At last, D’banj has revealed details about his meeting with US superstar, Kanye West.
The singer who was once signed to West’s GOOD Music record label – a move which led to the breakup of Mo’Hits Records – has come out to say how he met Kanye West in a Dubai airport in 2010.
“I’ll tell you that right now. Everyone is on Afrobeat, AfroPop, African Sound, but the first person to ever take notice of that and do something about it was Kanye. I was in Dubai in 2010. I had a concert in Dubai and on my way out of Dubai when we got to the airport I was with my entourage, I came out and the steward came running to me with a plaque saying Mr. Kanye West. So they thought I was Kanye.
So I said, “Hello. I’m D’banj. All my African friends call me. I am not Kanye West.” I said guys Kanye is coming. Eyes open. This is no coincidence. No coincidence. So we’re checking into first class and then saw him with a hoodie. He’s there with his bodyguard. Then before I knew it one of my teammates, one of them ran to him and said “Yo, Mr. Kanye I have the biggest artist from Africa.
African Michael Jackson. Let him play you the record. We performed together on stage but we didn’t see each other. That was in 2006 when he came to Nigeria or in 2007.
Kanye said, “Come. Let me listen to your records.” He listened to two records and he removed the headphones and said “Whoa. This sound is the new sound. Where are you going to?” I said, “I’m off to L.A.” Because I had just done a collaboration then. The first African major collaboration with the legend himself Snoop Dogg. So we’re about to shoot the video which we have the video for as well. So we are going to L.A. to shoot the video and then Kanye said, “No, no, no, no, no pass through New York. I want to do the same thing I did with Estelle. Same thing I did with John Legend. I want to do with you.”
I said ha! Africa! My dream has come true. And I went back home. I got everybody together. We must have done a Thanksgiving and church. I said, “Hey. Kanye has sent for us. Our Asahd. Finally. No, he didn’t want to change anything. He said he likes the way and he also commented on my dress and said, “Nice. Nice fashion sense.” I was like “Oh my god.” So we flew straight to New York and we’re here in this wonderful city in 2011. We were here for two weeks. I was trying to reach Kanye for two weeks.
I kept emailing. Mr. Kanye we met in Dubai. You said we should come. Its African Michael Jackson. I’m here. So two weeks straight we waited to no avail and we sent an email that said, “I have to go to L.A. to shoot the Snoop Dogg’s video. On my way back if its possible I would like to see you.” and then we got an email that same night saying, “Mr. Kanye West will see you at the address below.” Oh! Ebro. When I got there the whole family was there too you know. Everybody from G.O.O.D. Music. And Kanye said you have to listen to this guy and then he played all the records and we didn’t have “Oliver Twist” then.
I’ll tell you how “Oliver Twist” came and I’m glad that Kanye was so — that’s why I said a big thank you to him because Oliver Twist started popping up in the U.K. and then I wrote Kanye an email. I said listen there’s this song I recorded even though our deal is not done yet can I release it in the U.K. and Europe and when we’re done we’ll release it in America and Kanye was kind enough to say I’m in London come through and he heard the song. He said, “When are you shooting the video?” I said, “I will shoot it now if you are going to be in the video. Just tell me you will be in the video. I will shoot it now.”
I was like ok. Big Sean was coming to town, Pusha T was coming to town, you know Hit-Boy. We working on the G.O.O.D. Music album then he says so if you can shoot it around this time they will all be there. Immediately I broke the bank and said, “Lets shoot this video.” Kanye surprised me and they came and I became history and everything blew up, but the song never released in the states.”
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