Yay!!! Reekado Banks Is Our Artiste Of The Week #AOTW

Ayoleyi Hanniel Solomon, better known by his stage name Reekado Banks was reportedly born on 6^th December 1993 (25). He is the last child of his family. He grew up in a disciplinarian setting due to both of his parents being pastors. His elder brother is a producer and his elder sister is a gospel singer.

He completed his secondary school at the age of 14, and graduated from the University of Lagos with a degree in History and Strategic Study. The singer and songwriter had started recording his first set of songs in 2008. His elder brother produced all of his earlier songs and tutored him on the rudiments of singing, writing and producing.

He signed with Mavin Records in 2014. His record deal with Mavin Records came as a result of his brother submitting some of his songs to the label in an online talent search. Reekado Banks got signed to Mavin Records after his entries were selected from over 5000 entries. In an interview with the National Mirror, he said his brother submitted his songs and communicated with the label on his behalf without his initial consent.

On 13 February 2015, he released the Don Jazzy-produced song “Katapot”. It was alleged to be a diss track towards D’banj and Wande Coal.

Turn It Up was released on 21 February 2014 as his first official single under Mavin Records; premiered coincided with the day he signed with Mavin Records). Reekado Banks disclosed that he’s a versatile artist who makes music with the thought that humans are different and have different taste. However, in February 2015, Don Jazzy debunked the allegations in a series of tweets. While speaking to Vanguard newspaper, Reekado Banks said he created “Katapot” for his fans

His debut studio album, Spotlight, was released on 1 September 2016. It debuted at number 10 on the Billboard World Album Music Chart. On 1st August 2018, he tweeted, my ep drops in October and it will be a piece you’ll brag about! am fucking talented , and i’ll prove it again! Thank you for believing in Me. Before his exit, he was said to be the label’s most consistent artist

Reekado Banks left the label in 2018 after being signed for 5 years, citing pursuing other opportunities as his reason. He announced his exit from Don Jazzy’s Mavin Records after four years. The news came a day after the singer celebrated his 25th birthday. He stated, on Instagram, that his exit is not motivated by pain but from a place of bliss and satisfaction.

“The last five years have been the most blissful years of my career. The journey has been extremely wonderful and filled with the best experiences…Joining the @mavinrecords family was the best thing to have happened to me in the last decade. @donjazzy took me in and treated me like his own son. I’ll be eternally grateful to him for sacrifices he made towards the growth of my career…Taking this bold step and moving on from Mavin Records onto bigger opportunities is something that, though not easy, is absolutely necessary because of my growth. I am very ecstatic about what the future holds and I cannot wait to share with everyone what new opportunities have come… (guardian.ng)

Bellanaija.com on December 10, 2018 reported that the music star unveiled New Record Label ‘Banks Music’ ‘. Reekado made the announcement on Instagram by sharing Banks Music Record Label brand icon

In July 2015, Nigerian telecommunications company Globacom signed Reekado Banks to an endorsement deal. On December 7, 2018, he announced his departure from Mavins Records after 5 years. He also announced the launch of his independent outfit Banks Music. He derived the stage name Reekado Banks by combining the meanings of the two names; the former part of his stage name translates to “strong ruler”, while the latter part loosely translates to “wealth. He went by the stage name Spicy prior to his record deal with Mavin Records

He has cited Don Jazzy, 2face Idibia, DJ Jimmy Jatt, Olamide and M.I as his key musical inspirations

On February 23, after he had voted, he tweeted “Happy I voted… there’s no reason for activism if you aren’t participating! #Nigeriavotes” then it started making the rounds that the heavy jab may have been thrown at Davido who has been campaigning, advocating and canvassing for Nigerians to vote and defend it – weeks before the elections but was reportedly out of the country to walk the talk. Meanwhile Reekado didn’t mention any names.

Award & Nomination