his game,
with no signs of slowing down any time soon.
The self-proclaimed "African Michael Jackson"
(with the moves to back it up) overcame immense
odds when he broke into the limelight back in 2005,
and it's been an upward journey ever since. But
even the sweetest success stories come with some
bitter moments. In June of 2018, news broke that
D'banj had lost his son in a tragic accident while
D'banj was out of town for the BET Awards. Since
then he's been on tour, worked on some new music,
and headlined the Global Citizen Festival alongside
Beyoncé, Jay Z and Cassper Nyovest. We caught up
with D’banj to speak about music, his legacy and
making lemonade from the most difficult of times.
TO LISTEN TO THE FULL LENGTH INTERVIEW WITH DBANJ
GO TO WWW.THEBEAT1036.COM
OR WWW.MIXCLOUD.COM/THEBEAT1036FM.
For all the top tunes in UK Urban, Grime, Trap, Drill and
Afrobeats, tune into the THE BEAT 103.6FM and we are
now on DAB.
Just search for THE BEAT.
1. WHY ME? One of D'banj's earliest hits, this
nostalgic yet fresh tune combines all the elements
one should expect from a classic record:
a fun theme, relatable lyrics and ambitious
instrumentation. It's easy to see how D'banj rose to
superstardom when he set the bar so high with hits
like this so early in his career.
2. OLORUN MAJE With an uplifting message and
some Yoruba seasoning to add extra flavour, this
song doubles as both a celebration of life and a
rejection of bad vibes and negative energy. To
this day, Olorun Maje ("God forbid") remains a
disc jockey favourite, and is the kind of throwback
record you play when you want to get everybody
at the function, young or old, up on their feet.
3. FALL IN LOVE An honest record with a universal
theme, this uplifting love song combines cheesy
lyrics with raw energy and emotion to produce
a truly timeless Nigerian classic. "Omo, you don
make me fall in love..." What else is there to say?
4. OLIVER TWIST With its infectious beat, catchy
lyrics and an unforgettable hook, Oliver Twist
quickly soared to the top of the charts, becoming
one of the defining songs of D'banj's career.
With widespread acclaim and an unrivaled
international appeal, very few Nigerian records
have been able to match its success ever since,
and not for lack of trying.
5. EMERGENCY After a brief hiatus, D'banj's
2017 single, Emergency, marked his triumphant
return to the spotlight, utilising hot lyrics and a
bassline to rival the likes of Fela Kuti. D'banj
had returned with a new sound and a mission to
remind us exactly why we loved him, and he did
not disappoint one bit.
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