Willie XO | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Jocey Joseph -Ekwuazi |
| Also known as | BIG TIME |
| Born | London |
| Origin | Enugu "Igbo" |
| Genres | Afrobeats |
| Occupations | Songwriter, singer |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals |
| Years active | 2016–present |
| Labels | SBMG |
| Website | williexo |
Jocey Joseph Ekwuazi, known professionally as Willie XO, is a Nigerian singer/songwriter based in the United Kingdom. [1] [2] He rose to prominence with the release of the song "comfort you", which gained him over 20 millions on views on YouTube.
Willie XO was born in London but spent his early childhood in Nigeria. He had a keen interest in Afrobeat music from a young age. As a child, his favourite musicians included Fela Kuti and Bob Marley. His first successful single, "Kraze", was released in 2017. [3] [4] and in other African and Caribbean countries. [5]
In 2018, Willie XO collaborated with Tory Lanez and Popcaan on a commercially successful single, "Comfort You", [6] which he advertised on billboards in London. [7] In 2019 Willie XO released the song titled Early In The Morning, featuring Ashanti [8]
He is currently working through his own label SBMG Entertainment. [9] In August 2021, willie xo announced the release of his new single featuring british rapper, singer-songwriter, record producer Dappy through his instagram page after recently inking a deal with major label Atlantic Records. [10]
Willie XO has set up a charity with the purpose of helping young people to start their own businesses. [11] He has said that he wants to impact the lives of millions of people. He was introduced to the scene by Nigerian hip-hop recording artist, CEO of the talent managing outfit known as 'The Goretti Company', [12] responsible for launching the careers of Phyno and Chidinma among others.
On April 19, 2021, willie xo was reported to have been involved in a collision with Runtown and accused him of owing him an undisclosed amount of money. [13] In a viral video, willie xo was seen taking exception to runtown the singer made sure to tag the official Instagram handle of Runtown while telling him to pay up what he owes .
| Title | Artistes | Year |
|---|---|---|
| All Night | Willie XO | 2017 |
| kraze [14] | Willie XO | 2018 |
| Slow [15] | Willie XO | 2018 |
| Comfort You [16] | Willie XO (ft tory lanez and popcaan) | 2018 |
| Early In The Morning [17] | Willie XO (ft ashanti) | 2019 |
| Yanga | Willie XO | 2019 |
| Money Love | Willie XO (ft Zlatan Ibile) | 2019 |
| Money Love (Remix) | Willie XO (ft Slimcase) | 2020 |
| Good Life | Willie XO (ft Dappy) | 2021 |
| Song | Year | Director |
|---|---|---|
| "Kraze" | 2017 | Daps (Director) |
| "Slow" | 2018 | Daps (Director) |
| "Comfort You "(ft tory lanez and popcaan) | 2018 | Live Rich Media |
| "Early In The Morning"(ft ashanti) | 2019 | Live Rich Media |
Inetimi Timaya Odon , better known by his stage name Timaya, is a multiple award-winning Nigerian singer and songwriter. He hails from Odi, Bayelsa state, South-South Nigeria. He is fondly called the Egberi Papa 1 of Bayelsa as a tribute to his roots, to which he has given a lot back. Timaya became one of Nigeria's most popular performers by turbocharging Nigerian pop with elements of dancehall, hip-hop, and soca. Dubbed the king of the Afro-Soca music genre, Timaya is well known for his incredible blend of Afro-Caribbean/Dancehall music and other music genres. He is the founder of DM Records Limited, which he is also signed to.
Tiwa Savage is a Nigerian singer and songwriter. Born in Isale Eko, she relocated to London at the age of 11 for her secondary education. Five years later, she began her music career doing backup vocals for artists such as George Michael and Mary J. Blige. After participating in the UK edition of The X Factor and graduating from Berklee College of Music, Savage signed a publishing deal with Sony/ATV Music Publishing in 2009. Inspired by the growth of the Nigerian music industry, Savage moved back to Nigeria and signed with Mavin Records in 2012. She made an appearance on the label's 2012 compilation album Solar Plexus.
Ghanaian rapper Sarkodie has released five studio albums, one collaborative album and one live album.
Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun, known professionally as Wizkid, is a Nigerian singer and songwriter. A prominent figure in the modern day Afrobeats music scene, Wizkid is regarded as one of the biggest and most influential African artists of all time. He began recording music at the age of 11 and released a collaborative album with the Glorious Five (5), a group he and a couple of his church friends formed. In 2009, Wizkid signed a record deal with Banky W's Empire Mates Entertainment (E.M.E). He later rose to the limelight after releasing "Holla at Your Boy", the lead single from his debut studio album, Superstar (2011), which also spawned the singles "Tease Me/Bad Guys" and "Don't Dull".
David Adedeji Adeleke, popularly known by his stage name Davido, is a Nigerian-American singer, songwriter and record producer. His music blends traditional African elements with global mainstream pop.
Deborah Oluwaseyi Joshua, professionally known as Seyi Shay, is a Nigerian singer, songwriter and actress. She wrote and produced three songs for the soundtrack to Konami's video game Crime Life: Gang Wars (2005). She also wrote "You Will See", a song that was included on Melanie C's third studio album Beautiful Intentions (2005). Shay wrote "White Lies", a song from Chip's Transition album. 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 2-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 Universal Music Publishing Group France division, in partnership with Universal Music France.
Yemi Eberechi Alade, is a Nigerian Afropop singer, songwriter, actress and activist. She won the Peak Talent Show in 2009 after which she signed to Effyzzie Music Group, and had a hit with her single "Johnny" in 2014. Since then Yemi has gained prominence in the music industry and considered one of the biggest artists in Africa. Following the releases of her albums King of Queens and Mama Africa with huge commercial success recorded for both albums, she embarked on world tours consecutively.
Douglas Jack Agu, better known by his stage name Runtown, is a Nigerian singer, songwriter and producer.
Canadian recording artist Tory Lanez has released seven studio albums, Twenty mixtapes, four extended plays (EP), eighty-nine singles and more than eighty music videos. In 2009, Lanez began his career by releasing his debut mixtape, T.L 2 T.O. He received major recognition from the mixtape, Conflicts of My Soul: The 416 Story, released in August 2013, which included guest appearances from Roscoe Dash and Kirko Bangz. In 2014, he released Lost Cause which led to his first tour, the Lost Cause tour. Lanez collaborated with the WeDidIt collective on the Cruel Intentions EP in 2015. Chixtape III and The New Toronto were released later that year. He released his debut album I Told You, in 2016.
Oluseye Desmond Sodamola, professionally known as Spinall, is a Nigerian disc jockey, record producer, songwriter, label executive, and media personality. He first gained prominence in 2004, while working as a radio DJ at Raypower 100.5 FM. He later joined Industry Nite where he promoted underground talents at the weekly platform. He was the official DJ to Wande Coal while he was affiliated with Mavin Records. He created a style edge to his outfit known as TheCAP, tracing his roots back to his culture. TheCAP, which fans tags as "TheCrazyAzzParty" has since then been his brand power and identity. Prior to April 2021, he went by the stage name DJ Spinall, and started an Afromix series on Apple Music, on 15 April 2021. and hosted a television show, known as Smirnoff Infamous Mix on MTV Base, Soundcity TV with a podcast series launched on Audiomack and various radio stations in Nigeria. On 6 April 2021, Smirnoff Infamous Mix first episode featured guest appearance from Wurld.
"The Banger" is a single by Nigerian recording artist Runtown, featuring vocals from South African music group Uhuru. It was released as a single off his debut studio album titled Ghetto University on 9 December 2014 through Eric-Manny Entertainment and went on to become a club favorite after receiving numerous airplay and positive reviews.
"Drifting" is a song by American rapper G-Eazy. It features vocals from American singer Chris Brown and Canadian rapper Tory Lanez. It was released on April 17, 2016 as the third single of his second studio album When It's Dark Out. The song was produced by Cashmere Cat, Mssingno, and Happy Pérez.
"Emergency" is a song recorded by Nigerian record producer WizzyPro for his debut studio album, Lord of the Sounds (2016). It was released on 2 November 2013 and features vocal appearances from Nigerian musicians Patoranking, Runtown and Skales. While each artist solely wrote their own respective verse, WizzyPro served as the track's executive producer.
Oluwatosin Ajibade, better known by his stage name Mr Eazi, is a Nigerian-born, Ghana-based singer. He is a pioneer of Banku music, a fusion of sound he describes as a mixture of Ghanaian highlife and Nigerian chord progressions and patterns. Mr Eazi relocated to Kumasi, Ghana in 2008 and enrolled at KNUST, where he began booking artists to perform at college parties. He showed interest in music after recording a guest verse on "My Life", a song that gained traction and became a popular record at KNUST. Mr Eazi released his debut mixtape About to Blow in 2013. He gained an international audience following the release of the Efya-assisted single "Skin Tight". His second mixtape Life Is Eazi, Vol. 1 – Accra To Lagos was released in 2017.
Ayoola Oladapo Agboola also known as KDDO or Kiddominant is a Nigerian recording producer, songwriter, and artist. He's best known for producing Afrobeats longest charting billboard single "Fall" by Davido, which peaked on US R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart at number 13 and US Hot R&B Songs chart at number 25 on Billboard. According to OkayAfrica, Fall is Nigeria's longest-charted pop song in Billboard history and Pitchfork named it among the best 200 song of the decade. In 2017, he was part of Pulse Nigeria's top 10 record producers to focus on. In 2020, Kiddominant became the first Afrobeats producer in history to be certified by the recording industry association of America, after fall became a certified gold record in the US. KDDO is managed by Cameron Penney at Pentlife Music.
Davina Oriakhi is a London-based Nigerian singer, songwriter and poet. She was awarded the Choice Female Artist at the Nigerian Teen Choice Awards in 2016.
Love Me Now? is the third studio album by Canadian rapper Tory Lanez. It was released on October 26, 2018 through Mad Love Records and Interscope Records. This is the follow-up release to his second album Memories Don't Die which was released seven months prior. The production on the album was handled by multiple producers including Foreign Teck, OZ, Smash David, Cassius Jay, CashMoneyAP and NES among others. The album also features guest appearances by Chris Brown, 2 Chainz, Meek Mill, Rich the Kid, Lil Baby, A Boogie wit da Hoodie, Trippie Redd, Nav, Gunna and Bryson Tiller among others.
Omoniyi Temidayo Raphael, known professionally as Zlatan Ibile, is a Nigerian rapper and singer. He is the chief executive officer and founder of Zanku records. In 2014, he won the Airtel-sponsored One Mic talent show held in 2014, Abeokuta, Ogun State.
Chixtape 5 is the fourth studio album by Canadian rapper Tory Lanez. It was released on November 15, 2019 through Mad Love and Interscope Records. This is the fifth instalment of the Chixtape series which is inspired by and contains samples of "2000s-era R&B hits". The production on the album was mostly handled by Tory Lanez and Play Picasso. The album also includes guest appearances by Jagged Edge, T-Pain, Chris Brown, The-Dream, Mýa, Ashanti, Trey Songz, Lil Wayne, Fabolous and more.
A Good Time is the second studio album by Nigerian singer Davido. It was released on November 22, 2019, through Davido Music Worldwide (DMW), RCA Records and Sony Music. The album features guest appearances from Chris Brown, Summer Walker, Gunna, A Boogie wit da Hoodie, Dremo, Peruzzi, Popcaan, Zlatan, Yonda, Wurld and Naira Marley. Davido enlisted Speroach Beatz, Tekno, Shizzi, Kiddominant, P2J, London on da Track, Fresh vdm, Seyi, Teekay Witty, Ray Keys and Vstix to produce the album. In December 2019, Davido announced a North American tour in support of the album; the tour was scheduled to begin in the winter and end in spring 2020. In March 2020, Davido postponed the tour due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.