Daddy Showkey Once Ruled The Air With His 'Diana' Song

Ajegunle or AJ City as it is famously referred to, has been home to a number of stars, most notably, John Odafe Asiemo, better known as Daddy Showkey. Not only was he about the most successful act to come out of AJ City, he helped set the pace for other acts to follow whilst putting his sprawling neighbourhood on the map.

Growing up in Ajegunle, amidst poverty and turmoil, he discovered his passion at a tender age especially as his father was a show promoter. He began entertaining people before his father’s death when he was nine, starting out as an acrobat, then came boxing, acting, comedy, dancing, and finally, singing. Following his father’s death, his mother and grandmother struggled to raise him and his siblings. At 11 years old, he left home and took to the streets to live with his friends, all living from hand to mouth, although at some point, he did work as a bus conductor. While in Dr. Lucas Memorial Grammar School, Kirikiri Town, Lagos, he was involved in boxing and had the opportunity to represent his school at various competitions, winning laurels in the process. In the early 80s, he was given an opportunity to perform as an acrobat on the now rested NTA TV series, The New Village Headmaster.

His real musical journey began in 1990 with Pretty Busy Boys, a group which comprised of himself, Daddy Fresh, Cashman Davies and Sexy Pretty, which sparked the beginning of a musical revolution with their debut album “ but the group split shortly after.

In 1992, unsure of a career in music, he joined the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) Kaduna, where he spent a year and six months but left when ex-band mate, Daddy Fresh wrote a letter saying he wanted them to do a song together called “Follow Me“. The track was a hit. In 1994, the Delta State indigene, dropped his solo debut effort titled “”. The album spawned many hits, brought him fame and wealth and also provided a ray of hope for a number of Ajegunle youth to pursue their musical dreams. The song and tune of his popular hit track “Welcome” announced his arrival and the success brought many concerts and tours.

In 1999, he dropped “ which earned him countless awards and laurels. The biggest reason for this was his juggernaut hit “Diana” which everyone fell in love with. As the years went by, he clinched product endorsement deals such as Lotto Nigeria and Globacom.

Daddy Showkey aka “Galala King” was the first artist to start the Nigerian Dancehall style. Instead of using the Jamaican patois, Daddy Showkey decided to use pidgin English for his music and invented a dance style that changed the Nigerian dancehall scene. “Galala” became one of the most popular dances not only in his home country. Showkey is an outstanding stage performer and turned into a role model for all recognized Nigerian artists.

Besides his musical talents, he has always been at the forefront of the struggle for better living for Ajegunle residents. He exhibited this by leading a peaceful protest march to the then National Electric Power Authority (NEPA) office to draw attention to the lack of electricity supply for nine months. The move paid off and electricity was restored. As a result of his hood’s love for him, he was conferred with the title of “Aare Onifaji of Ajegunle” which means the king of enjoyment. He also established a scholarship scheme for Ajegunle children.

Daddy Showkey dropped a new album called “” in 2007 under Ojez Music with a number of songs produced by OJB Jezreel. It didn’t do so well. Word is that he’s in the studio working on a new album to be titled “Let’s hope this time we can clear road for jagajaga. EJO!

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