The past two decades have taken Nigerian music through many turning points that have served to revamp the sound and re-establish its impact on the homebound and global scene. Years of unrecognized hard work are finally paying off as various things have collided to hoist songs, producers and artists that have been the faces and backs behind these epoch-marking moments. Older African millennials, especially Nigerians, will remember a time when 2Baba, formerly known as 2face Idibia, had moved the world with his single, African Queen. Its visuals were the first video to be played on the launch of MTV Base in Africa back in the early 2000s. Then in the 2010s, D’Banj had safely landed his Afrobeats meets electro Oliver Twist safely on international shores.
There was also the watershed moment of Wizkid’s multiple global record-breaking One Dance feature and the co-composting role and Davido’s Fall and If platinum run at the RIAA remains unforgettable. Burna Boy’s Grammy win was also a reminder to many Nigerians of the importance of persistence. And just as the world continues to revel this summer with 1da Banton’s No Wahala, he has been blazing through African, Nigerian, and French charts, and on America’s Billboard Afrobeats chart among others.
African Woman (2020)
It’s only appropriate that we start with a defining moment for 1da Banton in the Nigerian music scene; the release of his popular single, African Woman. Although 1da Banton was a fast-rising artist at that time, his upbeat vocals and energetic exuberance caught the eyes of the Nigerian audience and primarily established him as one of the acts to keep an eye out for in the Nigerian music industry. The song was released in 2020 and an Adasa Cookey-directed video followed.
However, African Woman wasn’t 1da Banton’s first song. He had released a few songs before that. His debut single Activate brought about massive airplay and widespread attention as well, but it was the success that came with releasing African Woman that pushed him further in the music industry.
Cementing his entry with ‘No Wahala’ (2021)
Following the success of African Woman, 1da Banton has released other songs that have further cemented his position as a household name in the music industry, and the globally recognized record No Wahala is among them. It ranks as a pivotal moment in 1da Banton’s career.
The Blaise Beatz produced single still stands as 1da Banton’s biggest song so far. It boasts of over 100 million streams across various streaming platforms, amassing 50 million and 34 million streams on Spotify and Youtube respectively. It also peaked at No. 15 on the Billboard US Afrobeats charts. Backed up by the press and music executives, No Wahala stands as one of the biggest Nigerian songs of 2021.
Debut Album: Original Vibe Machine (2021)
July 2021 kickstarted an exciting path with the release of his album, Original Vibe Machine. Being his first studio album, it ignited what one could call “a new era” for the talented act. The exciting line-up of collaborations featured guest appearances from Duncan Mighty, Stonebwoy, Zlatan, and Seyi Shay. The talent also interpreted into the quality of the album, as it was a diverse and well-organized body of work filled with amazing music. In its entirety, the album prompted several accolades from fans and critics that included massive play, large-scale performances, and wide-scale streaming.
1da Banton, Tiwa Savage and Kizz Daniel’s Collaboration on ‘No Wahala’ Remix
Months after the release of 1da Banton’s Original Vibe Machine, it was followed up by an all-star remix of its lead single, No Wahala. While we were still vibing to the original hit No Wahala, the remix surfaced. 1da Banton was joined by Tiwa Savage and Kizz Daniel to create one of the best remixes of 2022 so far. It has already accumulated 22 million Youtube views, 6 million Spotify streams and peaked position at No. 27 on the Billboard US Afrobeats chart.