Reekado Banks is a popular Nigerian Afrobeat singer who was born on December 6, 1993. Ayoleyi Hanniel Solomon is his full name. He joined Mavin Records in 2014 and left the label in 2018. Prior to signing a record deal with Mavin Records, he went by the stage name Spicy. Reekado Banks was named Rookie of the Year at The Headies in 2014. He received the contentious Next Rated award at The Headies 2015. Spotlight, his first studio album, was released on September 1, 2016, and peaked at number 10 on the Billboard World Albums chart.
Early Life & Education
Reekado Banks was born on December 6, 1993, in Ondo State, Nigeria, in the country’s South-West geopolitical zone. His father is a pastor, and his mother works as a caterer. He was born into a musical family, with a producer brother and a gospel singer sister. He received the majority of his education in Ondo State. He earned his B.Sc. in history and strategic studies from the University of Lagos in 2014.
Career
Reekado Banks began his career at the age of 14, shortly after graduating from high school. He began recording his first batch of songs in 2008. His older brother produced all of his early tracks and also taught him the fundamentals of singing, songwriting, and production. He created the stage name Reekado Banks by combining the meanings of the two names. His stage name translates roughly to “strong ruler,” and the second part to “wealth.” DJ Jimmy Jatt, Olamide, Don Jazzy, 2face Idibia, and M.I. are among his main musical influences.
Mavin Records
Reekado Banks’ brother submitted some of his songs to Marvin Records during an online talent search, which led to him signing a record deal with Mavin Records. Following the selection of his entry from among more than 5000 submissions, Reekado Banks was signed to Mavin Records.
Reekado Banks released the song “Turn It Up” on February 21, 2014, the same day he signed with Mavin Records. Tiwa Savage appears on the song, which was released as his debut official single by Mavin Records. The critically acclaimed song “Dorobucci” featured Reekado Banks, Don Jazzy, Korede Bello, Tiwa Savage, Di’Ja, Dr. SID, and D’Prince. Reekado Banks collaborated with some of the musicians mentioned above on three songs: “Adaobi,” “Arise,” and “Looku Looku.” On February 13, 2015, he released “Katapot,” a song produced by Don Jazzy.
On December 7, 2018, he announced his departure from Mavins Records after five years. He also announced the formation of his own company, Banks Music. In September 2019, he fired his manager, Temi Solomon, his older brother. After a hiatus without any successful singles, Reekado Banks returned in 2021 with a brand-new song titled “Ozumba Mbadiwe.”
Discography
Studio albums
- 2016: Spotlight
Extended Plays
- 2022: Ozumba Mbadiwe Remix EP
- 2021: OTR, Vol. 2
- 2020: Off the Record
Selected singles
- 2021: Ozumba Mbadiwe
- 2020: You Dey Mad
- 2020: Speak to Me
- 2020: Need More
- 2020: Happy Yourself
- 2019: Yawa
- 2019: Rora
- 2019: Maria
- 2019: In Put In Pressure
- 2018: Pull Up
- 2018: Blessings On Me
- 2018: Bio Bio
- 2017: Like
- 2017: Kiss Me
- 2017: Easy (Jeje)
- 2016: Standard
- 2016: Spotlight
- 2016: Oluwa Ni
- 2015: Tomorrow
- 2015: Sugar Baby
- 2015: Katapot
- 2015: Corner
- 2014: Turn It Up
- 2014: Looku Looku
- 2014: Dorobucci
- 2014: Chop Am
- 2014: Arise
- 2014: Adaobi
Endorsement Deals
Reekado Banks signed an endorsement agreement with Globacom, a Nigerian telecommunications firm, in July 2015.
Net Worth
According to the analysis made from different sources online, Reekado Banks’ net worth is estimated at around $2 million.
