Timaya is a Nigerian singer, songwriter and record producer. He is the founder of DM records limited. His music career began in 2005 with the release of his song, ‘Dem Mama’.
Biography
Inetimi Timaya Odon was born on August 15 1980, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. He is the youngest of 15 children. His father was a banker, and his mother a trader.
He had his Nursery and Primary education at the Assemblies of God Nursery and Primary school. Timaya had his secondary education at Ikeja Grammar School, Lagos.
He later returned to Port Harcourt for his university education. He, however, dropped out after the first semester due to poor grades.
Timaya returned to Lagos to pursue a career in music. He joined the Idris Abdulkareem’s hip hop group as a vocalist from 2001 to 2002 before starting his solo career in 2004.
Career
Timaya has always loved music. This is why, even as a teenager, he would break house laws to attend gatherings. His brief stay in Lagos for his secondary education also enabled him to make contacts with musicians.
After failing at education, he returned to Lagos in 2001/2002 to work as a backing vocalist for Idris Abdulkareem’s hip-hop group. He was an obscure singer at the time, but he had a nice melody and singing voice. After three years, he quit Abdulkareem’s group and went solo.
As a solo artist, the vocalist began performing in 2005. He recorded multiple duets with some underground acts in Lagos State. Timaya appeared in UDX, a Lagos-based rap group, in a music video.
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After repeated efforts, he met K-Solo, a producer from Mafoluku, Lagos State. Timaya’s debut track, ‘Dem Mama’, was produced by K-Solo in 2005 and became a hit. Timaya’s a cappella version of the song was reportedly loved by the producer.
Timaya and K-Solo continued to collaborate after the success of ‘Dem Mama’. The duo collaborated on seven more songs. Timaya also included an old-school rapper named Namse Udosen, sometimes known as Menthol X, on the track ‘Pomporo’.
Timaya released his official studio album ‘True Story’ in 2007 with 11 songs, including ‘Dem Mama’ and ‘Pomporo’. The song ‘Ogologomma’ was also featured on the album. Danco Music International released and distributed the album.
Timaya founded his own record company, Dem Mama Records, following the publication of his debut album. This was a reference to his first chart-topping single. TJ 2solo, Wrecoba, and Allenian were the first acts he signed.
K-Solo began as Dem Mama Records’ in-house producer before being replaced as the label’s official producer by Young D.
Later, Timaya signed Nigerian superstars Patoranking and Runtown to his record label. In 2017, he signed King Perry, a promising Dancehall/Afro-Fusion artist, to his DM Records banner.
While his debut album was still being produced, Timaya began working on his second. He enlisted the help of Phyno, Jeggs, Spankie, Akeem D Beat, Terry, and K-Solo at the time. He had already established his own record company, Dem Mama Records, by that time (now DM Records).
In 2008, Dem Mama Records released ‘Gift and Grace’, a 14-track album that included hits including ‘I Don Blow’, ‘Yankulu Ya (Dem Mama Remix)’, and ‘Ogologomma (Remix)’. In 2008, the project was named Album of the Year at the Nigeria Music Awards, and in 2009, it was named Best Reggae/Dancehall Album at The Headies.
Timaya released “Plantain Boy” in 2009, perhaps the singer’s most famous song. Because of its message of his challenges and difficult childhood, it received a lot of broadcasts and became a street anthem.
Timaya featured late gospel singer Kefee in his 2009 single title ‘Kokoroko’. The song made waves in Nigeria and earned Timaya an award at the Headies in 2010.
The musician released his third album titled De Rebirth in 2010. The 18-track album was produced by Phyno, Jesse Jagz, Jay Sleek, Obaksolo (K-solo) and many others. It also featured seasoned musicians like 2Face Idibia, M.I, Lanre and others.
On June 25, 2012, the ‘Dem Mama’ singer released his fourth solo album, ‘Upgrade’. Timaya’s Dem Mama Records released ‘Upgrade’, with 14 tracks. ‘Bum Bum’, ‘Sexy Ladies’, and ‘Malonogede’ are some of the album’s best-known tunes.
Before Timaya announced Upgrade’s release, ‘Bum Bum’ and ‘Sexy Ladies’ became hit singles. The singer, popularly known as ‘Egberi Papa 1 of Bayelsa,’ collaborated with Nigerian singers such as Attitude, Terry G, and Vector. Singles from the album, including ‘Malonogede’ (with Terry G) and ‘Illuminati’, were released as singles off of the album.
He has released several singles and has featured several artists like 2Face Idibia, Olamide, Patoranking, Shina Peters, Terry G and many others.
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Timaya songs
The talented musician has many great songs under his belt. Here is a list of his songs.
- Dem Mama
- Honey Na Money
- I Don Blow
- Hey
- God I Beg
- Chinekemeh
- Thank You
- Watta Bambam
- Celebration
- Upgrade
- Sexy ladies
- Malongede ft Terry G
- Good life
- Bam Bam
- Plantain Boy
- I Concur
- Ukwu
- Cold Outside
- Balance
His albums are
- True Story (2007)
- Gift and Grace (2008)
- Rebirth (2010)
- Celebration (2011)
- Upgrade (2012)
- Epiphany(2014)
- Chulo Vibes (2019)
- Gratitude (2020)
Awards
Timaya has won several awards. Here are some of his awards.
- Best Reggae/Dancehall Album at the Headies (2008)
- Album of the Year at the Nigeria Music Awards (2008)
- Best Collaboration at the Headies with Kefee(2010)
- AFRIMMA Awards for Dancehall Act of the Year(2017)
- City Peoples Music Special Recognition Award (2018).
Net worth
Timaya is one of Nigeria’s most famous musicians. He enjoys a lavish lifestyle and is not afraid to flaunt it on social media. Many people want to know how much money the singer makes. The singer is reported to be worth $8 million, making him one of the richest musicians in Nigeria.
Timaya Family
Timaya is not yet married. However, he has many baby mamas. He has three children from two of his baby mama: two girls and a boy.
Timaya was also in a relationship with Nigerian actress Empress Njamah. The relationship ended in a messy breakup.
Controversies
Timaya confirmed that he got his car back from Empress Njamah after their relationship ended in a radio interview with the famous OAP Daddy Freeze in 2018. He explained that he had requested her to return the car herself, but she refused, so he had to drive to her church to get it.
The incident sparked a great uproar, but the two have now patched things up and are moving on with their lives independently.
Timaya was arrested after an alleged hit and run incident earlier this year. He was alleged to have hit a woman with his car and sped off, leaving her injured.
The sister of the lady hit took to her social media to seek justice for her sister, who was hospitalised from the injuries she received from the accident.
Timaya came out to share his side of the story stating that he did not hit the woman but that she fell. And he noticed some guys approaching his vehicle, so he sped off. But he has, since the incident, gone to see the lady in the hospital and apologise to her husband.
Conclusion
Timaya is a musician who has managed to take himself from a nobody to somebody.
He still makes good music, with the release of his song ‘Cold Outside’ with Buju in 2021. He is still very active in the music industry.
