Who are the top 10 richest Nigerian musicians? Find out in this revealing article!
The Nigerian music industry isn't necessarily what it used to be, but that doesn't mean that there aren't still plenty of highly talented musicians who can make some serious cash from their music. But who are the top 10 richest Nigerian musicians? How much do they earn per year? These are all questions you will find the answers to in this article. These top ten are all incredibly wealthy, and we want to expose them to the world!
1) Wizkid
Wizkid is one of Nigeria's most successful artists. His career started when he uploaded some videos on YouTube, where he was a famous vlogger. He got his first big break when he was signed to Banky W's Empire Mates Entertainment and then later to RCA Records. Wizkid has won two awards at the Billboard Music Awards, three awards at MTV Europe Music Awards, and an award at The Headies. His single One Dance became the first song by a Nigerian artist to go double platinum in the UK and US.
2) Davido
David Adedeji Adeleke is an award-winning Nigerian singer and songwriter, better known by his stage name Davido. David first shot to fame after he released his single Dami Duro, which became a number-one hit on several charts across Africa and was nominated for Best African Act at the 2012 MTV Europe Music Awards. He has had other successful singles such as One of a Kind, Skelewu, Globe, and
Aye. David has achieved three BET Awards nominations and two MOBO Awards; he also won an American Music Award and was nominated for two Grammy Awards.
3) Don Jazzy
Don Jazzy is a self-made millionaire and one of Nigeria's most successful record producers. He has an estimated net worth of $20 million. In 2009, he founded a record label called Mavin Records with his long-time friend and collaborator, Faze. The company has been responsible for launching the careers of prominent Nigerian artists such as Wizkid, D'banj, and Tiwa Savage. Don Jazzy was born Oluwatosin Emmanuel Ajibade to a Yoruba family on September 3, 1977. He grew up in Lagos Island, where he attended Providence Primary School before transferring to St Patrick's Catholic Comprehensive Secondary School for his secondary school education.
D'banj: D'banj is an American-born Nigerian musician and entrepreneur who has a net worth of $25 million. He rose to fame when he became one of Nigeria's most prominent music producers and performers. In 2009, he founded DB Records with
4) Burnaboy
Burnaboy is a Nigerian musician and songwriter born on July 2, 1991. He's also an entrepreneur who owns two record labels, Burnaboy Entertainment and B.R.E Entertainment. His debut single, Oleku, was released in 2002 and became a hit not just locally but internationally, with its video getting rotation on MTV Base for months. It has become one of Nigeria's most extensive music videos. After the success of his first album, he released a few more singles before going on hiatus from the industry to focus on his businesses and family life for several years.
5) Tuface
Phyno is a Nigerian singer and songwriter who started his career as a member of the hip-hop group Plantashun Boiz. In 2009 he released his debut solo album, J.O.K.E., which features guest appearances from artists including P-Square, Mr. Eazi, and Flavour N'abania. His second studio album, No Guts No Glory, was released in 2013 with guest appearances from 2 Face Idibia, Banky W., Wizkid, and General Pype, among others. He also had a cameo role in the 2015 film Half of a Yellow Sun and has featured on D'banj's Oliver Twist single from his album Sounds From The Other Side, which was released on November 11, 2017.
6) P-Square (Peter & Paul Okoye)
Timaya is one of Nigeria's most celebrated musicians, with a net worth of $10 million. Timaya was born and raised in Delta State, Nigeria. His father was a businessman, and he had three brothers. He started playing music at a young age and became a choir boy at his church. When he was 13 years old, he joined an African band called The Civilians, which helped him gain much more experience as a musician. Tima's music career took off when he released his first album, Omoge, which means friend in the Igbo language.
D'banj is another of Nigeria's successful musicians, with a net worth of $8 million. D'banj is from Ekehuan Road in Ikorodu, Lagos, and studied Mass Communication at Obafemi Awolowo University. He started his music career at a very young age by writing lyrics for some famous artists, including Banky W. He met up with Don Jazzy and formed a music group called Mo' Hits Records, which introduced him to Faze before beginning a new record label called Mavin Records. He released his first album titled Oladipo with Don Jazzy as co-producer and released it through Mavin Records.
7) Olamide
Olamide is one of Nigeria's most successful music stars, who has released a total of six studio albums to date. The rapper has been honored with numerous awards, including 'Best Rapper of Africa' and 'Best African Artist. Olamide also holds the Guinness World Record for being the first person to have all singles from an album chart on Billboard Top 100. In September 2018, he was ranked number 12 on Forbes' list of Africa's 50 Richest Celebrities.
The 'Duro' hitmaker's net worth is $20 million. He earns most of his fortune through his music, with several hit singles to his credit. Besides rapping, he also produces beats for other music acts and owns a record label called YBNL Records and a clothing line titled YBNL Mafia.
8) Phyno
Phyno is one of Nigeria's most successful rap and hip-hop artists. His real name is Uchenna Nwosu, but he goes by Phyno for short. He debuted his music career in 2005 with a single called Ngere. In 2009, he released his first album titled The Black President, which was well-received nationwide. It did so well that he followed it up with a second album called Gbagyi Gi and then a third album entitled Nwa Baby. The success of these albums has led to him becoming one of Nigeria's most successful rappers. As of 2018, his net worth is $2 million.
Another extremely successful musician is Darey Art Alade, popularly known as D'Banj. He initially went to school to study architecture and began a solo career after graduation. By 2012 he had become one of Nigeria's most successful artists and was named among Forbes Africa's youngest self-made billionaires alongside Wizkid, Nneka, and others. Between music sales and brand endorsements, his net worth today is believed to be approximately $20 million.
9) Timaya
Timaya (born Olusola Timothy Olumide on October 12, 1974) is a Nigerian singer and songwriter. He got his big break when participating in the reality TV show Project Fame West Africa. Timaya was born as one of eight children and had been playing music since he was nine. His father died when he was young, so he had to drop out of school at age 16 to support his family. He then started performing on the streets with his guitar earning money for food and eventually forming a band called Omoge.
In 2004, Timaya took part in an audition for the second season of Project Fame, which would later be renamed Project Fame West Africa, with Omowumi as host.
10) Asa
Asa is one of Nigeria's most successful music stars. Born Paschal Okonkwo and better known by his stage name Asa, he has had much success throughout his career. He's won several awards, including one from MTV Africa Music Awards for Best Male Artiste of the Year. He is also hugely popular on social media, with more than 4 million Facebook followers, 5 million Instagram followers, and 7 million Twitter followers.
In 2009, Forbes ranked him second on its list of Africa's Richest Musicians, with a net worth of $10 million. He has won three Headies Awards, five MTV Africa Music Awards, and two Channel O Music Video Awards. He has also featured as a guest artist on different songs by Timaya and Flavour N'abania. His collaboration with Dbanj was listed among Africa's Greatest Collaborations by Channel O. In October 2015, and he received multiple honors at The Headies 2015. As part of his acceptance speech for the Best RnB/Pop Artiste Award at that time, he thanked all those who have contributed to his success thus far in his music career, including his fans, who he said are amazing and appreciative.