Quick Facts
Biography
Godson Ominibie Epelle (born 27 June 1994), known professionally as 1Da Banton, is a Nigerian singer, songwriter and record producer. He is best known for his song "No Wahala", first released in 2021, and re-released in 2022 as a remix featuring Kizz Daniel and Tiwa Savage.
Background and career
1Da Banton was born and raised in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. He was pursuing a degree in civil engineering before he decided to drop out and begin his music career. He relocated to Lagos in 2014 after signing a deal with Adasa Cookey's Squareball Entertainment.
Prior to the release of his first single in 2015, 1da Banton revealed that he was a regular guy performing at gigs and creating music as a music producer after his mother died in 2008, which moved him away from football and towards music.
In July 2017, he released his debut extended play (EP) titled The Banton EP.One of the EP's songs titled "Way Up", was used as the theme song for the third season of Big Brother Naija. He gained Global recognition after the release of "No Wahala", which was one of the tracks on his album Original Vibe Machine, released in 2021. The US Secretary of State Antony Blinken listed the song among his 2021 Spotify playlist favorite songs of the year.
In 2022, 1Da Banton released a remix of "No Wahala" which featured Kizz Daniel and Tiwa Savage. He has also collaborated with Jamaican singer Kranium, Ghanaian dancehall musician Stonebwoy, and Nigerian artists Zlatan, Seyi Shay and Blaqbonez.
In 2023, 1da Banton's song No Wahala was featured as a theme song on the third season of the American Emmy Award-winning comedic drama series "Ted Lasso"
On April 10, 2023, 1da Banton's No Wahala surpasses 100 million streams on Spotify, making it one of the most streamed Afrobeat songs on the platform.
Discography
Studio albums
- Original Vibe Machine (2021)
Extended plays
- The Banton EP (2017)
- 1DA SHALL NEVER END (2023)
Singles
- "Love Her Daily" (2016)
- "Farabale" (2019)
- "Whine fi Mi" (featuring Kranium) (2019)
- "Foreigner" (2020)
- "African Woman" (2020)
- "Same Girl" (2020)
- "Shenor" (2020)
- "No Wahala" (2021)
- "No Wahala" (remix) (featuring Kizz Daniel and Tiwa Savage) (2022)
- "Summer Love" (2022)
As featured artist
- "Faaji" – Blaqbonez featuring Bad Boy Timz and 1Da Banton (Sex Over Love, 2021)
Awards and nominations
| Year | Event | Prize | Recipient | Result | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | The Beatz Awards 2021 | Best song of the year | "Blaisebeatz (No Wahala)" | Won | |
| 2023 | Soundcity MVP Awards Festival | Digital Artiste of the Year | Self | Nominated |
Selected production credits
"Barrawo" by Ajebo hustlers
"Barrawo" (remix) by Ajebo hustlers featuring Davido