“I Wanted To Die When Faze Gave Me 500 Naira At A Show Several Years Back” – D’banj

Amidst singers who have made a name in the music industry, you can always enlist the Koko Master, Oladapo Oyebanjo, who is popularly known as D’banj.

From breaking away from Don Jazzy’s Mohits to floating a solo career, Banga Lee has had his fair share of the good and bad sides of fame, and he still finds a way to stay relevant in his own way.

Kokomaster, who is still regarded by fans and music lovers as one of the pioneers of modern hip-hop, has not less than four studio albums to his credit.

In an interview with Joey Akan monitored by Tribune online, he spoke on his journey to stardom and the challenge of sustaining the limelight.

The “Fall in love” crooner, whose peak period is put by critics to be between mid-2000s and early 2010s, gave credit to a former member of the defunct group, Plantashun Boiz, for keeping him going when it was tough.

“There was a show at Maryland. And the biggest artists that came to perform were Olu Maintain and Plantashun Boiz, and I played ‘Redemption Song’ with my mouth organ.

“Faze saw me and just held me. And he said ‘hey, you’re the one that played that harmonica right? That’s a spiritual instrument. Hold it, it’s very good. Let me give you something.’ I think he gave me like 500 naira. I wanted to die. See ehn, now that day was pivotal for me. That day, I got the hope I needed in my life, and so I just went on about it.”