Timaya is the stage name of a Nigerian singer and songwriter who is popular for his dancehall style of music. He is also nicknamed ‘Don Dada’ and ‘Egberi Papa 1 of Bayelsa’, which are common adlibs that feature in many of his songs. This biography of Timaya will provide new insights into the life and career of the singer.
The singer has had a long career in the music industry and this article will include a discography covering all his songs. Also, look out for the list of awards that Timaya has won at the end of this informative piece. To get the ball rolling, we provide answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about Timaya in the section below.
Top 10 important facts about Timaya
- His full name is Inetimi Timaya Odon and he was born on 15th August 1977 in Port Harcourt, Rivers State; however, he is an indigene of Bayelsa State. The singer was the last child in a family of 15 children.
- Timaya had tried studying for a degree in banking and finance at the university but he dropped out of the school after performing woefully in his first examination.
- He started his career as a member of Eedris ‘Idris’ Abdulkareem’s hip hop group as a backup vocalist in 2001/2002. He left to strike out on his own in 2004/2005.
- The singer released his official debut single “Dem Mama” in 2005, produced by K-Solo, a producer who was fresh out of secondary school.
- In 2007, Timaya dropped his debut album, “True Story”, which was released and distributed by Danco Music International. Since then, he has released seven major projects including five studio albums, one collaborative album and an EP.
- He is the founder and CEO of Dem Mama Records and in 2014, he changed the company’s name to DM Records. Artists that have been signed under the record label include TJ 2solo, Wrecoba, Allenian, Runtown and Patoranking.
- Timaya is unmarried but he has four children, Emma, Gracey, Emmanuel and Maya, from three different women.
- Timaya is widely awarded as a reggae and dancehall singer; in 2018, he was nominated for a Grammy award for his contribution to Morgan Heritage’s new Avrekedabra album in the Best Reggae Album category.
- Timaya won the Best Collaboration Award at The Headies two consecutive times, in 2009 and 2010, a feat that had not been achieved before at the ceremony.
- He has worked with some of the biggest brands in Nigeria and abroad including MTN, Globacom, Hennessey, and others.
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Timaya Biography: Early life and education
The singer was born as Inetimi Timaya Odon on 15th August 1977 in Port Harcourt, Rivers State; however, he is an indigene of Bayelsa State. His real name is actually Timaya and not just some made-up name. Many have asked, “Who is the father of Timaya?”
According to sources, Timaya’s father was a banker while his mother engaged in trading. However, Timaya was the youngest child in a large family of about 15 children. It seems that the singer’s father had more than one wife. His family lived in Agip Estate, Port Harcourt. He grew up in the capital city and started his early education there.
Timaya attended Assemblies of God Nursery and Primary School for his primary education and Nkpolu Oroworukwo for his secondary school education. However, he was reportedly notorious as a child. He revealed that he would break house curfew to attend late-night music events. He also ran away from home sometimes.
Thus, his mother, believing that a change of environment will solve the problem, asked his older brother and older sister to take him with them to Lagos. When Timaya first got to Lagos, he was enrolled at the Ikeja Grammar School from where he sat for and obtained a secondary school certificate.
Also, it appeared that he established music connections during his stay in Lagos. He returned to Port Harcourt to study banking and finance at the university but he dropped out of the school after performing woefully in his first examination.
Early music career
Timaya developed a keen interest in music right from an early stage. This was why he broke house rules to attend events even when he was still a teenager. His short stay in Lagos had also helped him to link with some music-minded people.
This was why after failing at the university, he returned to Lagos in 2001/2002 and joined Eedris ‘Idris’ Abdulkareem’s hip hop group as a backup vocalist. At the time, he was an unknown singer with a good melody and singing voice. He left Abdulkareem’s group after three years and struck out as a solo artist.
The three years had been valuable because it helped Timaya understand the Nigerian audience better. Besides, he likely made important contacts through Eedris ‘Idris’ Abdulkareem, who was a big star during the early 2000s.
Timaya Biography: Music career
Dem Mama (2005)
The singer officially started making music in 2005 as a solo artist. He worked with many underground artists in Lagos State and they recorded several collaborations. Timaya made a cameo appearance in a music video by UDX, a rap group based in Lagos.
After several attempts, he met K-Solo, a producer based in Mafoluku, Lagos State. K-Solo produced Timaya’s debut single “Dem Mama” in 2005 and it became a big song. The producer had allegedly heard Timaya perform the a cappella version of the song and liked it.
Timaya later explained in 2013 that “Dem Mama” was about the 1999 Odi massacre. “[It] was an account of the 1999 destruction of Odi, a riverside community in Niger Delta. Soldiers were hunting down militants they alleged killed eight policemen. The village was burnt down and numerous people killed. I bravely tackled the issue years later and won instant street credibility for my boldness,” the singer said in an interview.
True Story (2007)
Emboldened by the success of “Dem Mama”, Timaya and K-Solo continued to work together. The duo recorded seven more songs together. Timaya also featured an old-time rapper Namse Udosen, who is popularly called Menthol X, on a track titled “Pomporo”.
In 2007, Timaya released his official studio album titled “True Story”. It contains 11 tracks including the aforementioned “Dem Mama” and “Pomporo”. “True Story” also includes the timeless “Ogologomma” song. It was released and distributed by Danco Music International.
Danco Music International was the first record label that Timaya joined. In an interview published by Vanguard in 2012, Timaya revealed that the label bought the rights for NGN500,000 and later gifted him a rover car in appreciation of how well the album sold.
Dem Mama Records
After the release of his debut album, Timaya started his own record label, which he called Dem Mama Records. This was in reference to his debut hit song. In the beginning, he signed TJ 2solo, Wrecoba and Allenian as artists.
K-Solo started as Dem Mama Records’ in-house producer and Young D later replaced him as the label’s official producer.
Later, Timaya signed Nigerian superstars Runtown and Patoranking to his record label. He is recognised as being instrumental to their success as he groomed them for the Nigerian music industry.
In 2014, Timaya announced via his Twitter handle that he has changed the name of Dem Mama Records to DM Records. He tweeted:
Dem mama records is now known as DM records… Coming soon BAD MAN TIN, D fire will keep burning trust me legooo
— Timaya #Gratitude (@timayatimaya) February 1, 2014
Gift and Grace (2008)
Timaya started working on his second album while production was still going on for his first one. At the time, he enlisted the production skills of Phyno, Jeggs, Spankie, Akeem D Beat, Terry and K-Solo. By then, he had founded his own record label known as Dem Mama Records (now DM Records).
Dem Mama Records officially released “Gift and Grace” in 2008 and it contains 14 tracks including hit songs such as “I Don Blow”, “Yankulu Ya (Dem Mama Remix)” and “Ogologomma (Remix)”. The project won Album of the Year at the Nigeria Music Awards in 2008 and Best Reggae/Dancehall album at The Headies in 2009.
It earmarked Timaya as the next big thing in the Nigerian music space as he brought a unique combination of reggae sounds to Afrobeats. His dancehall style was also behind his success and breakthrough. Nigerian singer J Martins featured him on the “Good or Bad (O Wey)” single and the song won the Best Collaboration award at The Headies in 2009.
De rebirth (2011)
In 2009, Timaya released “Plantain Boy” and it is arguably the biggest song in the singer’s career. It enjoyed massive airplay and became a street anthem thanks to its theme about his struggles and rough childhood.
Fans were anticipating his next album with the release of “Plantain Boy” but the rapper’s next major highlight was a collaboration.
The late popular gospel singer Kefee featured Timaya on her 2009 single “Kokoroko”. The song became so big that it earned the Port Harcourt born singer his second consecutive Best Collaboration award at The Headies in 2010.
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“De Rebirth”, Timaya’s third studio album, was released on 28th May 2010 under Dem Mama Records. Akeem D Beat, Phyno, Flux, M-Yire, Jay Sleek, N.D, Jesse Jagz and Obaksolo (K-Solo) produced the 18 tracks on the album.
Timaya also had vocal contributions from fellow singers such as 2face Idibia (now 2Baba), TJ 2Solo, Allenian, Konga, Lanre, M.I, TJ and Wrecoba.
LLNP (Long Life And Prosperity) (2011)
Timaya worked with artists signed under Dem Mama Records called Dem Mama Soljas to release a collaborative album in 2011. The album was titled “LLNP (Long Life And Prosperity)” and contains 20 tracks.
The late legendary reggae singer Ras Kimono was featured on the album’s second track titled “Dem No Like Me”. Timaya owns 11 of the songs off of the album while the remaining songs were distributed among TJ 2solo, Wrecoba and Allenian – the other artists that completed the Dem Mama Soljas. Young D and Phyno are among the producers of this lesser-known Timaya project.
Upgrade (2012)
The “Dem Mama” crooner returned with his fourth solo album titled “Upgrade” on 25th June 2012. “Upgrade” was released by Timaya’s Dem Mama Records and houses 14 tracks. Some of its notable songs include “Bum Bum”, “Sexy Ladies”, and “Malonogede”.
“Bum Bum” and “Sexy Ladies” were already hit singles before Timaya announced Upgrade’s release. The singer, who also uses the moniker ‘Egberi Papa 1 of Bayelsa’, featured Nigerian artists like Attitude, Terry G and Vector. “Malonogede” (with Terry G) and “Illuminati” were released as singles off of the album.
Yung D (Young D) was the sole producer credited on the album and he handled the production of all 14 tracks. TooXclusive criticised the album for sounding monotonous and said it recycled the same club beats and rants that Timaya is known for.
