Bobai Balat, also known by his stage name Bally B., is a Nigerian disc jockey, record producer, voiceover artist, and reality television personality. He gained popularity as one of the housemates of the Big Brother Naija 2017 reality game show; a localised franchise of the Dutch game show. Among other jobs, he has worked as a school teacher in

Lagos Lagos (Nigerian English: ; ) is the largest city in Nigeria and the List of cities in Africa by population, second most populous city in Africa, with a population of 15.4 million as of 2015 within the city proper. Lagos was the national ca ...

as well as a Statistician for the Federal Government. He is a

baritone A baritone is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the bass and the tenor voice-types. The term originates from the Greek (), meaning "heavy sounding". Composers typically write music for this voice in the r ...

, known as Baritone Bally in the show. In 2015, Balat created an Afro infused electronic bootleg remix to

Rihanna Robyn Rihanna Fenty ( ; born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, actress, and businesswoman. Born in Saint Michael and raised in Bridgetown, Barbados, Rihanna auditioned for American record producer Evan Rogers who invited her to the ...

's hit song

FourFiveSeconds "FourFiveSeconds" is a song recorded by Barbadian singer Rihanna, American rapper Kanye West, and English musician Paul McCartney. It was written and produced by McCartney, Kanye West, Mike Dean, Dave Longstreth and Noah Goldstein with additiona ...

, which brought industry recognition and led to a mash-up segment on

city radio station; The Beat 99.9 FM.

Early life and career

Growing up in a household with 3 music-loving elder siblings played a huge role in crafting his music passion and style. He spent most of his adolescence years in Kaduna before moving to Nigeria's capital,

Abuja Abuja () is the capital and eighth most populous city of Nigeria. Situated at the centre of the country within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), it is a planned city built mainly in the 1980s based on a master plan by International Plann ...

at the age of 10 where he had his secondary education at Loyola Jesuit College. He started his university education at University in 2006 studying there for two years before transferring to the American University of Nigeria for personal reasons. However, it was while still at Purdue University that Bally's love for music production and disc jockey began after befriending a fellow Nigerian

rapper Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

at his school. His rapper friend introduced him to the popular production software;

FL Studio FL Studio (previously known as FruityLoops before 2003) is a digital audio workstation (DAW) developed by the Belgian company Image-Line. FL Studio features a graphical user interface with a pattern-based music sequencer. The program is avail ...

also known as Fruity Loops which Bally got really fond of and started trying his hand at music production. He then also decided to volunteer to disc jockey at different recreational spots in and around the Chicago area. This helped him hone his craft as a disc jockey as well as increase his confidence behind the turntables. After moving to the

American University of Nigeria American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

, Bally decided to take his passion for music even further becoming the popular go-to DJ not only within the University but also around town. He also was the only one with a music studio in his dorm in school therefore monopolising all music production and engineering done by students in campus at the same time raising capital to enable him buy more equipment. Having grown up on his elder siblings diverse record collection, from soulful 80s/90s Hip Hop & RnB to the higher tempo rhythmic progressions of Makossa, all infused with his own personal affinity for the more electronic synth sounds coming out of Europe at the time, Bally ended up with quite a mixed spectrum of musical influence. Today this translates into sets where he picks apart and infuses together all the pieces of this music that he loves best, transitioning seamlessly between genres, Late contemporary

Afrobeats Afrobeats (not to be confused with Afrobeat or Afroswing), or Afro-pop or Afro-fusion (or Afropop or Afrofusion), is an umbrella term to describe popular music from West Africa and the diaspora that initially developed in Nigeria, Ghana, and ...

to electronic dance music, hip-hop, trap.

Music career

During his rise to fame, Balat got affiliated with a major record label in the

Nigerian Nigerians or the Nigerian people are citizens of Nigeria or people with ancestry from Nigeria. The name Nigeria was taken from the Niger River running through the country. This name was allegedly coined in the late 19th century by British jour ...

music industry; Aristokrat Records, the label responsible for bringing talented musician,

Burna Boy Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu (born 2 July 1991), known professionally as Burna Boy, is a Nigerian singer, songwriter and record producer. He rose to stardom in 2012 after releasing "Like to Party", the lead single from his debut studio album, '' L.I ...

to the limelight. Together, Balat and the label were able to produce some of the best Afro infused remixes and mash-ups to popular international hits around. He has officially released one single called "Ali" in (2015) featuring then label mate MoJeed and popular Abuja based

Sute. Bally is the genesis of a new breed of DJs coming out of Africa. A remarkable mixologist, he delves heavily in the production and engineering of mash-ups, remixes and original tracks mostly in the

EDM EDM or E-DM may refer to: Music * Electronic dance music * Early Day Miners, American band Science and technology * Electric dipole moment * Electrical discharge machining * Electronic distance measurement *Entry, Descent, and landing demonstrat ...

genre.

DJ/Production career

Bally began his musical journey while still in high school, creating

playlists A playlist is a list of video or audio files that can be played back on a media player either sequentially or in a shuffled order. In its most general form, an audio playlist is simply a list of songs, but sometimes a loop. The term has sever ...

and arranging music for all major social events and parties. He however, bought his first set of turntables and began active disc jockey while at Purdue University. Along with his housemates, he became widely popular for organising parties all around campus as disc jockey for an eclectic mix of students with varying musical tastes. Since then he has held a number of club residencies around the world. A founding DJ of the Grotto Fashion Club in

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

he progressed to a resident stint at the Gatecrasher club in

Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east ...

, while still touring the better part of the UK playing various gigs. He has also been called upon to play alongside some of the biggest names in

music today. Over the last couple of years he has been honing his craft as a record producer, putting out a long array of music projects along the way. His goal has been to spearhead the

movement in Africa while at the same time doing his part in spreading the

gospel Gospel originally meant the Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words an ...

of Afrobeats music to the rest of the world. Therefore, his mash-ups and remixes infuse both contemporary African rhythms and vocals with the piercing synth sounds of electronic dance music giving birth to a completely new refreshing high. His productions however, though geared towards certain genres still remain highly experimental, reminiscent of early Diplo. His mash-up series "Mash-Up Mondays" where he releases a brand new mash-up every Monday is currently hosted on The Beat 99.9 FM radio station during the Morning Rush show.

Acting

Bally delved into music and film almost at the same time while in secondary school and took part in various plays and dramas around campus. After completing his tertiary education he came back to

and enrolled at the Royal Arts Academy,

Surulere Surulere is a residential and commercial Local Government Areas of Nigeria, Local Government Area located on the mainland of Lagos in Lagos State, Nigeria, with an area of . At the last census in the year 2006, there were 503,975 inhabitants, wi ...

, to attain formal training in Acting for both stage and film. With a series of short films under his belt including ''The Art of Deceit'' by Cynthia Toyo (2008), ''Baby Mama'' by Kudus and a few TV appearances guest-hosting ''The Late Show'' on COOL TV.

Big Brother Naija

In 2017, he went in as one of an eventual 14 housemates on the second season of the popular reality game show Big Brother Naija 2017 (formerly known as Big Brother Nigeria) finishing as the 5th runner-up. The show's high ratings and overwhelming popularity sprung Bally along with his other contesting

housemates A roommate is a person with whom one shares a living facility such as a room or dormitory ''except'' when being family or romantically involved. Similar terms include dormmate, suitemate, housemate, or flatmate ("flat": the usual term in Briti ...

into instant stardom, becoming

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& real media heavyweights. The show also enabled him discover a fresh talent he never knew he had; his Husky Baritone Voice. His voice along with his trademark eyes and good looks got female audiences salivating. After a good run of surviving 9 weeks without ever being up for nomination he was eventually evicted in week 10 just one week shy of the grand finale.

Bally Rally Movement

The Bally Rally Movement began in 2017 while Bally was still in the Big Brother House. It was the name coined by his fans to signify their support and movement behind him. However, after he was eventually evicted from the house he came out to join the

campaign Campaign or The Campaign may refer to: Types of campaigns * Campaign, in agriculture, the period during which sugar beets are harvested and processed *Advertising campaign, a series of advertisement messages that share a single idea and theme * Bl ...

revamping it into a social cause to promote peace and youth empowerment through music. The Bally Rally movement has since then been partitioned into two initiatives; "Bally Rally Out reach" and "Bally Rally Party". These two initiatives play out at various cities around the nation within 2 days. The Bally Rally Outreach comprises charity themed excursions to areas and institutions of lower social privilege such as

Orphanage An orphanage is a Residential education, residential institution, total institution or group home, devoted to the Childcare, care of orphans and children who, for various reasons, cannot be cared for by their biological families. The parent ...

homes and IDP camps to provide aid and support as a way of giving back to society. The Bally Rally Party on the other hand occurs on the next day, which encompasses a mini carnival, & music concert featuring numerous games, food, drinks, merchandise sales and musical performances from artists and DJs alike.

Discography

Mixes

* Dinner & Dessert (2015) * Bally's Classic Hit-List Vol. 1 (2015) * Ballystic Radio (The Prequel 1 & 2) (2014–2011) * Ultimate Party Mix (2011) * TGIF Naija Edition (2011) * Sex Music Vol. 1 & 2 (2011/2012)

Official Remixes

* Bigger Better Best (Bally Twerk Remix) Pucado (2014) * For Me (Bally Dance Remix) Tolumide (2012)

Bootleg (Unofficial) Remixes

* Earned It (Afrotronic Remix) The Weekend (2015) * FourFiveSeconds (Afrotronic Remix) Rihanna (2015) * Call Me Maybe (Afrobeat Remix) Carly Rae Jepsen (2012)

MashUps

MashUp Mondays on the Beat 99.9fm (2014–present) * My Moment (Bally Trippy MashUp) * Pray To God (Bally Hideaway MashUp) * Hell of a Night (Bally Spin MashUp) * Shake Body (Bally U & Me MashUp) * Skibo (Bally Shake MashUp) * Johnny (Bally Sexy Waist MashUp) * The Kick (Bally Epic MashUp) * Personally (Bally Payback MashUp) * Youngi Olowo (Bally Bounce MashUp) * Why You Love Me (Bally Blow MashUp)

Original Tracks

* Ali ft. MoJeed & Sute (2015)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bally, DJ British DJs Living people Nigerian DJs Year of birth missing (living people) Place of birth missing (living people) Nigerian record producers Nigerian television personalities People from Kaduna State Afrobeats musicians Atyap people People from Southern Kaduna