ELdee THe Don | |
---|---|
Birth name | Lanre Dabiri |
Also known as | The Don |
Born |
Kaduna, Nigeria |
May 23, 1977
Origin | Lagos, Nigeria |
Genres | Afro hip hop |
Occupation(s) | Rapper, record producer, song writer, Architect |
Instruments | Rapping |
Years active | 1998–present |
Labels | Trybe Records |
Associated acts | Trybesmen, Sasha P, Yemi Alade, Da Trybe, Chiddy Bang, OlaDELe, Dr SID, K9, sarz, Rukus, aramide, sojay |
Website | Official Website |
Lanre Dabiri (born May 23, 1977), better known by his stage name Eldee, stylized as eLDee, is a Nigerian rapper, record producer and an Architect. "Lanre" is a diminutive for the Yoruba name "Olanrewaju" (which translates to "Wealth is moving forward"). eLDee studied Architecture at the University of Lagos, Nigeria. He is an original member of the band Trybesmen, which was started in 1998 with rappers KB and Freestyle. He hails from Lagos Island in Lagos State of Nigeria.
After moving to the United States in 2002, eLDee recorded a solo album titled Long Time Coming and followed up with Return of the King in 2006. The latter album earned various nominations and awards for both videos and songs, including the Nigerian Entertainment Award for “Best International Album”.
The album “Return of the King” marked the beginning of eLDee’s impressive solo career which has seen 4 albums, over 50 major award nominations, and critically acclaimed singles like “Im leaving”, “I go yarn”, “Champion”, “African Chiquito”, “big boy”, “Ota mi”, “One day”, “Bosi Gbangba”, “Higher”, “Wash-wash”, and "We Made It" airing on radio stations all over the world.
eLDee’s robust resume includes his work as an artist, producer, video director and a cutting-edge interactive media consultant for Fortune 500 international brands such as CNN, D3 Publishing, Hines, Accenture, Andersen, Kimberly Clark, Naruto, Primedia, NBA, UPS, Cartoon Network, Consumer Source, and Warner Bros, just to name a few, with numerous national and international awards for design and new media campaigns.
In addition to his numerous accomplishments as an artist and businessman, eLDee is very passionate about the current state of Africa and is one of the few outspoken Nigerian celebrities when it comes to social issues. His passion is evident in his activism towards social change. eLDee’s thirst for sustainability in Africa is also evident in his music as with each album, he hammers on real issues and seeks to motivate/inspire fans to greatness. eLDee was recently featured on CNN for some of his social campaigns.