D'banj goes from Dapo 'D'banj' Oyebanjo to Daniel 'D'banj' Banjo, and an ardent fan isn't happy abourrit! Read his open letter to the superstar below...
Dear D’Banj,
I love your work, I really do, I think you’re one of the greatest musicians of your generation, but I must say, your new affiliation with G.O.O.D music seems to be getting to your head.
For years you’ve been known by your official name, Dapo Oyebanjo, even using it as part of your twitter handle. Well all good things come to an end, and your affiliation with your new label seems to have brought that particular chapter of your life to an untimely conclusion.
D’Banj you’ve now gone from ‘Dapo Oyebanjo’ to ‘Daniel Banjo’. All I can do is laugh, I mean, Daniel ‘Banjo‘ ? What are you, a country music star from Nashville?
Lol, country music star from Nashville indeed...continue reading...
I mean, I get it, Daniel provides the ‘D’ and Banjo provides the ‘Banj’, but negro please, you’re hustlin’ backwards. Why abandon the successful person you are to become a less successful version of what you’re not? You’re a Nigerian, not an American, and no matter how hard you try, you’ll never be one, so be yourself and have faith.
Plus, truth be told, based on a fan base, you’re the BIGGEST artist in the entire G.O.O.D music family other than Ye’ himself. You don’t need to become an Americanized version of yourself to fit in, not to knock their hustle, but I promise you, John Legend, Pusha T, Big Sean, Kid Cudi, Common and your other label mates wish they had as many rabid long-time fans as you do, they Don’t. You’ve accomplished something most of them will never get to do, they should be insecure around you, not vice versa.
Either way, Dapo Daniel I’m sure you still have people who can advice you. I’d suggest they step up and tell you to accept who you are and not try to be something you’re not. Truth be told, your music is what people are interested in, not the un-africanization / westernization of your name, heck, just go study the life of Tupac Amaru Shakur to see how having an ethnic name is immaterial to one’s success. Or go further back and study the work of one of your mentors, the late, great Fela Anikulapo-Kuti who actually went from his westernized “Ransome-Kuti” to the very Nigerianized ”Anikulapo”. Till today his name still rings out in all corners of the world, heck he was even immortalized with a show on Broadway.
Anyway, all I’m trying to say is people love those who keep it 100, please get back to that.
I’ve spoken my piece.
Deuces.
'Spirit of '76'
'Spirit of '76'
***
Original letter can be found here
Thoughts?
126 comments:
this is so true, those who have ears let them hear.
Well said by the writer, his G.O.O.D Music affiliation has becloud his Naija sense>>>he should wake up
Dis person has sed the truth bt I dnt tink dbanj wil listen.
:S d'banj bigger than common, D'banj bigger than john legend??????? Huh? *scratches head* abeg that's pushing it bros!!!
Fan make sense Jare, truth must be told. I wish I could wish dbanj well too but its hard to do so seeing how he let this ego wash him from head to toe.your fans love you for who you are and all u wanna do now is to come to yankee to change yaself. Oh boy ! You are a weist o. Like he/she said , good things sure go end . Just because person sing diamonds are forever no mean say panda no full market o. Come back home, I don't mean pack ur bag and leave yankee. Gbori Wale. Ur head is what u should bring back to ur motherland and don't be a slave to fellow black men.
Standing ovation please. Seriously who is this person?! Dapo should hire u as his PR agent asap or something. Btw lol at the Nashville bit. Well written piece indeed. Me sef fan! I hope dbanj gets to read this.
Ow can u say dbanj has mor fans dan john legend?..#foolish
Well said....our beloved d'banj has finally turned into a daft idiot and d beta he realises dat d better for him. I had so much respect for dis dude till dis year.
You pple should leave Dbanj alone all am seeing here is JEALOUSY, you are not his destiny, his destiny is in d hand of God. Please, haters go and look for something to do and leave him alone GUSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
Well said. nothing to add to it, you have spoken what is in my mind. But as the Yoruba adage goes: The dog that will get lost will not hear the whistle of the hunter.
Wow....I cant agree more to this piece.Well said, and I hope Daniel Banjo read this lol
I agree with with this letter
true talk my man dont know why he changeed his name though but am sure he has his reasons and when time comes he will let us knw..but my fear for him is i just hope ur new songs wont loose that african flavour which we usually njoy ...oliver twist was nice but i think he lost a little touch with the african thing in btw ..but dbanj koko master i wish u all the best sha
*in Daniel Banjo's voice* What you mean? I'm from Nashville yo...for real tho.
word!
SPEECHLESS! nigga nailed it on the head..... awesome.... dapo i love u and all but change the name daniel
This is brilliant i do hope daniel banji lol learns from this
Gbam!!! D writter haff talk it well.... I neva knew dbanj's name was daniel sef.... Issorai....
this is so true. lol @ a country music star from nashville. good laugh this early morning.
While I appreciate where the fan is coming from, hey, maybe he fails to gerrit. You see, Show Business isn't simply about popularity and girls and booze and alla that. It's a business too. The contract D'Banj has/had with Mo Hits may very well be what prompted the 'name change', so that whatever accrues from the GOOD Music venture isn't shared or allocated to Mo Hits. You gerrit? Check out why Prince had to spend 10 solid years performing as someone other than 'Prince' to gather deeper insight. In his case, his contract allowed him to keep all the profits from performances as 'Prince' for so long as he allowed a decade to pass without using the name. D'Banj may be on a similar situation.
yeah, i think the writer makes a lot of sense. Dbanj grow up jo
There's a whole lot of sense in dis guy's letter, tho' the real reason for changing his name is unknown yet + Daniel is also his real name..I think we should give him a break and don't judge yet
Nice one dude,u just spoke my mind
Well said!
On point! Where's GEJ, he should find this dude & make him his special adviser on 'African Matters'. Haha
Well,who am I to tell you what to do,or how to live your life,or what name u should call urself.U do u,I do me,God bless our hustle.
Keep d Good Music coming sha n d Koko popping.ICS.
O, God bless †ђξ person who wrote this.#nuffsaid
But are you not a hypocrite Linda? How dare you disparage Dbanj for calling himself Banjo. Yes he has Americanized it. But your name is Linda. Did your parents not give you an Igbo name? Where is it? If you have a right to call yourself Linda then he has a right to call himself Banjo, which by the way sounds more African than Linda. Or is it because it is his last name? But usually, people know musicians by their first name not their last name.
Meanwhile I agree with your other analysis. Dbanj is clearly on an ego trip. The brake will fail him soon.
WELL SAID. ONLY IF DBANJ WILL REALLY HAVE SENSE AND USE IT PROPERLY. I DONT KNOW WHAT THOSE AROUND HIM ARE GIVING HIM FOR ADVICE. ITS JUST SO SAD
LOVE!! but its useless cuz he probably won't listen. He's a puppet under Good Music now :-)
tru dht... like serzly daniel... D'banj dhtz jos lame... u dnt nid an Eng name 2 b great. n wtz wiv d stndn bhind kanye in yur own video n to fink of dht ws d only tym he appeard in d vid... You went ahead to customize hes name on yur shirt... nigga dhtz jos gay.
What he said!! he said it all.
http://uberchicmichi.blogspot.com/
Well writing and who says its only the president that gets open letters?
Hmmm, this is a case of identity crisis and until mr. no long thing sorts himself out, he will fall like a pack of card.
You changed to Daniel? so, we can put you in the lions den abi? you die well.
Dapo, change your name and let your family be proud of you...
Qnly explanation I can find is (taken from Dr Ayittey's tweet) "The bizzare case of xenophilia (Love for the foreign). "They (Africans)denigrated their own traditional religion and adopted FOREIGN religions to kill and maim" " "They (Africans) persecuted, harassed and jailed local businessmen and entrepreneurs. Then they threw the red carpet down to FOREIGN investors" "They destroyed their production of local foodstuffs and then declared FOREIGN imported food items as “essential commodities.” "They destroyed their banking system and then kept their wealth or loot in FOREIGN banks." "They destroyed their health care system and when they got sick, went to FOREIGN hospitals for treatment or to die." "They destroyed their education system and then sent their wards and children to FOREIGN schools." "They denigrated their own indig ideology and then copied FOREIGN ideologies - Swiss Bank socialism and Jaguar Marxism – to impose on Africa." The bizarre case of xenophilia (love for the foreign) that has hampered Africa’s development
well said.
awwwwww e painment d guy much oh.....but am happy he spoke his mynd sha. voice it out n b happy bro....d'banj i still love u oh but dis kanye wey u join me no understand sha.
Nice one @ Deuce- some people need to be told the hard truth and am glad you spoke your mind. I'm with you on this one 100%
Touche
Wth Linda , u no dey accept my comment. U are high o.
I hate the motherfucker now
Very Well Said...Very very well said! Daniel Banjo LMAO corny sounding name, all he needs is a banjo to complete the image. HE needs a reality check.
gbam
Dude! Huh? What was your test scores in English Comprehension? Can't you see Linda didn't write this letter to D'banj? Enough said!
Real life version of coming to America by Eddie Murphy.Yoruba man in America.He is being himself, this is Yoruba lifestyle.
This guy is spot on!
I hope its not contractual issues related thou.
Either way Dbanj has peaked and is on his way down. Too much ego dey worry am.
Why are you disturbing yourself.Daniel knows what he wants and he will have it soon.I believe he has SOLD is Soul.So what do you expect.Daniel is not an ordinary name.I'll have to stop here.Daniel,good luck in your career.
well said n a very nice piece.
Hmmmm. Ignorance is a big big problem in this world.
D'banj has not changed his name. So, there's even no premise for this angry and insulting and judgemental fan letter. Those other Good Music acts, are those their birth name? Did John Legend not change his name from Stephen to Legend? For your information, adopting a name that is easy to remember and pronounce is WORLDS BEST PRACTICE. It has nothing to do with not being proud of who you are but about being practical. Shortening a long name, also.
The Asians do this everyday and quickly excel in the West. Africans who think the world owes them something hang names that aren't practical and it holds them back.
How many people do you know - entertainment globally - do you think are using their full birth name? Do some research and get educated! Please, this is disgraceful.
By the way, when you said D'banj has more fans that John Legend or Common, that's when I knew you were a nutcase.
The writer of this letter needs to focus on something else if you have issues with D'banj.Anyone at any point of his /her life can change names if need be as it is a thing of choice.
Who is datcomparing dbanj wit lindas name. If we all knw him as daniel who cares if he changed tu dapo. He wud even b hailed. If linda blog was nkiru and wen her blog got popular she changed tu linda well crucify her. Buh is nat related. Get a life and stop blabbing
this transition is turning out not to be a good one ooo.
Make sure u don't lose ur fans in the process. that is your base. and yes he does have more fans than the aforementioned people
nice letter
Hmnnn Oto Oro Bi Isokuso ... I feel so sorry for Dapo o pls retrace ur steps Dbanj if you can achieve all you did without Kanye why need Him now? you already have Bet,Mobo,Kora,MTvbase,Channel O awards wait patiently and get a grammy on your own and live this iluminati people alone abeg
if u ask me...d matter wey we see soo, e tey wey e start!!!!e heavy for mouth...but Dbanj or Daniel...God bless ur hustle
All dis changes r part of d illuminati iniciation.
All dis changes r part of d illuminati iniciation.
Mr writer,It's impossible and in fact an insult to John legend to say that d'banj has more fan base than him..
Do you know who John legend is at all? And to say John envies D'banj ? You must be joking right..
What John Legend has achieved in his career,D'banj is not even close...
Don't let your anger or whatever emotion you feel push you to writing crap.
Are u an idiot?? What has Linda done? The letter was written by a fan and u are insulting Linda for what na? Get the hell outta here until u are able to use ur brain, assuming u have one.
Ihope he finds what he is looking for, i hope GOOD music would pay him.
I'm not going to judge D'banj till I see what he wants to accomplish with his next material wit this G.O.O.D music label
....perhaps skibanj was jus tryna fit in well by tha change of name...thou its on twitter we dont knw bout his certificates yet. thank u nice piece!
Really? Dbanj has more fame n fans than John Legend and Common? Really dude? REALLY??? Hahahaaaa
And how sure are u guys dat he changed his name bcos he isn't proud of it as u claim? If that is d case, why didn't he change it while he lived abroad (b4 his fame)? U people just talk and blab nonsense without getting the facts. Did he tell u himself that he is ashamed of his roots? Don't u know that entertainment is all about business? This is probably some business move cos most musicians abroad never use their real names for image and business purposes. I am not sure if that's dbanj's real reason, but then no one knows except he and his people, so mr die-hard fan, stop jumping into conclusions!!! You are too myopic in ur thinking abeg!
@ Anon 10:41 i luv wat u said d fact that he changed his name from dapo to daniel is of no consequence they r both his names and he hasnt changed his stage name its still DBANJ isnt it so why u guys attacking him....even wen fela changed his name he was still mononymously called FELA no one bothered with d anikulapo part...so wat i'm saying here is if u r truly his fans support him for me i say goodluck daniel
I don't get what this whole fuss is about. In life we need to make decisions that are to our own benefits. Dbanj has paid his dues, and if he feels this is time for him to move on, then what's the big deal. For instance why do we move over to the next job that pays better money, after all isn't it our present jobs that have provided us with this skills that has made us employable. Let's face it, we constantly evolve as humans. U will be damned if u remain where u are for the sake of what people will say. Good luck to you dbanj. I'm out!!!!
I agree with everything he said except the Dbanj is better than Common and John Legend part.
Thats his ILLUMINATI name.
Like someone said, it may be a contractual thing, as per dbanj is a mohits copyrighted name so in order to avoid any problems in the future blablablah
As for dbanj himself gan gan, yes dbanj, that's still your name o. I really hope you know what are doing. Though we don't know the story, it all looks like you're making a huge mistake, I hope for your sake it ends well. It's very hard to come back if you screw this up, Nigerians will tear you apart if you fail on a normal day, not to mention at this your level . All the best
Producer$
Dapo or Daniel should remember that nothing lasts forever, he should think deep before trying to a sub version of himself.
Very well said. When U're the ish everyone will learn how to pronounce your name. Ppl couldn't say Kanye properly b4 he blew up. Barack called himself Barry for years, he wised up and now everyone in the world love to say his name. D'banj I'm sorry is going to fall flat on his face if he continues to capitulate.
Superb.It would however take a wise man to retrace his step, sadly i don't think Dbanj oh sorry Daniel Banjo fits that profile.
Once again, a beautiful piece of a letter/advice.
C C
SECONDED
Ha!! More suprises are on d way. for D'banj to be a part of dat demonic label, he has obviously joined d cult. He no longer considers himself part of us anymore. So u ppl shuld leave him alone. He's gone like d wind. All 4 money! They shove their ill gotten wealth and paparazzi moves in our screens. Now every singer wants 2 be like them without any knowledge of what these idiots have sacrificed 2 be where they are. Enough said. D'banj is just an ignorant puppet waiting to be used.
Yes he's bigger than Common. D'Banj has had sold out shows outside of Nigeria . He pulled a lot of crowd in London's O2. Common cannot do that. You know of common but common isn't doing that well as an artist because he is. Not an entertainer he makes mostly socially conscious music. Yes! Whether you like it or not D' Banj is bigger than Common, Pusha T and the rest. D'Banj is one of the biggest artistes in Africa! What is common?
don jazzzyyyyy...leave dbanj alone.i knw u r behind this...and linda why dont u like postin my comment.
Why is everyone on Dbanj's case? Free the guy jor! So what if he changes his name? How is that anyone's business???? There are loads of Nigerians abroad who have slightly changed their names to make it easy for the oyinbos to pronounce. Personally, I don't see anything wrong with him changing his name . #truetalk#
Dbanj has more fans! Africans love D' Banj. D'Banj makes you dance. You make more money and get more fans making the world dance than singing by a piano or singing about the war in Libya or Iraq.
U guys are here condemning a man that is handling his business, making big bucks. So what if he changed his name, who gives a rat.....
I tire 4 d guy sef. I used to like him alot b4 but dat luv has greatly dwindled with all his recent escapades....mtshewww
Don't compare Fela to D'Banj because Fela did not need to join a record label to become significant worldwide. Or to reach a broader audience. DBanj is doing something totally different from Fela. He is going to America as a new artist so I guess that is why he's changed his name.
If you want to have a worldwide appeal, your name matters. If people can't pronounce your name then that's a problem. It's sad but true. Look at Nicole Scherzinger...I'm not even sure I got the spelling of her name right. That name is difficult for many to spell.I wish D'Banj could keep his Yoruba name but the experts know why he shouldn't so I can't contest with that.
But on the other hand his name might also be Daniel ....... Who knows
But his middle is Daniel, remember his parents are Christians, if his new label wants a name change so be it.
I don't see America accepting Dbanj, Nigeria is where the biggest market is. Some union are just made in heaven, why change a winning Team, Don Jazzy is the man behind you NOT Kanye.
Trust me guys it may sound real. but this don jazzy dbanj thing is all for publicity stunt. trust me on this.
Dude if only i can get a sandpaper imma rub off ur tribal mark and flog your english teacher. Cos what you just wrote up there makes me think you name is Sule and ur surname is Morufu......
i am quite astonished that a chic could think so deep and tell d'banj the obvious truth. most girls would just scream and gossip well. but saying d'banj ids bigger than john legend is termed Entertainment Heresy
Can you guys leave Dbanj alone for God sake , is he the first person to move to greater things , I seriously just think Nigerians hate it when someone is progressing, everybody is hating on dbanj , can we be proud of our own son for once and just embrace him , we have seen alot of artists move on to greater things , we have seen Jay move from Rocafella , we have seen The Game , we have seen Michael Jackson even move from his own fam , Please let him be and stop putting too much pressure on the boy , he is hustling , hustle your own and let another person hustle him own..
@ Deuces - You get a high five from me for that open letter!
@ Shadow - Prince didn't change his name to a symbol to gain "deeper insight", where did you get that from, please? Prince changed his name because he was in a heated fight with Sony records because he felt enslaved to them. He even scrawled the word "slave" on his face in protest and he refused to use the name to perform until he settled with them. It boiled down to $$ and had nothing to do with some deeper nirvana.
@ Anonymous 10.41am
I totally see your point and can agree but let say this as well - the people who you 've mentioned and others who have changed their name in the industry did it BEFORE there were successful. They did not change their names after they had become internationally known by their birth names. John Legend was John Stephen as an unknown songwriter/producer, he became John Legend when he was about to embark on a solo career and he picked "legend" because Kanye told him that he was going to be a legend in the business.
I don't know any sane person who would have made money and gained recognition under a certain name that would suddenly turn around to change it; that actually will lead to a quicker demise because the attention span of people today are very short and they don't want to do a whole lot of thing. Personally, IF he has decided to go with his anglosized version of his name, I think that is a shame and he is messing with his money.
Dapo is not a hard name to pronounce, neither is Adebanjo or is it Olubanjo whatever it is it is very phonetical. D'Banj is not hard either. I can understand if he had some really hard name but even then, what the heck...if they can pronounce Schwartzenegger, they can pronouce DEEE BANJJJJJJ
This makes sense. But it might also be a step in the right direction. Only time will tell
Bull sHit. If d'banj wants to change his name, his biz really. Prolly an image thing to break into the us market. N to say he has more fans than John Legend who is an amazing writer n artist or Common, a Hip hop Legend or Kid Cudi who is an amazing artist compared to D'banj is an insult. You are a nutcase.
I am so touched by this comment. It is so true and sad at the same time.
A million gbozas to u!!!!! Couldn't have bn beta said....
At dis rate, by the time Kanye is done with Daniel/ Dapo/ Banjo, the illiterate won't even know what hit him
Lol. Of course D'Banj is bigger than all of those guys other than Kanye. D'Banj can pack an arena, heck even a stadium in parts of Africa.
John Legend, Common and Kid Cudi combined can't do more than fill a club.
i hope dbanj gets to read these he is fast becoming an accident waiting to happen americanized or illuminatinized smh
Dbanj has more fans than big sean? Common? John legend? Etc. You are foolish for even putting this into your imagination. Wake me up when dbanj can sell 3000 records in Amerika. Rubbish. Nigerians and pride in ignorance
P diddy changed his name all the time yet you people smile and hail him but when your own I mean a Nigerian does the same it's a problem why?leave Dbanj alone after all most of you always stand on the fact that everything is by choice. Why do you want to tell a full grown man how to live his life if you guys said people have their choice on how to live . Now leave him the hell alone bcos if I venture write on this topic now you guys will be saying it's his life . Hypocrites like you,the truth is always bitter even what this fan said is bitter to some people. You guys just come here to spit venom and follow people's comments without standing on ur ground. Many of you here are follow follow. If one person supports a comment the rest will follow and if they see another person criticize a comment the same people will run and follow to criticize. Naija I hail una mentality I swear
Exactly nobody can tell how this would play out cut him some slack he has after all made a decision and I am sure he knows the risks involved without telling he either makes it or not or in btwn let no fear stop him from pushing his luck, oprah, obama can't remember the names of the others re first in their own right d odds re high agreed, but there is a 1% chance he might make it, pls allow him that lil percent benefit of the doubt and as a true fan support him! It can't be easy for him as it is why make it harder
"Ori l'aba bo ka f'Orisha sile, Igba t'Ori gbeni...Ni bo l'Orisha wa?"
Meaning: Better it is to make sacrice to the deity of ones destiny(Ori) than that of the Orisha deity(god), because when Ori saw to ones success, where was the Orisha at the time.
When the name "Dapo Oyebanji" gave him fame and fortune, where was 'Daniel 'banji'....Obedience is better than sacrifice! Aboru B'oye o o !!
Nicely said.
Guy, i seriously believe that you failed english..
U better stop reading wit the back of your eye and start thinking wit the Front of your brain
Mumunia..
READ AND COMPREHEND DAMMIT!!!!
But Daniel is part of His names and Banjo is still an African name.... Its the writer that needs to be advice, She should face Her own life. Dapo is doing big things and if You are bitter about it then you ll remain sad for a long time to come cause this guy is going from strength to strength. If you hate him just avoid his music and any blog written about him Shikena.
U re a fool. Who is tlkn abt jealousy hre. It a SIMPLE ADVICE
GBAM! nothing to add
Pls people should let Dbanj be. Its really his life.
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Don't confuse America as world wide. Keri Hilson is popular but she's not an international star. Just because Nigerians invite her doesn't mean she is that big. Nigerians are fond of requesting irrelevant singers to perform at their events.e.g Joe, Kelly Rowland, 112, New Edition, Keri Hilson etc.
Common can't tour outside of his own crowd in America. Even if he travels out of the states, he will perform at small venues. He is very relevant to the hip hop community in America and that's where it ends.
Now Big Sean and Kid Kudi, no one knows them unless they watch BET, Channel O etc.
D'banj has his own audience. The African audience and that is huge. Africans that live both in Africa and abroad pay to see that Nigger and Mohits perform! But we know it's really because of D'Banj people pay to see Mo'Hits.
Forget all the long grammar, the guy has been given a contract to sign and like the rest of them in American music industry will be used as a puppet, na today!!!!! Soul has been sold for a price. Lets wait and see how it plays out. Goodluck to him is all I can say.
"Hmmmm. Ignorance is a big big problem in this world.
D'banj has not changed his name. So, there's even no premise for this angry and insulting and judgemental fan letter. Those other Good Music acts, are those their birth name? Did John Legend not change his name from Stephen to Legend? For your information, adopting a name that is easy to remember and pronounce is WORLDS BEST PRACTICE. It has nothing to do with not being proud of who you are but about being practical. Shortening a long name, also.
The Asians do this everyday and quickly excel in the West. Africans who think the world owes them something hang names that aren't practical and it holds them back.
How many people do you know - entertainment globally - do you think are using their full birth name? Do some research and get educated! Please, this is disgraceful.
By the way, when you said D'banj has more fans that John Legend or Common, that's when I knew you were a nutcase."
April 10, 2012 10:41 AM
THE GUY WHO WROTE THIS WAS SPOT ON! I AM A FASHION DESIGNER NOW BASED IN LONDON BUT WAS FORMERLY IN LAGOS. I HAVE HAD TO CHANGE MY BRAND NAME TO A MORE GENERALLY ACCEPTABLE NAME THAN THE INDIGENOUS AFRICAN NAME I HAD BUILT MY BUSINESS WITH IN LAGOS. I AGREE YOU NEED TO STAY TRUE TO WHO YOU ARE BUT THE WORLD HAS SERIOUSLY MOVED BEYOND USING YOUR LOCAL NAME. YOU NEED A NAME PEOPLE CAN EASILY IDENTIFY YOU WITH ESPECIALLY BREAKING THE GROUNDS AS AN AFRICAN.
I am not a fan of D'banj or his retarded interviews but one thing I am certain about is "If you want to have a worldwide appeal, your name matters. If people can't pronounce your name then that's a problem. It's sad but true."
A lot of business have gone under due to this seemingly small but true fact!
for those comparing D'banj to Barack Obama, use ur brains please. D'banj is in the ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY and a lot of non challant people will be the ones calling his name. I dont think they will have the time or make the effort to want to pronounce a difficult name. Barack is in the political industry- There is nothing necessitating him to change his name. In contrast he has to retain his birth name.
D'banj has always been Dapo Daniel Oyebanjo, to his family and fans alike,and in all interviews globally has always cited his FULL name including his traditional Yoruba name along with his various alias' (Ski'banj etc). Dbanj has continually represented for his country to the fullest everywhere he has travelled to around the world. Let's please not forget that D'banj is currently climbing the charts in UK and Europe respectively with his song 'Oliver Twist', a song which celebrates the beauty of many women from Nicki Minaj, to Genevieve and Omotola, of which the latter two are both beautiful and successful Nigerian women. The single has been heavily featured on mainstream UK radio stations like Radio one choice fm, kiss fm and more, thus meaning that D'banj has done what many haven't been able to do by penetrating a large and culturally diverse percentage of the population of the UK with his infectious AFROPop music. As a result D'banj has been give the opportunity to perform at various UK music festival such as the O2 Wireless event along side, Rihanna and Drake, and like always he will be representing Nigeria, and Africa to the fullest. He has not in any way neglected his roots, by changing his TWITTER account name, its not even that serious. D'banj has not changed his legal name, nor his artist name, he has merely changed his Twitter name, which is by the way his prerogative. I would like to say a huge Congratulations Dbanj, for he has achieved musically and all he is yet to achieve. Unfortunately one of the detriments of being a celebrity is that everyone will judge and watch everything that you do, and yes sometimes constructive criticism may be due and I am sure as a continent we won't be afraid to correct him when he is wrong, but in my opinion this is NOT one of those moments. As an African and as a fan,I pray that God blesses your future endeavours D'banj, God bless you and keep you Amen. :-) T
"Common can't tour outside of his own crowd in America. Even if he travels out of the states, he will perform at small venues. He is very relevant to the hip hop community in America and that's where it ends. "
Common's crowd in America is one that is for small clubs, that's it. As for being relevant in hip-hop, at all at all, alas in hip-hop , most artistes have a short shelf life. Even Mary J is no longer relevant musically, go look at her first week numbers.
A standing ovation to u deuces. very well said. guess dbanj wants to be more american than the americans. dude sure got complex issues.
D name doesnt just follow. "daniel banjo" eisssh! dapo sounds more it!
What's d big deal in a name change?? Stop tyrin to emphasize africanism where its baseless to d situation at hand... Isn't daniel his birth name? Banj stands for olubanjo rite?so u hv no point on d name thing...d conclusion to ur african theory should see him return to africa nd keep singing for africans.......
This guy is very funny ooo. His names are Dapo Daniel Oyebanjo.....You are his fan and you dont know his name??
lolol! I get the fact that he is trying to re-brand his image for the American/Western market. Truth be told, it's hard to make it in the Music industry in America. A lot of musicians are one hit wonders. You made your money from Nigeria & Africa, once you loose this fan base, your future seems bleak! Anywaz, so people might argue that life is all about taking risks, so good luck with your new move. "Finger's Crossed"
Z
Well said. I hope he reads the letter and react +vely to it. If he doesn't. I'm afraid things might boomerang later on. But I wish him success all the way. D'banj..u go dey go loke loke o....follow ur dream but always listen to your fans. They made you who you are.....MightyMan
Dude has shot himself in the foot crossing over to Yankee when he is already established here and very rich. Signing to the most demonic Illuminati group of all time. Don Jazzy is very lucky if he doesnt know that yet.
I feel so sorry for DBanj. He should have made this move. In the continent of Africa which is on the rise you coulda continue to rise as a much bigger star. African Americans or Americans will NEVER give a shyt about you and thats a fact No matter how well you sing. Many british singers (except Sade)
SELLING YOUR SOUL TO THE DEVIL is so sad. The next thing am waiting to see is for you to throw the devil horns on the red carpet. Its a rights of passage you dont have a choice but to represent.
if great singers like LEONA never made it in America and still struggling - I guarantee you DBanj will not make it. He should have remained with Mo-Hits. He made a big mistake.
He is not going to be a bigger star in USA is all am saying - he shoulda remained in Africa with MoHits
SATZENBRAU!!!...DBanj's success was a fluke, he also confirmed it....He became a star by mimicking the great FELA....that made people enjoy his acts....But he forgot to follow FELA's legacy....Pls tell him to go listen to 'KOLOMENTALITY' by the great Anikulpo...maybe that will order his steps....Nice piece...Big ups to the writer....ure a true African......FlukeBanj from Nashville...lolsssss
abi ohh CHICHILUV, if de can pronounce nicole scherzinger sef is it dapo adebanjo de cant pronounce?
Let's just watch him for now we are still his fans
Please, who is this "Anonymous" that keeps commenting... Lol
Please, who is this "Anonymous" that keeps commenting?... Lol
Honestly, people who are appealing to a different audience change their names for better marketing and publicity. I don't see anything wrong with it. For example, if you work in the corporate world in America, your name, image, your accent will have to fit a specific expectation because you want to appeal to a worldwide spectrum.
Asians do it the most, they will have the most Americanized name only to find out this particular person is Asian. They want something that will be easy to remember, stick faster and at this point any affiliation with America/Europe sells more and faster.
However, D'banj is an artist. It's unnecessary to change his name because that's what will make him unique especially if you are putting African music out. I mean, look at Sade, her name itself is exotic, in addition to her talent. The guy mentioning D'banj having more fan base in talking from an African fanbase. There are certain artists that are worldwide known and Kanye West is one of them. John Legend, Common are talented but I doubt they are as popular among Africans the way D'banj is. Also, John Legend, Common, are not as popular in America the way Kanye is, that's what he's trying to say.
na wa oooo guy go back to were u are coming from cos.................meen it is awkward and very apolling to see a great star falling like an over riped paw paw,i mean u have that flavour nigerians want why waste it bcos of one nonsense people and again u changed ur identity from dapo to daniel imagine!!!!!.ah guy go back.
But wait oooooo, this one dbanj is becoming westernized, I can't wait for his first album to come out...dnt thinke 'Ye will be able to produce a beat to suit the personalty of dbanj we are used to except he decides to become a Nashville Country Star.....I can't imagine him and Donjazzy apart.....WoW.. will 'Ye be able to produce naija flavored beats??????????????
obviously the negro is surrounded by utter lack wits, and a senseless production team... so if u expecting him(dbanj) to read this , hmmm you're on a long tin
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