Ayoleyi Hanniel Solomon (born 6 December 1993), who is better known by his stage name Reekado Banks, 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 and songwriter. He was signed to

Mavin Records Mavin Records (also known as the Supreme Mavin Dynasty) is a Nigerian corporation and record label founded by record producer and recording artist Don Jazzy on 8 May 2012. The label's inception came to fruition following the closure of Mo' Hits R ...

between 2014 and 2018, and went by the stage name Spicy before his record deal with the label. Banks won Rookie of the Year at

The Headies 2014 The Headies 2014 was the ninth edition of The Headies. It took place on 14 December 2014, at the Eko Hotel and Suites in Victoria Island, Lagos. Themed "Feel the Passion", the show was hosted by Toke Makinwa and Basketmouth. It was initially sch ...

, and received the controversial Next Rated award at

The Headies 2015 The Headies 2015 was the 10th edition of The Headies. It was held on January 1, 2016, at the Landmark Events Centre in Victoria Island, Lagos. Themed "Flip the Script", the event was hosted by Bovi and Kaffy. It was previously scheduled to hold ...

. His debut studio album ''Spotlight'', which was released on 1 September 2016, debuted at number 10 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' World Albums chart.

Early life and education

Reekado Banks is the last-born child of a family that adores music. His mother is a caterer and pastor, while his father is a clergyman from

Ondo State Ondo () is a States of Nigeria, state in Points of the compass, southwestern Nigeria. It was created on 3 February 1976 from the former Western State (Nigeria), Western State. Ondo borders Ekiti State to the north, Kogi State to the northeast fo ...

. He grew up in a disciplinarian setting due to both of his parents being pastors. He completed secondary school at the age of 14 and started recording music in 2008. All of his previous songs were produced by his older brother Temi Solomon, who taught him the fundamentals of writing, singing, and producing. He derived the stage name Reekado Banks by combining the meaning of the two names; the former part of his stage name translates to "strong ruler", while the latter part means "wealth". In 2014, Banks graduated from the

University of Lagos The University of Lagos (UNILAG) is a Public university, public research university located in Lagos, Nigeria, which was founded in 1962. UNILAG is one of the education in Nigeria#First generation universities, first generation universities in ...

with a degree in history and strategic study. He has cited

Don Jazzy Michael Collins Ajereh (born 26 November 1982), known professionally as Don Jazzy, is a Nigerian music executive, record producer, singer, songwriter, businessman, and philanthropist. He founded the record label Mavin Records in 2012, as a sub ...

2face Idibia Innocent Ujah Idibia Order of the Niger, MON (; born 18 September 1975), known by his stage name 2Baba and formerly as 2Face Idibia, is a Nigerian singer-songwriter, record producer and philanthropist known for his solo debut album, ''Face 2 Fa ...

DJ Jimmy Jatt Jimmy Jatt Amu (born Oluwaforijimi Adewale Amu on October 15, 1966), known professionally as DJ Jimmy Jatt, is a Nigerian disc jockey who is revered as one of the pioneering Afrobeats hip hop DJs in Nigeria. He started out his music career as a r ...

Olamide Olamide Gbenga Adedeji (born 15 March 1989) is a Nigerian rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. He is regarded as one of the most influential artists in Nigeria and Africa and has been crucial to the creative and commercial succe ...

and M.I as his key musical inspirations.

Career

Mavin Records deal and artistry

After his older brother submitted some of his songs to

through an internet talent search, the label selected his entries from over 5,000 submissions and signed him to a record deal. In an interview with the ''

National Mirror The ''National Mirror'' is a daily newspaper published in Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Oce ...

'', he said his brother submitted his songs and communicated with the label on his behalf without his initial consent. Banks also said he is a versatile artist who makes music with the thought that people are different and have varying taste.

2014–present: Singles and Mavin Records departure

On 21 February 2014, Banks premiered the single "Turn It Up", which coincided with the day he signed with Mavin Records. The song features vocals by

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 ...

and was released as his first official single under Mavin Records. The highly regarded song "

Dorobucci "Dorobucci" is a song recorded by The Mavins, a collective composed of Don Jazzy, Tiwa Savage, Dr SID, Reekado Banks, Korede Bello, Di'Ja and D'Prince. Released on May 1, 2014, the song received generally positive reviews from music critics. ...

" included Banks,

Korede Bello Korede Bello (born 29 February 1996) is a Nigerian singer and songwriter. He signed a record deal with Mavin Records in 2014. Bello is best known for his hit single " Godwin", a semi-gospel and pop song which became a national anthem and topped ...

, Savage,

Di'Ja Hadiza Blell, now Hadiza Blell-Olo, better known by her stage name Di'Ja, is a Nigerian singer-songwriter. She was signed to Mavin Records. In 2009, she released her first single "Rock Steady", which was nominated for Best Urban/R&B Single at ...

, Dr SID, and

D'Prince Charles Enebeli (born 23 October 1986), known by his stage name D'Prince, is a Nigerian Grammy Awards, Grammy-67th Annual Grammy Awards, nominated music executive, singer, songwriter, entrepreneur, Promoter (entertainment), promoter, and philant ...

. Additionally, he collaborated on the tracks "Adaobi", "Arise", and "Looku Looku" with the previously mentioned musicians. On 13 February 2015, he released the Don Jazzy-produced single "Katapot", which was alleged to be a

diss track A diss track, diss record or diss song (an abbreviation of ''disrespect'' or ''disparage'') is a song whose primary purpose is to verbally attack someone else, usually another artist. Diss tracks are often the result of an existing, escalating feu ...

towards

D'banj Oladapo Daniel Oyebanjo (born 9 June 1980), known professionally as D'banj ( ), is a Nigerians, Nigerian singer, rapper, music executive, event host and television personality. He signed with American rapper Kanye West's record label GOOD Music ...

and

Wande Coal Oluwatobi Wande Ojosipe (born 18 October 1985), popularly known as Wande Coal, is a Nigerian singer and songwriter. Early life Wande Coal was born on 18 October 1985 in Lagos Island, Lagos state, Nigeria, to Chief Ibukun Olufunto and Omolara ...

. In February 2015, Don Jazzy debunked the allegations in a series of tweets. In a March 2015 interview with newspaper ''

Vanguard The vanguard (sometimes abbreviated to van and also called the advance guard) is the leading part of an advancing military formation. It has a number of functions, including seeking out the enemy and securing ground in advance of the main force. ...

'', Banks said he created "Katapot" for his fans. In July 2015, Banks and the Nigerian cellular provider

Globacom Overview , GLO has over 60.7 million subscribers, making it the second largest network operator in Nigeria. In 2011, GLO became the first telecommunications company to build an $800 million high-capacity fibre-optic cable known as Glo-1, a ...

inked an endorsement agreement. He declared his exit from Mavin Records and the debut of his recording outfit, Banks Music, on December 7, 2018. ''Vanguard'' revealed in September 2019 that Banks had fired his older brother as manager. In 2021, he released the single "Ozumba Mbadiwe". Olukorede Ikazoboh, who heads the Nigerian arm of

Virgin Music Virgin Music, known as Virgin Music Label & Artist Services until 2022 and originally as Caroline Distribution, was a music distributor of independent artists and record labels, most prominently Death Grips, Weezer, and Radiohead. Virgin Music ...

, announced that the label will be in charge of distributing Banks and Darkoo's music.

Discography

Studio albums *''Spotlight'' (2016) Extended plays (EPs) *'' Off the Record'' (2020) *''OTR, Vol. 2'' (2021) Selected singles

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Banks, Reekado 1993 births Living people Musicians from Lagos Nigerian male singer-songwriters 21st-century Nigerian singer-songwriters University of Lagos alumni Nigerian hip-hop singers The Headies winners English-language singers from Nigeria Yoruba-language singers of Nigeria 21st-century Nigerian male singers The Headies Award for Next Rated