Oladapo Daniel Oyebanjo, better known by his stage name D'banj, is a Nigerian singer, rapper, and television personality. His stage name D'banj is a combination of his first name, Dapo, and his surname, Oyebanjo. He is the founder of Mo' Hits Records with producer Don Jazzy. D'banj is best known for his song "Oliver Twist", an uptempo dance fusion of Afrobeats and electronic dance music that topped the African charts in 2011.
Mavin Records is a Nigerian corporation and record label founded by record producer and recording artist Don Jazzy on 8 May 2012. The label's inception came to fruition following the closure of Mo' Hits Records, a record label owned by the aforementioned producer and D'banj. The label is home to recording artists such as Rema, Ayra Starr, Crayon, Johnny Drille, Ladipoe, Magixx, Boy Spyce, Bayanni, and Lifesize Teddy. It also houses producers such as Jazzy himself, Altims, London, Baby Fresh, and Andre Vibez. In 2014, DJ Big N became the label's official disc jockey. Tiwa Savage, Wande Coal, Reekado Banks and Iyanya were all formerly signed to the label. On 8 May 2012, the label released its compilation album Solar Plexus. In January 2019, Mavin Records secured a multi-million dollars investment from Kupanda Holdings, a subsidiary of Kupanda Capital and TPG Growth.
"Oliver Twist" is a song by Nigerian singer-songwriter D'banj. The track was first released in the United Kingdom on 11 May 2012, as the first single from DB Records' compilation album, D'Kings Men (2013). For the chart week dated 26 May, "Oliver Twist" debuted at number nine on the UK Singles Chart—marking the musician's first chart appearance and first Nigerian song to ever debut on the chart. Lyrically, the song expresses D'banj's crave for more women, relating to how the fictional character Oliver Twist asked for more gruel.
Blessed is the third studio album by Nigerian singer Flavour. It was released on October 18, 2012, by 2nite Entertainment. The album features guest appearances from Wizboyy and Fally Ipupa. Its production was handled by Masterkraft, Wizzboy, Selebobo, MJay, Del B, J Stunt and Dekumzy. Blessed was supported by the singles "Kwarikwa (Remix)", "Baby Oku", "Shake", "Chinny Baby" and "Ada Ada". Flavour celebrated the album's release at 2nite, a night club he opened in Enugu State. He invited Tiwa Savage, Iyanya, Kcee and Bracket to attend the club's grand opening.
Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun, known professionally as Wizkid, is a Nigerian singer and songwriter. A prominent figure in the modern day Afrobeats music scene, he is regarded as one of the most commercially successful and most influential African recording artists of the 21st century.
Olamide Gbenga Adedeji is a Nigerian rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. One of the most influential artists in Africa, he has been pivotal to the creative and commercial success of several Afrobeats music stars, and is consistently praised for his role in elevating Street Pop to mainstream recognition as a distinct music genre. He records in Yoruba and English. In 2011, he released his debut studio album Rapsodi while signed to Coded Tunes. YBNL, his follow-up album, was released under his label imprint "Yahoo Boy No Laptop," aka YBNL Nation. The album was supported by the singles "First of All," "Voice of the Street," "Stupid Love," and "Ilefo Illuminati." On 7 November 2013, he released his third studio album Baddest Guy Ever Liveth. The album's singles include "Durosoke" and "Yemi My Lover." On 17 July 2013, Olamide became the first Nigerian to sign an endorsement deal with Cîroc.
D'Kings Men is a compilation album by recording artists of Nigerian record label DB Records. It was released on June 24, 2013, by the label and Sony Music. The album was produced by Don Jazzy, Jay Sleek and Dee Vee. It features guest appearances from DB Records signees D'banj, Kayswitch, and J.Sol, along with artists such as Kanye West, Big Sean, Snoop Lion, Fally Ipupa, Durella, Olamide, Ikechukwu and Naeto C. D'Kings Men produced eleven singles—"Oliver Twist", "Sister Caro", "Oyato", "Bachelor", "Top of the World", "Cashflow", "Don't Tell Me Nonsense", "For Example", "Finally", "Why You Love Me" and "Obimo ". It received mixed reviews from music critics, who panned its lyrics and sound.
"Don't Tell Me Nonsense" is a song by Nigerian singer D'banj. It serves as the seventh single from the album D'Kings Men (2013), a collaboration between members of D'banj's label DB Records. "Don't Tell Me Nonsense" peaked at number 1 on Afribiz's Top 100 Music Chart. Moreover, it peaked at number 1 on MTV Base's Official Naija Top 10 Chart from September 13 through September 19, 2013. The song also peaked at number 21 on YFM 99.2's Y Urban Top 40 chart.
"Kukere" is a song by Nigerian singer Iyanya. It was released as the lead single from his second studio album, Desire (2013). Upon its release, the song peaked at number 1 on Top FM's May Chart, Soundcity's Viewers Choice, Rhythm FM, and The Beat 99.9 FM's Blackberry Top Ten Countdown. Moreover, it peaked at number 2 on Radio Port Harcourt. CEO Dancers performed the song during their performance on Britain's Got Talent. To further promote the album in London, Cokobar and Iyanya held the Kukere Queen Competition. Participants of the competition were asked to upload a dance video of themselves and state three reasons why they deserve to win.
"Finally" is a song recorded by Nigerian recording artist D'banj for the compilation album, D'Kings Men (2013). The song serves as the tenth commercial single from the album, which features collaborations between members of D'banj's DB Records label. The track premiered at a promotional event for the record, which was headlined by several Nigerian artists, including the singer. Solely written and produced by D'Banj himself, the recording is an EDM and pop song with lyrics predicting that any girl will beg for D'banj's love and compassion.
"V.I.P" is a song by Nigerian rapper Ice Prince. It was released on April 24, 2013, by Chocolate City. The song was originally intended to be included on Ice Prince's second studio album, Fire of Zamani (2013), but was ultimately removed from the final track list due to reasons that haven't been made public. It peaked at number 26 on Afribiz's Top 100 chart. "V.I.P" debuted at number nine on MTV Base's Official Naija Top 10 chart for the week of July 6 through July 13, 2013, and entered the music countdown along with "Personally".
"Khona" is a song by South African duo Mafikizolo. It was released as the lead single from their eighth studio album, Reunited (2013). The song features additional vocals from Uhuru and was released by Kalawa Jazmee Records. "Khona" peaked at number one on Afribiz's Top 100 chart and reached number two on the Metro FM music chart. The song made Prisoner of Class' list of the top 10 African songs of 2013, landing at number one.
David Adedeji AdelekeOON, who is known professionally as Davido, is a Nigerian singer, songwriter and record producer. He is regarded as one of the most important Afrobeats artists of the 21st century, and is credited alongside Burna Boy and Wizkid for popularizing the genre globally.
"Skelewu" is a song by Nigerian singer Davido. It was produced by Shizzi, HKN Music's in-house producer, and peaked at number one on Afribiz's Top 100 chart. "Skelewu" was ranked 5th on Premium Times' list of the Top 10 songs of 2013. It gained popularity in Nigeria after Davido announced the Skelewu dance competition, and was endorsed by African footballers Emmanuel Adebayor and Samuel Eto'o.
Chidinma Ekile, who is known professionally as Chidinma, is a Nigerian singer, songwriter, and actress. A native of Imo State, Chidinma was born in Ketu, Kosofe, Lagos State. In 2010, she gained prominence after winning the third season of Project Fame West Africa. Following the release of the music video for her "Emi Ni Baller" single, she became the first female musician to peak at number 1 on the MTV Base Official Naija Top 10 chart. In 2011, she released the Sound Sultan-assisted single "Jankoliko". Her eponymous debut album Chidinma, released through the music platform Spinlet, was supported by the singles "Jankoliko", "Carry You Go", "Kedike" and "Run Dia Mouth". Chidinma won Best Female West African Act at the 2012 Kora Awards and performed "Kedike" at the ceremony.
Deborah Oluwaseyi Joshua, known professionally as Seyi Shay, is a Nigerian singer, songwriter and actress. In 2008, she became the lead singer for the now defunct pop girl group From Above. The group signed a recording deal with Sony's Columbia Records and was managed by Mathew Knowles' Music World Entertainment company. In November 2013, Shay signed an endorsement deal with telecommunications service provider Etisalat. In July 2015, she signed a record deal with Island Records. In 2015, she signed a two-year endorsement deal with Pepsi. Shay released her debut studio album Seyi or Shay in November 2015. It was supported by the promotional singles "Irawo", "Ragga Ragga", "Right Now" and "Murda", featuring Patoranking and Shaydee. In January 2021, she signed a publishing deal with the French division of Universal Music Publishing Group
Patrick Nnaemeka Okorie, better known by his stage name Patoranking, is a Nigerian reggae-dancehall singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Ebute Metta community of Lagos, he grew up sharing one room with his parents and five siblings. His modest upbringing and close relationship with his family instilled a drive and determination to create a better future, and led him to music He started his music career doing underground collaborations, with artists such as XProject, Konga, Slam and Reggie Rockstone. He signed a record deal with K-Solo's Igberaga Records in 2010, releasing "Up in D Club" under the outfit. Patoranking became a protégé of Dem Mama Records after collaborating with Timaya on his song "Alubarika". In February 2014, he signed a record deal with Foston Musik and released "Girlie O", a single that put him in the limelight. On 9 February 2015, Patoranking announced on Instagram that he signed a distribution deal with VP Records. on September 28 Patoranking released a song titled Abule which he released ahead of his album scheduled to be released later in 2020. He once said, in 2020 that he once got inspiration for song on a football pitch while playing football.
"Dorobucci" is a song recorded by The Mavins, a collective composed of Don Jazzy, Tiwa Savage, Dr SID, Reekado Banks, Korede Bello, Di'Ja and D'Prince. Released on May 1, 2014, the song received generally positive reviews from music critics. Positive remarks went towards its production, instrumentation and composition. On the contrary, the music video received mixed reviews. While some critics described the video as brilliant, others said it was dull and not up to par.
Chibuzo Nelson Azubuike, who is known professionally as Phyno, is a Nigerian rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer. Phyno was born and raised in Enugu State but is a native of Anambra State. He started his music career as a producer in 2003, and is renowned for rapping in the Igbo language. His debut studio album No Guts No Glory, which was released in March 2014, yielded the singles "Ghost Mode", "Man of the Year", "Parcel" and "O Set".
"Eminado" is a song by Nigerian singer Tiwa Savage. It features vocals by Don Jazzy and was released as the seventh single from her debut studio album, Once Upon a Time (2013). The song peaked at number two on MTV Base's Official Naija Top 10 chart for the week of March 7 through March 13, 2014. "Eminado" was ranked tenth on Vanguard's list of the top ten hit songs that made 2013. The song received generally positive reviews from music critics and consumers. Conversly, its music video was criticized for having a lot of similarities to the "Asinamali" music video by Tumi and the Volume. "Eminado" was nominated for Hottest Single of the Year at the 2014 Nigeria Entertainment Awards and for World's Best Song at the 2014 World Music Awards.
