Rotimi Alakija (born 16 October 1980), better known as DJ Xclusive, is a

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 ...

disc jockey, record producer and recording artist.

Early life

Rotimi Alakija was born in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

to Nigerian parents. At an early age, he moved back to

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 ...

to pursue a high school education at King's College, Lagos. Rotimi Alakija moved back to the UK to study Physics and Computer Science at

Reading University The University of Reading is a public university in Reading, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1892 as University College, Reading, a University of Oxford extension college. The institution received the power to grant its own degrees in 192 ...

, where he earned a Bachelor's degree. He later studied Financial Computing at

Brunel University London Brunel University London is a public research university located in the Uxbridge area of London, England. It was founded in 1966 and named after the Victorian engineer and pioneer of the Industrial Revolution, Isambard Kingdom Brunel. In June 1 ...

Career

DJ Xclusive started his professional disc jockey career in 2003 by performing at various night clubs, including Aura Mayfair, Penthouse, Funky Buddha and Jalouse. During the course of his career, DJ Xclusive has performed with acts like

Ne-Yo Shaffer Chimere Smith (born October 18, 1979), known professionally as Ne-Yo, is an American singer, songwriter, actor, dancer, and record producer. He gained fame for his songwriting abilities when he penned Mario's 2004 hit " Let Me Love You ...

, Rihanna,

Mario Winans Mario Mendell Winans ( Brown; born August 29, 1974) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer best known for his 2004 song " I Don't Wanna Know", which reached number 2 in the United States and number 1 in the United Kingdom. Wina ...

Brick and Lace Brick & Lace are a Jamaican-American dancehall/R&B (or reggae fusion) musical duo consisting of sisters Nyanda and Nailah Thorbourne. According to ''Billboard'', their name reflects the tough and the soft sides of femininity. Brick & Lace o ...

, Nas and Fat Joe. At the 2010 edition of the

Nigeria Entertainment Awards The Nigerian Entertainment Awards were established in New York City in January 2006. The awards recognize the contributions of African entertainers with a special focus on Nigerians. Ceremonies * 2006 Nigeria Entertainment Awards * 2007 Nigeria ...

, held in the United States, DJ Xclusive won World Best DJ. He was nominated for Best DJ at the 2011 edition of the BEFFTA Awards. He was also featured at the 2013 '' Big Brother'' House Party. In 2011, DJ Xclusive became the resident DJ for CoolFM 96.9 and also joined

Empire Mates Entertainment Empire Mates Entertainment (abbreviated as E.M.E) is a Nigerian record label founded by Banky W and Tunde Demuren in 2002. It was home to recording artists such as Wellington himself and Niyola. DJ Xclusive was the label's official DJ. Wizkid, Sk ...

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 ...

's official DJ. DJ Xclusive released a single "I'm Xclusive" alongside UK-Nigerian artist Mo Eazy.

Personal life

Dj Xclusive married Tinuke Ogundero in 2015. He is also the nephew of Nigerian billionaire Folorunsho Alakija.

Discography

Singles

*"Pangolo" (featuring

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 ...

) *"Ibebe" (featuring Olamide) (2013) *"Gal bad" (featuring

D'Prince Charles Enebeli (born 23 October 1986), better known by his stage name D'Prince, is a Nigerian Afropop singer. He is the founder and the CEO of Jonzing World, an entertainment company he founded in 2019. Early life Charles Enebeli was born in ...

and

) (2014) *"Jeje" (featuring Wizkid (2014) *"Fatasi" (featuring Terry G) (2014) *"Tonight" (featuring

Banky W Olubankole Wellington (born 27 March 1981), popularly known by his stage name Banky W and credited in film as Banky Wellington, is a Nigerian singer, rapper, actor, entrepreneur and politician. Early life Olubankole Wellington was born in the ...

and Niyola) (2014) *"Shaba" (featuring

Kcee KCEE is a commercial radio station located in Tucson, Arizona, broadcasting on 690 AM. KCEE airs a Christian format and is owned by Calvary Chapel of Tucson, Inc. KCEE's programming is also heard on KAIC (88.9 FM), a station nominally licens ...

and

Patoranking Patrick Nnaemeka Okorie (born 27 May, 1990), better known by his stage name Patoranking, is a Nigerian reggae-dancehall singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Ijegun-Egba Satellite Town, Patoranking hails from Onicha, Ebonyi State. He starte ...

) (2014) *"Dami Si" (featuring Lil Kesh and CDQ) (2015) *"Oyoyo" (featuring

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. ...

) (2016) *"Sharwama" (featuring Masterkraft) (2016) * "Pose" (featuring

Tiwa Savage Tiwa Savage (born 5 February 1980) is a Nigerian singer-songwriter and performing artist. Born in Isale Eko, she relocated to London at the age of 11 for her secondary education. Five years later, she began her music career doing backup voc ...

)(2017) * Gbomo Gbomo (featuring Zlatan Ibile)(2019) *"Mad O" (2020) *"Buga" (featuring T-Classic) (2020) *"Sweet 16" (featuring Soft)) (2020) *"Pariwo" (featuring Dotman)(2020)

Videography

Compilation albums

* ''

Empire Mates State of Mind ''Empire Mates State of Mind'' is a compilation album by musicians of Nigerian record label Empire Mates Entertainment (E.M.E). It was released by the label on 18 June 2012. The album's production was handled by Legendury Beatz, Sarz, Masterkra ...

'' (2012) * ''According To X'' (2015)

References

External links

The official Dj Xclusive website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Xclusive, DJ 1980 births 21st-century British musicians Alakija family Alumni of Brunel University London Alumni of the University of Reading Black British DJs English people of Nigerian descent English people of Yoruba descent King's College, Lagos alumni Living people Nigerian hip hop DJs Yoruba musicians Yoruba-language singers