Godson Ominibie Epelle, professionally known as 1da Banton, (born 27 June 1994) is a

Nigerian Nigerians or the Nigerian people are citizens of Nigeria or people with ancestry from Nigeria. The name Nigeria was derived from the Niger River running through the country. This name was allegedly coined in the late 19th century by British jo ...

singer, songwriter and record producer who is best known for his 2021 song " No Wahala", which was remixed and re-released in 2022, featuring Nigerian musicians

Kizz Daniel Oluwatobiloba Daniel Anidugbe (born 1 May 1994), who is better known as Kizz Daniel (formerly Kiss Daniel), is a Nigerian singer and songwriter. He rose to fame in 2014 with his debut single, " Woju". He signed a record deal with G-Worldwide Ent ...

and

Tiwa Savage Tiwatope Omolara Savage (born 5 February 1980), known professionally as Tiwa Savage (), is a Nigerian singer, songwriter and actress. Savage sings in English, Nigerian Pidgin and Yoruba; her music is a blend of afrobeats, R&B, afropop, p ...

Background and career

1da Banton was born and raised in

Port Harcourt Port Harcourt (Pidgin: ''Po-ta-kot or Pi-ta-kwa)'' is the capital and largest city of Rivers State in Nigeria. It is the fifth most populous city in Nigeria after Lagos, Kano, Ibadan and Benin. It lies along the Bonny River and is locate ...

Rivers State Rivers is a states of Nigeria, state in the Niger Delta region of southern Nigeria (Old Eastern Region). Formed on 27 May 1967, when it was split from the former Eastern Region, Nigeria, Eastern Region, Rivers State borders include Imo State, Im ...

, Nigeria. He studied civil engineering, but dropped out to pursue a career in music. In 2014, he relocated to

Lagos Lagos ( ; ), or Lagos City, is a large metropolitan city in southwestern Nigeria. With an upper population estimated above 21 million dwellers, it is the largest city in Nigeria, the most populous urban area on the African continent, and on ...

after being signed by Squareball Entertainment. 1da Banton started producing music following the death of his mother in 2008. In July 2017, he released his debut extended play (EP) titled ''The Banton EP''. One of the EP's songs, "Way Up", was used as the theme song for the third season of ''Big Brother Naija''. He gained global recognition after the release of " No Wahala", which was one of the tracks on his album ''Original Vibe Machine'', released in 2021. The US Secretary of State

Antony Blinken Antony John Blinken (born April 16, 1962) is an American lawyer and diplomat who served as the 71st United States secretary of state from 2021 to 2025. He previously served as Deputy National Security Advisor, deputy national security advisor ...

listed the song among his 2021

Spotify Spotify (; ) is a List of companies of Sweden, Swedish Music streaming service, audio streaming and media service provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. , it is one of the largest providers of music streaming services ...

playlist favorite songs of the year. In 2022, 1da Banton released a remix of "No Wahala" which featured Kizz Daniel and Tiwa Savage. He has also collaborated with Jamaican singer

Kranium Kemar Donaldson (born 12 August 1993), known professionally as Kranium, is a Jamaican dancehall singer known for his 2013 hit single "Nobody Has to Know" which gave him international recognition and led him to the Atlantic Records record label. ...

Ghanaian The Ghanaian people are a nation originating in the Gold Coast (region), Ghanaian Gold Coast. Ghanaians predominantly inhabit the Republic of Ghana and are the predominant cultural group and residents of Ghana, numbering 34 million people as of ...

dancehall musician

Stonebwoy Livingstone Etse Satekla (Born 5 March 1988), better known by his stage name Stonebwoy, is a Ghanaian people, Ghanaian Afro pop music, Afropop, Afro-dancehall and reggae musician from Ashaiman, Accra. He is the CEO of Burniton Music Group. He w ...

, and Nigerian artists Zlatan,

Seyi Shay Deborah Oluwaseyi Joshua (born Oluwaseyi Joshua; 21 December 1985), known professionally as Seyi Shay (pronounced Shay-yee Shay), is a Nigerian singer, songwriter and actress. In 2008, she became the lead singer for the now defunct pop girl gr ...

and

Blaqbonez Emeka Akumefule (born 29 January 1996), known professionally as Blaqbonez, is a Nigerian rapper and singer signed to Chocolate City. Blaqbonez is popularly known for his distinct rap style as well as his creative ingenuity. In 2019, he was prof ...

. In 2023, "No Wahala" was featured on the third season of the American comedy drama series ''

Ted Lasso ''Ted Lasso'' ( ) is an American sports film, sports comedy-drama television series developed by Jason Sudeikis, Bill Lawrence (TV producer), Bill Lawrence, Brendan Hunt, and Joe Kelly. It is based on a character Sudeikis portrayed in a series ...

''. On 10 April 2023, "No Wahala" surpassed 100 million streams on Spotify, making it one of the most streamed Afrobeat songs on the platform. In 2024, Banton recorded "Holy Man" and "Evidence" with

Bella Shmurda Abiola Ahmed Akinbiyi (born 27 January 1996), known professionally as Bella Shmurda, is a Nigerian singer and songwriter. He rose to prominence in 2019 with the release of the song "Vision 2020", and a follow-up remix which featured Olamide. He i ...

, and and "Best Life" with

Desiigner Sidney Royel Selby III (born May 3, 1997), better known by his stage name Desiigner, is an American rapper and singer. He is best known for his 2015 debut single "Panda", which topped the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Shortly after the song gained vira ...

Discography

Studio albums *''Original Vibe Machine'' (2021) Extended plays *''The Banton EP'' (2017) *''1da Shall Never End'' (2023) Singles *"Love Her Daily" (2016) *"Farabale" (2019) *"Whine fi Mi" (featuring

) (2019) *"Foreigner" (2020) *"African Woman" (2020) *"Same Girl" (2020) *"Shenor" (2020) *"No Wahala" (2021) *"No Wahala" (remix) (featuring

and

) (2022) *"Summer Love" (2022) *"Holy Man" (2024) *"Evidence" (2024) *"Best Life" (2024) As featured artist *"Faaji" –

featuring Bad Boy Timz and 1Da Banton (''

Sex Over Love ''Sex Over Love'' is the first studio album by Nigerian rapper Blaqbonez. It was released on 30 April 2021 by Chocolate City. The album features guest appearances from Joeboy, Nasty C, Bad Boy Timz, 1Da Banton, Tiwa Savage, Superboy Cheque, Ma ...

'', 2021)

Awards and nominations

Selected production credits

"Barrawo" by Ajebo hustlers "Barrawo" (remix) by Ajebo hustlers featuring

Davido David Adedeji Adeleke (born November 21, 1992), known professionally as Davido, is a Nigerian American, Nigerian-American singer, songwriter and record producer. Davido was born in Atlanta, U.S, and raised in Lagos, Nigeria. He made his mus ...

References

{{Reflist

External links

Nigerian musicians Musicians from Port Harcourt Singers from Port Harcourt People from Port Harcourt 1994 births Living people Musicians from Rivers State