Daddy Showkey 50 Years on Stage culminates in a star-studded Lagos concert celebrating his Galala legacy, career and enduring influence
Legendary Nigerian musician John Odafe Asiemo, popularly known as Daddy Showkey, celebrated 50 years on stage with a grand anniversary concert at Eko Hotels and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos, on Sunday, August 9, 2026, bringing together generations of Nigerian entertainers and fans to honour his remarkable career.
The event, titled “The Journey! My 50 Years on Stage as an Entertainer,” formed the finale of a week-long celebration that also marked Daddy Showkey’s 56th birthday. The singer turned 56 on August 4.
The celebration was rooted in the entertainer’s long relationship with Nigerian popular culture, particularly the street sound that made him one of the defining musical figures of the 1990s.
Daddy Showkey rose to prominence from Ajegunle, Lagos, where he grew up, and became one of the leading pioneers of Galala, a distinctive blend of dancehall, reggae and Afro-street music.
His energetic performances and signature dance moves helped carry the sound from the streets into the Nigerian mainstream.
The Lagos concert brought together established and younger names from the Nigerian music scene.
Performers associated with the celebration included 2Baba, 9ice, Tony Tetuila, African China, Danfo Drivers, Marvelous Benjy, Korede Bello, Baba Fryo, Cobhams and Teni, among others.
The choice of performers reflected the breadth of Daddy Showkey’s influence. Some shared the same era and musical culture that shaped his career, while others represented generations that followed.
The celebration was also deeply personal for the veteran entertainer. Rather than making the occasion solely about his own achievements, Daddy Showkey used the platform to recognise people and institutions that played meaningful roles in his journey.
One of the notable moments came when he invited Onochie Anibeze, Vanguard Saturday Editor, onto the stage to acknowledge Vanguard Media Limited for publishing what he described as the first newspaper story about him.
Daddy Showkey recalled his early days with the music group De Pretty Busy Boys, which included Cashman Davies, Daddy Fresh, Sexy Pretty and Roland Okafor.
He remembered trekking across Kirikiri Bridge after school and passing the Vanguard premises while imagining that the newspaper would one day write about him.
“We used to trek across Kirikiri bridge after school and pass by Vanguard,” Daddy Showkey recalled. “I told myself one day Vanguard would write about me.”
That moment eventually came, and the singer said the newspaper’s early recognition meant a great deal to him.
He also remembered the late Ogbonna Amadi, Vanguard’s former Entertainment Editor, whom he credited as an important mentor during his formative years.
The concert carried an additional layer of significance because of Daddy Showkey’s long association with Eko Hotels.
Vanguard reported that his relationship with the venue dates back to its early days, when he performed an acrobatic display around the time the hotel opened.
Another memorable gesture came from 2Baba, who used the occasion to reflect on Daddy Showkey’s impact on his own career.
He recalled receiving his first $100 from the veteran entertainer and described the gesture as one he had never forgotten.
The anniversary did not begin at Eko Hotels. Daddy Showkey had earlier announced that the celebrations would include an August 8 concert in Ajegunle, the Lagos community closely associated with his upbringing and musical identity, before the grand finale the following day.
The two-part celebration offered a fitting link between the past and present. Ajegunle represented the environment in which Daddy Showkey developed his artistic identity, while the Eko Hotels finale placed that journey on one of Lagos’ major entertainment stages.
Born on August 4, 1970, Daddy Showkey began performing professionally at a young age and rose to prominence in the early 1990s.
His breakthrough coincided with the growth of Ajegunle’s street music culture, which produced several influential Nigerian acts.
His catalogue includes songs such as “Fire Fire”, “Diana”, “The Name”, “Ghetto Soldier” and “Jehovah”, while his music has explored themes ranging from love and faith to social realities and street life.
His contribution, however, extends beyond individual records. Galala became a cultural marker of an era, influencing the sound, language, dance and visual identity of Nigerian street music. Daddy Showkey emerged as one of its most recognisable ambassadors.
The significance of the 50-year milestone also lies in its unusual longevity. Daddy Showkey has remained connected to Nigerian entertainment through major shifts in the industry, from the era of physical music sales and live street performances to today’s digital and streaming-driven landscape.
His anniversary therefore became more than a birthday celebration. It was a powerful reminder of how artists can become part of the cultural memory of a generation, particularly when their music is closely connected to a place and a community.
At 56, and after five decades as an entertainer, Daddy Showkey used the occasion to celebrate not only his own survival in a demanding industry but also the people, places and institutions that helped shape his story.
The final message of “The Journey” was consequently less about looking backwards than recognising the enduring reach of a career that began in Ajegunle and grew into one of the most distinctive stories in Nigerian street music.
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