''D'Kings Men'' is a

compilation album A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several Performing arts#Performers, performers. If by one artist, then generally the tr ...

by Nigerian record label DB Records. It was released on June 24, 2013, by the label and

Sony , commonly stylized as SONY, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. As a major technology company, it operates as one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer and professional ...

. The album was produced by

Don Jazzy Michael Collins Ajereh (born 26 November 1982), known professionally as Don Jazzy, is a Nigerian record producer. He is the founder and the CEO of Mavin Records. Don Jazzy was co-owner of the now-defunct Mo' Hits Records record label with D'b ...

, Jay Sleek and Dee Vee. It features guest appearances from

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...

Big Sean Sean Michael Leonard Anderson (born March 25, 1988), known professionally as Big Sean, is an American rapper. Anderson began his music career in 2007 and gained popularity in 2010 with his third mixtape '' Finally Famous Vol. 3: Big''. He then s ...

Snoop Lion Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. (born October 20, 1971), known professionally as Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg and briefly Snoop Lion), is an American rapper. His fame dates back to 1992 when he featured on Dr. Dre's debut solo single, ...

Fally Ipupa Fally Ipupa N'simba (born December 14, 1977), known by his stage name Fally Ipupa, is a Congolese singer-songwriter, dancer, philanthropist, guitarist and producer. From 1999 until 2006, he was a member of Quartier Latin International, the music ...

Durella Durella or Durello is a white Italian wine grape variety originating from the Veneto wine region of northeast Italy. Today it is sparsely cultivated, though some producers like to experiment with it since its high acid levels makes it suitable ...

, Olamide,

Ikechukwu Ikechukwu Onunaku, known professionally as Ikechukwu and Killz is a Nigerian singer, rapper, and actor. He was a cast member in '' The Wedding Party'' and '' The Wedding Party 2: Destination Dubai''. Onunaku was born in Manassas, Virginia to Ni ...

and

Naeto C Naetochukwu Chikwe, stage name Naeto C, is a Nigerian rapper, Afrobeat artist and record producer. Early life He was born in Houston, Texas and is of Nigerian origin. The Governor of Imo State, Emeka Ihedioha appointed Naeto C, as his Speci ...

. ''D'Kings Men'' produced eleven singles—"

Oliver Twist ''Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy's Progress'', Charles Dickens's second novel, was published as a serial from 1837 to 1839, and as a three-volume book in 1838. Born in a workhouse, the orphan Oliver Twist is bound into apprenticeship with ...

", "Sister Caro", " Oyato", "Bachelor", " Top of the World", "Cashflow", " Don't Tell Me Nonsense", "For Example", "

Finally Finally may refer to: Albums * ''Finally'' (Namie Amuro album) (2017) * ''Finally'' (Blackstreet album) or its title song * ''Finally'' (Sean Ensign album) or its title song "It's My Life (Finally)" * ''Finally'' (Layzie Bone & A.K. album) ...

", "Why You Love Me" and "Obimo (My Heart)". It received mixed reviews from music critics, who panned its lyrics and sound.

Background and release

D'banj Oladapo Daniel Oyebanjo (born 9 June 1980), better known by his stage name D'banj, is a Nigerian singer and rapper and the founder of Mo' Hits Records with producer Don Jazzy. He has won several music awards, including the awards for ''Best Af ...

founded the DB Records label and started working on the album prior to splitting with his longtime business partner

. Since the label's inception, multiple acts have signed to the label including Kayswitch, J.Sol, Jay Sleek, Durella and Dee Vee. In an interview with Seun Apara, D'banj gave an exclusive insight into the album. He said the record "has a compilation of songs and sounds done by DB records artistes comprising myself, Kay Switch and J.Sol." D'banj also said Don Jazzy produced four songs on the album. In an attempt to suppress piracy, the album was delivered to customers who pre-ordered it from D'banj's official website. It was also made available for purchase at all GT Bank offices in Nigeria. ''D'Kings Men'' was made available for purchase on

iTunes iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...

a day after the DKM concert. Headlined by D'banj and

2 Chainz Tauheed K. Epps (born September 12, 1977), known professionally as 2 Chainz (or Tity Boi), is an American rapper. Born and raised in College Park, Georgia, he initially gained recognition as one-half of the Southern hip hop duo Playaz Circle, al ...

, the DKM concert was held at the

Eko Hotels and Suites Eko Hotels and Suites is a five-star conference centre hotel in Lagos. 09161518010 History Established in 1977 as ''Èkó Holiday Inn'' and built on Victoria Island, it is the largest hotel in Nigeria. It was designed by architect Oluwole Olumu ...

on June 23, 2013. It featured additional performances from Kay Switch,

Phyno Chibuzor Nelson Azubuike (born 9 October 1986), populary known as Phyno Fino, is a Nigerian rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer. He started his music career as a producer in 2003, and is renowned for rapping in the Igbo language. His ...

, Olamide,

Mafikizolo Mafikizolo is a South African Afro-pop music duo formed in 1996, consisting of composer Theo Kgosinkwe and lead singer Nhlanhla Nciza. The duo rose to fame after they released their singles "Ndihamba Nawe kuphela", "Kwela Kwela", "Sibongile", "U ...

, and

. Guest in attendance included

Ayo Makun Ayodeji Richard Makun, also known by his stage name A.Y, is a Nigerian actor, comedian, radio and TV presenter, writer, producer and film director. Born on 19 August 1971, he hails from Ifon, Ose local government in Ondo State. He is the host ...

Kenya Moore Kenya Summer Moore (born January 24, 1971) is an American actress, model, producer, author, television personality, and entrepreneur. She is best known for winning the Miss USA pageant in 1993 and being a main cast member on Bravo's reality seri ...

Toolz Tolu Oniru, popularly known as Toolz, is a Nigerian radio personality, talk show host, and presenter. She is best known for hosting ''The Midday Show'' on The Beat 99.9 FM. Early life Toolz was born in London on 6 July 1983. She had her primary ...

Lynxxx Chukie Edozien (born November 24, 1983), better known by his stage name Lynxxx, is a Nigerian hip-hop recording artist and entrepreneur. In 2010 he released his debut studio album ''This is Lynxxx'' and went on to become the first Nigerian arti ...

Efya Jane Awindor (born April 10, 1987), better known by her stage name Efya, is a Ghanaian singer, songwriter, and actress from Kumasi. She is the daughter of Nana Adwoa Awindor, a filmmaker and celebrity host of the late television show ''Greetings ...

, Fade Ogunro,

Timaya Inetimi Timaya Odon (born 15 August 1980), better known by his stage name Timaya, is a multiple award-winning Nigerian singer and songwriter. He hails from Odi, Bayelsa state, South-South Nigeria. He is fondly called the Egberi Papa 1 of Bayels ...

Juliet Ibrahim Juliet Ibrahim is a Ghanaian actress, film producer and singer of Lebanese, Ghanaian and Liberian descent. She won the Best Actress in a Leading Role award at the 2010 Ghana Movie Awards for her role in '' 4 Play''. She has been referred to as ...

, Gbemi Olateru-Olagbegi and

Susan Peters Susan Peters (born Suzanne Carnahan; July 3, 1921 – October 23, 1952) was an American actress who appeared in over twenty films over the course of her decade-long career. Though she began her career in uncredited and ingénue roles, she woul ...

Singles

The album's lead single "

" was released on May 11, 2012. The music video for the song was directed by

Sesan Ogunro Sesan Ogunro (born 11 January 1983) is a Nigerian music video director based in the United Kingdom, often credited for his work as Sesan. He has directed music videos for Afrobeats genre artists such as D'Banj, Wizkid, Tiwa Savage and Davido. ...

and features cameo appearances from

Pusha T Terrence LeVarr Thornton (born May 13, 1977), better known by his stage name Pusha T, is an American rapper, songwriter and record executive. He rose to prominence as one-half of the hip hop duo Clipse, which was mainly active from 1994 to 20 ...

, and

Manny Fresh Byron Otto Thomas (born March 20, 1969), better known by his stage name Mannie Fresh, is an American music producer and rapper. He's best known for his productions on Cash Money Records releases, as well being half of the hip hop duo (alongside ...

. The D'banj-assisted track "Sister Caro" was released as the album's second single on June 9, 2012. The song's music video was shot in Lagos, Nigeria. The album's third single " Oyato" was released on July 14, 2012. It serves as D'banj's first official single in the post- Mo'Hits era. "Bachelor" was released as the album's fourth single on November 10, 2012. The song's accompanying music video was also directed by Sesan in Atlanta, Georgia. The album's fifth single " Top of the World" was released on December 13, 2012. It was the official SuperSport anthem for the 2013 African Nations Cup. The music video for "Top of the World" was shot in South Africa. In the video, D’banj can be seen singing into a forest of mics while performing alongside a dreadlocked guitarist and rock drummer. On December 21, 2012, The Kayswitch-assisted track "Cashflow" was released as the album's sixth single. The music video for "Cashflow" was also directed by Sesan. The album's seventh single " Don't Tell Me Nonsense" was released March 30, 2013. The song's accompanying music video was shot in Lagos by Matt Max and features helicopters, smoke bombs and an army of dancers. "For Example" was released as the album's eighth single on March 30, 2013. The music video for the song was shot and directed by Matt Max in Mende Village, Lagos. Nigerian singer Durella made a cameo appearance in the video. The album's ninth single "Why You Love Me" was released on April 21, 2013. Its music video was directed by Godfather Productions and uploaded to YouTube on December 13, 2013. "

" was released as the album's tenth single on June 20, 2013. The accompanying music video for "Finally" was shot and directed in London by Sesan; it features cameo appearances from

Wizkid Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun (born 16 July 1990), known professionally as Wizkid, is a Nigerian singer and songwriter. A prominent figure in the modern-day Afrobeats music scene, Wizkid is regarded as one of the biggest and most influential Afri ...

and the

CEO Dancers Dancer Soliat Bada appearing on NdaniTV in 2018 The CEO Dancers is a London-based trio of female dancers and choreographers who rose to recognition following their performance at '' Britain's Got Talent 2013'' which saw them reach the semi-final ...

. The wedding anthem "Obimo" was released as the album's eleventh single on November 20, 2013. Its music video was directed by Patrick Elis.

Critical reception

''D'Kings Men'' received mixed reviews from music critics.

Jon Caramanica Jon Caramanica (born 1975) is an American journalist and pop music critic who writes for ''The New York Times''. He is also known for writing about hip hop music. Biography Born in Brooklyn, New York (state), New York, Caramanica received his ba ...

of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' described the album as "an alluring contemporary pop album with an emphasis on king-size dance music." Reviewing for ''

Nigerian Entertainment Today The Netng (Nigerian Entertainment Today) also known as ''NET'' is an online entertainment news organisation based in Lagos, Nigeria. It is a leading source of African entertainment, fashion and lifestyle news. Netng formed part of NET Newspaper ...

'', Ayomide Tayo awarded the album 3.5 stars out of 5, acknowledging its inclusion of "strong pop songs hinged on D'banj's infectious personality and amazing instrumentals." Ogaga Sakapide of

TooXclusive tooXclusive is a Nigerian music and review website. Launched in 2010 by Olutayo "Tyler" Duncan Sotubo. This website is notable for organizing its yearly tooXclusive Online Music Awards. They pride their establishment as the number one source f ...

gave the album 3 stars out of 5, saying it "dives into the usual subjects of partying, love, wealth, fame and success". A writer for Tayo TV granted the album 6.7 stars out of 10, calling it "average" at best.

Track listing

Personnel

*Dapo Daniel Oyebanjo – primary artist *Kehinde Oladotun Oyebanjo – primary artist *Jason Lopez – primary artist *Olamide Adedeji – featured artist *luwadamilare Kulaja – featured artist *Kanye Omari West – featured artist *Sean Michael Anderson – featured artist *Calvin Cordozar Broadus, Jr – featured artist *Faustin Ipupa N'Simba – featured artist *Ikechuckwu – featured artist *Michael Collins Ajereh – producer *Jay Sleek – producer *Dee Vee – producer *Classy Menace – producer

Release history

References

{{D'banj 2013 compilation albums D'banj albums Albums produced by Don Jazzy Yoruba-language albums Albums produced by Jay Sleek