Reekado Banks

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Reekado Banks
Reekado Banks.png
Background information
Birth nameAyoleyi Hanniel Solomon
Also known asSpicy
Born (1993-12-06) 6 December 1993 (age 30)
Lagos, Lagos State, Nigeria
Genres Afropop
Occupations
  • Singer
  • songwriter
Years active2008–present
Labels

Ayoleyi Hanniel Solomon (born 6 December 1993), [1] who is better known by his stage name Reekado Banks, is a Nigerian singer and songwriter. He was signed to Mavin Records between 2014 and 2018, [2] and went by the stage name Spicy before his record deal with the label. Banks won Rookie of the Year at The Headies 2014, [3] and received the controversial Next Rated award at The Headies 2015. His debut studio album Spotlight, which was released on 1 September 2016, debuted at number 10 on the Billboard World Albums chart. [4]

Contents

Life and career

Reekado Banks is the last born child of a family that adores music. His father is a pastor from Isarun Ifedore LGA, Ondo State and his mother is a caterer. [5] He grew up in a disciplinarian setting due to both of his parents being pastors. He completed secondary school at the age of 14, and started recording his first set of songs in 2008. His elder brother produced all of his earlier songs and tutored him on the rudiments of singing, writing and producing. He derived the stage name Reekado Banks by combining the meanings of the two names; the former part of his stage name translates to "strong ruler" and the latter part loosely translates to "wealth". [6] In 2014, Banks graduated from the University of Lagos with a degree in history and strategic study. [7] [3] He has cited Don Jazzy, 2face Idibia, DJ Jimmy Jatt, Olamide and M.I as his key musical inspirations. [8]

Mavin Records deal and artistry

Banks' record deal with Mavin Records emerged due to his brother’s submission of some of his songs to the label in an online talent search. He was signed to Mavin Records after his entries were selected from over 5000 entries. [9] In an interview with the National Mirror , he said his brother submitted his songs and communicated with the label on his behalf without his initial consent. Banks also told the National Mirror he is a versatile artist who makes music with the thought that humans are different and have different taste. [6]

2014–present: Singles and Mavin Records departure

Banks premiered the single "Turn It Up" on 21 February 2014, which coincided with the day he signed with Mavin Records. The song features vocals by Tiwa Savage and was released as his first official single under Mavin Records. [10] Banks was featured on the critically acclaimed song "Dorobucci", alongside Don Jazzy, Korede Bello, Savage, Di'Ja, Dr SID and D'Prince. [11] He also worked with some of the aforementioned artists on the collaborative singles "Adaobi", "Arise" and "Looku Looku". On 13 February 2015, he released the Don Jazzy-produced single "Katapot", which was alleged to be a diss track towards D'banj and Wande Coal. In February 2015, Don Jazzy debunked the allegations in a series of tweets. [12] While speaking to Vanguard Newspaper , Banks said he created "Katapot" for his fans. [13]

In July 2015, Banks signed an endorsement deal with Nigerian telecommunications company Globacom. [14] On 7 December 2018, he announced his departure from Mavins Records and the launch of his independent outfit, Banks Music. [15] In September 2019, Vanguard newspaper reported that Banks dropped his elder brother, Temi Solomon, as his manager. [16] In 2021, he released the single "Ozumba Mbadiwe". [17] Olukorede Ikazoboh, who heads the Nigerian arm of Virgin Music, announced that the label will be in charge of distributing Banks and Darkoo's music. [18]

Discography

Studio albums

Extended plays (EPs)

Selected singles

TitleYearRelease date
"Turn It Up"
(featuring Tiwa Savage)
201421 February 2014
"Dorobucci"
(with Don Jazzy Tiwa Savage, Dr SID, D’Prince, Korede Bello and Di'Ja)
1 May 2014
"Adaobi"
(with Don Jazzy, Korede Bello and Di'Ja)
27 May 2014
"Chop Am"8 August 2014
"Arise"
(with Don Jazzy and Di'Ja)
20 September 2014
"Looku Looku"
(with Don Jazzy Tiwa Savage, Dr SID, D’Prince, Korede Bello and Di'Ja)
31 October 2014
"Katapot"201513 February 2015
"Corner"9 July 2015
"Sugar Baby"10 July 2015
"Tomorrow"11 July 2015
"Oluwa Ni"201615 January 2016
"Standard"5 June 2016
"Spotlight"1 September 2016
Easy (Jeje)201729 July 2017
"Kiss Me"29 July 2017
"Like"
(with Tiwa Savage and Fiokee)
6 December 2017
"Pull Up"20183 April 2018
"Bio Bio"
(featuring Duncan Mighty)
9 July 2018
"Blessings On Me"26 September 2018
"Yawa"
Banks Music (featuring Reekado Banks and DJ Young)
201921 March 2019
"Maria"29 March 2019
"Rora"5 September 2019
"In Put In Pressure"201929 November 2019
"You Dey Mad"
(featuring AttiFaya)
202020 November 2020
"Speak to Me"
(featuring Tiwa Savage)
202026 November 2020
"Need More"
(featuring Kida Kudz and EO)
202027 November 2020
"Happy Yourself"202027 November 2020
"Ozumba Mbadiwe"202121 October 2021

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References

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  2. "Stars to watch out for in 2015". Punch. 3 January 2015. Archived from the original on 14 April 2015. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
  3. 1 2 Damilare, Famuyiwa (28 December 2014). "REEKADO BANKS:I like to do crazy stuffs and music makes it easy". The Nation. Retrieved 14 April 2015.
  4. Solanke, Abiola (15 September 2016). "Singer's "Spotlight" occupies number 10 spot on Billboard world album charts". Pulse. Archived from the original on 8 January 2017. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
  5. Vanguard, Entertainment (23 April 2015). "I once worked as a bricklayer to survive -Reekado Banks". Vanguard Nigeria. Archived from the original on 22 April 2015. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  6. 1 2 Oluwadahunsi, Olawale (12 November 2014). "I do all genres of music -Reekado Banks". National Mirror. Archived from the original on 18 March 2015. Retrieved 4 April 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
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