Business

D’banj Allegedly Fires “Walking Liability” and Artist Manager Seun Bankuli Over Unapproved Kanye West Personal Dealings

Naeto C Restrains Seun Bakuli D'Banj's Body GuardIf you are a regular on AML, you already know how I feel about D’Banj’s manager Seun Bankuli. There was an incident last year, in May, in the UK where he punched a female fan of D’Banj who was trying to gain access to see the star at a concert. According to eye witnesses and pictures, Naeto C had to restrain him, among others, from further battery and assault on the fan. During that incident, I said he was a walking liability to D’Banj’s business and needed to be fired, like yesterday.

In any event, Bankuli is back on the radar. This time, it is over an alleged back end dealing with Kanye West that was never approved by D’Banj, his talent/artist, for his own personal gain.

Based on his prior act explained in my introduction, I believe D’Banj should have let go of Bankuli a while back. It is not a mistake when you punch a woman, especially a fan, in the UK in your capacity as a an artist-manager or what have you, working in furtherance of your artist’s business. It is a character issue reflective of a bigger issue and such person should not be involved on such a personal level in your business affairs. It is nothing personal. It is business and violence in the workplace or on the road in the business of music  is simply not part of the equation for success.

So, in fact, pretend that the story below is completely false. It still doesn’t change the analysis, in my view, that this guy, regardless of how loyal he may be to D’Banj, should not be on his payroll.

-Uduak

“Seun Bankuli is no longer D’Banj’s manager. The pair got into a heated argument when D’Banj found out Bankuli went to Paris after the Koko concert to work on Kanye West’s next album without him knowing. Bankuli left for Paris after the Koko concert in December and his employer/artiste wasn’t aware of his ‘clandestine’ trip to Paris to drop adlibs on Kanye’s next LP. Bankuli also hooked up with G.O.O.D Music producer Travis Scott who was signed to Kanye West’s imprint last November. When D’Banj found out, an argument ensued which resulted in both parties going their separate ways.

Bankuli is also a vocalist and sound creator apart from being an A&R, artiste manager and developer. His vocals can be heard on ‘Lift Off’ featuring Beyonce off the ‘Watch The Throne’ album, and he was credited for his vocal contribution on the track co-produced by Don Jazzy. He also got additional vocals credit on ‘Illest Mothafucka Alive’ featured on the same album.

Bankuli’s social media profiles- Twitter, Instagram and Facebook- no longer have any DB Records information. His avatar on Twitter now features a logo of Bankuli Entertainment, his newly floated entertainment outfit. Bankuli had been managing D’Banj since after the Mo’ Hits split.

Hip-hop World Magazine

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Credited for several firsts in the fashion and entertainment industry, Uduak Oduok (Ms. Uduak) is a fashion and entertainment lawyer, speaker, visionary, gamechanger, trailblazer, and recognized thought leader, for her work on Africa’s emerging global fashion and entertainment markets, and the niche practice of fashion law in the United States. She is also the founder of ‘Africa Music Law,’ an industry go-to music business and law blog and podcast show empowering African artists. Her work in the creative and legal industries has earned her numerous awards and recognitions, including an award from the American University Washington College of Law for her “legal impact in the field of intellectual property in Africa." She has also taught as an Adjunct Professor at several institutions in the United States. For more information, visit her at https://msuduak.com.

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