D’banj Declares Himself “A New Cat” in Nigerian Music Scene

Legendary Nigerian musician Oladapo Daniel Oyebanjo, famously known as D’banj, has declared himself “a new cat” in the evolving music industry. Despite a career spanning two decades, the 43-year-old artist feels as though he is starting afresh.

In a recent interview with Hip TV, D’banj shared that he plans to collaborate with new generation artists for his upcoming album, ‘Entertainer’, a follow-up to his 2008 hit album, ‘The Entertainer’. He emphasized the industry’s evolution and his excitement about working with contemporary talents.

Reflecting on his impact on the global acceptance of Nigerian music, D’banj stated, “I am not the first [Nigerian artist] to have done an international collaboration. We were just the first to have done it the way we did it. Usually, when you want to do a collaboration with an international artist, it seemed before ours, like they were doing you a favour. But with the kind of grace that God gave us and the kind of team that we had, we were able to deliver one of the biggest [‘Mr Endowed’].”

He expressed pride in the new wave of artists inspired by his work, adding, “I think that actually gave hope and visibility to the kids [new artists] to know that they can do it. So, I feel like a very proud father if I may say. That’s why I am a cat again [up-and-coming artist]. Now, I want to feature not even international artists but local artists. I want to feature Ayra Starr, Rema, Ruger and Don Jazzy. Collaboration is the new competition.”