Bolaji Odojuken (Born on the 22nd of April, 1994), popularly known by his stage name, BOJ is an British-Nigerian singer, Songwriter and record producer. He has been in the Alternative (in short, Alte) And Afropop Music industry since 2007 and so far, has made an impact in the Afrobeat Music industry as a whole, though not that much, but he is well known by Alternative Music Lovers (matter of fact, the genre Alte, was coined by he and his friends known as the DRB LASGIDI). In this blog post, we will take a look at the biography of BOJ, his Musical Career, Albums and more.
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BOJ BIOGRAPHY
EARLY LIFE
Bolaji Odojuken was born on the 22nd of April, 1994 in London, England, to Nigerian Parents. He grew up living in both the UK and Nigeria. He had a Music filled childhood while growing up since his parents allowed him to listen to songs from popular Musicians like Lauryn Hill, Lagbaja, Wyclef Jean and many more, who where BOJ' role models and Music influencers, while growing up.
He attended Malvern College in Worcestershire, England for his early school days and studied Business Management and Audio Engineering in University (no wonder he became a record producer also later in life). We now move to his career as a Musician.
MUSIC CAREER
DRB LASGIDI
Well, BOJ is popularly known for been part of the Popular Alte Music Trio Group called DRB LASGIDI (pronounced as "Dr. B Las-Gidi). He Joined and co-founded the group which housed his two friends, Teezee and Fresh L. The group do Music together as a group and disband when they go solo and also feature themselves. But, DRB LASGIDI will be another Article on it's own.
BOJ's solo career took flight with the release of his debut single, "Bolaji" followed by his critically acclaimed mixtape, "BOTM" (Bolaji To The Microphone) which was released on the 14th December, 2014. The single Bolaji To The Microphone won the Best Alternative Song at the Ninth edition of the Headies Awards. His ability to seamlessly fuse elements of Afrobeat, R&B and Rap was what made him gain recognition as a promising Alte Artist. BOJ's collaboration with other prominent Afrobeat and Alte Artists including the likes of Skepta, Wizkid, Ajebutter22 and many more, further cemented his name in the Alte Genre of Music.
BOJ later went on to sign a record label deal with HF Music and released his debut Album, titled"Magic" on the 13th of October, 2017, under the Record Label. BOJ also released two collaborative EPs with Ajebutter22, The First been "Make E No Cause Fight" in 2018 with Ajebutter22 and "Make E No Cause Fight 2" in 2019 with Ajebutter22 and Falz The Bad Guy.
In 2019 BOJ Signed a publishing and distribution deal with Moves Recordings. Under the Record Label, he released so many songs featuring popular Afrobeat and Alte Genre artists like Tiwa Savage, Davido, Mr Eazi, Amaarae and lots more. BOJ was also featured on Dave's "Lazarus" song. He released his second studio Album titled "Gbagada Express" on the 22nd of April, 2022 on his 28th Birthday. The Album title come from his hometown , Gbagada, Lagos State Nigeria and featured several Afrobeats and Alternative Genre Artists.
ALBUMS/EPs/MIXTAPES
– BOTM mixtape (2014)
– Magic (2017)
– Make E No Cause Fight (2018) with Ajebutter22
– Make E No Cause Fight 2 with Ajebutter22 and Falz
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POPULAR SONGS
Bolaji On The Microphone
Your Love (Mogbe) ft Afro Nation ft Tiwa Savage
Abracadabra ft Davido and Mr Eazi
Lazarus ftd by Dave
Money and Laughter ft Zamir and Amaarae
AWARDS AND RECOGNITIONS
BOJ's 2014 Song, Boj On The Microphone, won him Best Alternative Song of the year at the 9th edition of the Headies Awards.
NET WORTH
According to info, BOJ is worth about $400,000–$500,000. Though this info can't be confirmed, we do know the estimate can be in between.
GENRES
BOJ sings/rap in different Music genres, he uses Afrobeat, Dancehall, Reggae, RNB and many more in his songs, making he and his songs Belonging to the Alte (Alternative in full) Genre.
SOCIAL MEDIA HANDLES
Instagram: @bojonthemicrophone
Twitter: @BojDRB
AFFILIATED BODIES
HF Music, Moves Recordings, DRB LASGIDI
FUN FACTS
1. DYK that the Genre or Term Alte, was coined by DRB LASGIDI in which BOJ is a member of the Group?. The Genre takes the elements of Afrobeat, RNB, Hip Hop, Dancehall, Reggae and bringing out a new sound now known as Alte, so we can say DRB LASGIDI are the Grandfathers of Alte Music.
2. DYK that BOJ released his second studio Album on his 28th birthday, been the 22 of April, 2022?. Well now you know.
3. DYK that sometime in 2023, BOJ stated that Gen Z Afrobeat stars like Rema and Fireboy DML belong to the Alte Music Genre. Putting it into consideration, this can be true as Rema himself defines his sound as Afro Rave and not purely Afrobeat, it maybe Alte all along, since it's comprises of different genres coming together, and Rema do mix a lot of genres in his songs, same with Fireboy. Do you think this is true, well for me, fckn yes.
CONCLUSION
BOJ's Journey from his early days with DRB LASGIDI to his solo career has been nothing short of inspirational. His knack for blending genres, soulful vocals and lyrics have made him become a prominent names in the Alternative Music Genre. We pray and hope that he do more in the Alte Music industry and beyond.
Thanks for reading my blog, please make your comments in the comment section and drop your favorite BOJ Song. Click on other interesting posts below and enjoy.
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