Bankulli

Seun was born into the Abisagboola family as the last child among four siblings, all boys. With strong connections to the Celestial Church of Christ, Seun found connection with music as a young child, at age four. His father was a choir master and he made it compulsory for the family to show up at church, even for rehearsals.

Subsequently, Seun’s family fell into accommodation problems and had to live in the church premises. The Abisagboola children, together with other people that lived in the church, were responsible for setting up musical instruments for Sunday services and weekly programs. Seun familiarised himself with audio engineering, instruments, and public singing through this process.

Soon after, he joined the choir and was the youngest member of the Church’s praise team. He was described, among family, as one who would sing when beaten by his brothers, and for that reason: his brothers would beat him for entertainment. Seun matured into adolescence in this environment. His interest in music grew, and started his foray into music production. After a Sunday service, he was introduced to Ayo Shonaiya by Ayo's mother. Ayo, who is older than Seun, was based in the UK and had begun his journey into entertainment. Mrs. Shonaiya saw potential in the way Bankulli did business and advised her son to work with him. Since then, Bankulli, and Ayo started to work together.

When Seun finally got his Secondary school leaving certificate, he wanted to go into music full time but his father opposed. They made a deal that Seun would get a degree and after then, would be allowed to pursue any career he desires. Seun agreed and enrolled at the University of Ibadan, where he studied Microbiology and earned a Bachelors Degree.

At the University, Seun was introduced to a new world of sonics, music management and promotion. He adopted the name Bankulli while playing football with fellow students. “Bankulli” means 'stubborn fellow' in Yoruba; it is also the sound a percussive instrument makes when beaten. He built a reputation as a man that connects musicians to what they look to achieve within the school environment.

To make ends meet, Bankulli performed music with live bands, singing Juju, Alujo and Fuji music. He also did groundwork for R70, a company managed by Ayo Shonaiya, Timi Adegbite, and DJ Abas. R70 was based in the UK, and were tasked with filling airtime on Ben Television, a TV station on Sky UK with Nigerian music videos, interviews and gossip.

After graduating, Bankulli refused his father’s offer for a white collar job to pursue his music dreams. He began to promote artistes in Nigeria, and through partnership with R70, he found his way around the music industry. Bankulli employed ingenious ideas to better push music to the Nigerian market, approaching restaurants with demo CDs so they can be played when people eat in.

During this time, a Nigerian by the name of Abdulrasheed Bello, JJC Skillz, who had gained mainstream popularity in the UK met with the R70 cohorts, and decided to push his music into Nigeria. Ayo Shonaiya, and DJ Abas recommended that he met with Bankulli once he arrived at Lagos.

JJC Skillz travelled to Nigeria alongside the 419 squad and Bankulli assisted him with radio and TV appearances, cementing JJC’s ‘Atide’ as a household hit. He also helped around the branding of JJC’s team members as well. This was how he met Don Jazzy and D’Banj. Who at the time were also a part of JJC’s 419 squad. When D'Banj and Don Jazzy split up from JJC's team, they approached Bankulli to help in promoting their music, on the basis of his track record and the way he represented JJC, and the 419 Squad.

Bankulli was the man on ground for D’Banj and Don Jazzy’s entry into the Nigerian music industry. He managed the team’s promotion, on radio, TV and other media outlets. Sometimes, he offered contributions to the music, but his role was mainly talent management.

As the team grew bigger, and gained more exposure, Bankulli’s roles began to widen, and so did his status in the Nigerian music scene. He played a recurring role in Mo'Hit’s expansion across Africa and its eventual outburst into Europe.

Sometime in 2010, after a show in Dubai. Bankulli, and the Mo'Hits crew ran into Kanye West at the airport. The team quickly put together a demo CD to properly introduce themselves. Bankulli approached Kanye, when others were reluctant, and introduced himself as D’Banj’s manager. From then on, a relationship was built which eventually led to Don Jazzy and Bankulli getting contributing credits on Kanye West and Jay Z’s Watch the Throne album, and also-- D’Banj getting signed to G.O.O.D Music. Bankulli continued to represent D’Banj for a while after the group split up.

Bankulli moved on to other artistes in the industry, he managed Mystro through his entrance into the industry, with an album that he also AnR’d. Then he worked with Fuji music legend, K1 De Ultimate on his 2020 album, Fuji, The Sound. Which is a reimagination of K1’s classic records in a modern form.

During one of the Watch the Throne sessions, Bankulli, who was present as D’Banj and Don Jazzy’s manager impresses Kanye by humming a tune to an open question that Kanye threw to the recording team present. This led to a relationship between them and Bankulli was invited to the Yandhi recording session in Kenya in 2018.

Bankulli travelled with two recording engineers, and advised Kanye West to collaborate with Ugandan artistes. Then he starts to play Kanye African songs. During this session, Bankulli records two videos of Kanye West dancing to Burna Boy’s Ye, and Mystro’s Immediately, which features Wizkid. The videos went viral,[5] and with that, Bankulli transitioned from being a popular name within the entertainment circuit— to a global music figure.

Bankulli, having started his music journey in church, learnt to play many instruments at a very young age. He favours the bass guitar, which he played during his stint as a band member of the Solek[6] crew in 2005. He also plays the piano, drum set, guitar, and variations of hand percussion drums like the banjo, conga and bata.

While in University, Bankulli recorded an album which was later shelved to focus on his role as talent manager and with R70 as a music plug.

Watch the Throne Album: Collaboration with Kanye West and Jay Z

Bankulli also gets name credit for his vocals on the Watch the Throne album, a collaborative studio project by Kanye West and Jay Z released on August 8, 2011. The critically successful album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 436,000 copies its first week. It was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and, as of June 2012, had sold over 1.5M copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan. He also worked on Kanye West’s sixth studio album, ‘’Yeezus[7]’’ which was released on June 18, 2013, by Roc-A-Fella Records and Def Jam Recordings.  

Bankulli with Jay Z and Kanye West (Left to Right)

The documentary is a 7-part series that takes a top down approach to the genre. It features over 200 interviews with personas that have impacted the genre, and are instrumental within the overall story that is Afrobeats. The Chronicles of Afrobeats looks to tell a complete experience from different perspectives, to document, and preserve the culture for generations coming.[2]

Bankulli positions himself as a music lover through and through. He keeps his public, and social persona devoid of politics, essentially sticking with the Afrobeats genre.

In 2018, he created Onebankulli.com,[20] an e-commerce website that sells clothing carrying the Osha brand. These apparels come in hoodies and round necks of different colours, for different sexes. Written on their arms is the word 'Osha' in Chinese. Bankulli is hardly ever seen not wearing them. Osha means deity in the Yoruba language.