The spotlight in Nigeria’s music industry is a slippery thing. One day, you’re shutting down stadiums, topping radio charts, and having your songs blasted from every bus in Lagos. Next thing you know, a new wave of musicians has taken over, and people are asking, “Wait… whatever happened to that guy?”
The truth is, the industry moves at breakneck speed. Not everyone gets to pull a 2Baba, Wizkid, or Burna Boy longevity run. Some artists who once defined whole eras have quietly stepped away from the spotlight.
But stepping away doesn’t always mean falling off. Some of these stars have found new lanes in business, tech, gospel, film and even behind-the-scenes roles shaping the industry they once ruled.
Here are 10 Nigerian musicians, who once had the spotlight and where they are now.
1. African China
Real name: Chinagorom Onuoha
Used to: Make socially-conscious music
Now: Owns a salon business in Festac
The name African China isn’t strange to those familiar with the Nigerian music of the early 2000s. He gained popularity as a socially conscious musician back then. From blasting the corrupt system to sensitising the masses about the government’s false promises in songs like “Mr. President” and “Crisis,” African China made music that was accessible to everyman. Around the mid-2010s, he moved away from the spotlight and released music sparingly.
As of 2016, he ran Chyna Town Unisex Beauty Salon in Festac, Lagos.
2. Banky W
Real name: Bankole Wellington
Used to: Make pop jams and run a record label
Now: An actor and politician
Banky W owned the 2010s with hits like “Lagos Party” and “Strong Ting” and established his name as a strong music business entrepreneur, signing pop stars like Wizkid and Skales to his co-founded Empire Mates Entertainment music label. By the end of the 2010s, he gravitated towards Nollywood upon graduating from the New York Film Academy (NYFA) and featured in movies like The Wedding Party (2016), Up North (2018), Sugar Rush (2019), etc.
In 2021, he moved to the U.S. with his family for his Master’s degree in policy management at Georgetown University. He also became involved in Nigerian politics and contested for the House of Representatives seat in 2023, though he lost. Since then, Banky W has served as a Fellow on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C and earned his Master’s degree this year.
3. Darey Art Alade
Real name: Oluwadamilare Alade
Used to: Make love tunes
Now: Creative director at LiveSpot360
For some, Darey’s classic “Not the Girl” puts him among Nigeria’s most distinctive R&B voices. For others, his jam “Ba Ni Kidi” identifies him as an early Nigerian artist experimenting with electronic dance music.
These days, he does a lot of work behind the scenes in the entertainment industry.
With his wife, Deola Art Alade, he has been busy building LiveSpot360, the production company behind the Showmax hit reality show, The Real Housewives of Lagos.
4. eLDee the Don
Real name: Lanre Dabiri
Used to: Make the coolest rap bops
Now: A US-based tech bro and real estate investor
At the peak of his music career, eLDee was an A-list rapper, responsible for hits like “One Day” and “Bosi Gbangba.”
He also started Playdata, a digital music management company. It became Nigeria’s first original airplay tracking platform to monitor song plays and fan engagement.
But later, he relocated to the US, where he worked in tech. He is also now an investor in real estate.
5. Jahbless
Real name: Owoloye Oluwabukunmi Olatunde
Used to: Make club-banging rap songs
Now: A podcaster
Jahbless is a veteran Nigerian rapper who was formerly signed to ID Cabasa’s Coded Tunes label. His hits include “Joor Oh (Remix)” with rappers eLDee, Ice Prince, Reminisce, and Durella, and “69 Missed Call” with Olamide, Lil Kesh, CDQ, Chinko Ekun, and Reminisce.
As the 2010s packed up, we saw less of Jahbless in the music space and more of him on Instagram, globe-trotting.
In 2021, he returned to the media space as a podcaster, hosting a self-owned Jahbless Original Intelligence (JOI) show. Since then, the podcast show has been running.
6. General Pype
Real name: Olayiwola Ibrahim Majekodunmi
Used to: Make fresh reggae-fusion songs
Now: A set designer
General Pype was one of the Nigerian reggae-fusion talents of the 2000s. He reigned with singles like “Give It To Me”, “All the Living”, “Champion” and its remix. He’s also credited for writing Davido’s “Gbagbe Oshi” hit (2016).
In 2018, he took a self-imposed music hiatus to take care of his family and diversify his portfolio. He relocated to the US, where he held his first 9-5 job since he started making music as a teenager in Nigeria.
He also pursued a degree in set design at Georgia Film Academy in the United States. This has worked out for him, as he has worked as a set designer on Hollywood movies such as Black Panther (2018) and Samaritan (2022).
7. Pepenazi
Real name: Opeyemi Gbenga Kayode
Used to: Make club bangers
Now: He’s a gospel preacher
Before Pepenazi travelled and relocated to the UK, he made records that dominated the streets and clubs. Songs like “One for the Road” (2018), “Illegal” featuring Olamide (2019) and “I Ain’t Gat No Time” (2019), which birthed several remix versions, sealed his status as a star.
Sometime in 2022, he made a radical change when he posted a video on his Instagram account, preaching the gospel of Christ. Pepenazi is a preacher at the church, Across the Atlantic Ministry.
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8. Sasha P
Real name: Anthonia Yetunde Alabi
Used to: Make rap music
Now: A fashion entrepreneur and event planner
Sasha P is among the most respected Nigerian rappers. She’s an artist who has accomplished many “firsts,” such as performing at the World Music Award in 2008, winning the Best Female Artist award at the Women in Entertainment Awards in the UK in 2009, and winning the MTV Music Award for Best Female Act in 2010.
By mid-2015, Sasha had actively stopped making music and focused on the business and executive side of it. Her pursuit of other creative endeavours led her to found a fashion company called Electric by Sasha. She also owns an event and touring company called Purple Fire Entertainment, which has been actively focused on artists and music education.
9. Sheyman
Real name: Oluseyi Ademoye
Used to: Make music and mix songs
Now: Runs a nightclub and restaurants
Sheyman found success in music as a singer-songwriter, recording hits like “Hotter Than Fire (Kondo),” “Paper,” and “Paper (Remix)” featuring Davido. Then, he had bigger success as a sound engineer who mixed and mastered for nearly all the Afrobeats heavy hitters between 2015 and 2019.
He went quiet for a bit and returned to venture into the nightlife business in 2020. Now, Sheyman runs a popular Lagos nightclub called Secrets Palace, a fine dining service called The Glass House Lagos and Folix Bukka.
10. Weird MC
Real name: Adesina Adesimbo Idowu
Used to: Make cool rap songs
Now: An OG designing streetwear and preaching Christ
When Weird MC burst onto the scene, she did it with bold defiance. She shaved her head, wore oversized streetwear, and had an instantly unforgettable style. In 1996, she dropped “Allen Avenue.” She clinched the first AMEN Award for Best Hip-Hop Album with Simply Weird a year later. By 2005, she was breaking ground again as the first Afrobeats artist to release an animated music video with “Ijoya.”
Although Weird MC isn’t as popular as she used to be during the “Ijoya” years, she channelled her creative energy into designing her streetwear brand called Peculiar Wears.
