| eLDee | |
| Background: | solo_singer |
| Birth Name: | Lanre Dabiri[1] |
| Alias: | eLDee The Don |
| Birth Date: | 23 May 1977 |
| Birth Place: | Kaduna, Nigeria |
| Origin: | Lagos, Nigeria |
| Instrument: | Rapping, Singer |
| Genre: | Afro hip hop |
| Occupation: | Rapper, record producer, songwriter |
| Years Active: | 1998–present |
| Label: | Trybe Records |
| Associated Acts: | Trybesmen, Sasha P, Yemi Alade, Chiddy Bang, Dr SID, M.I Abaga, Sarz, Wizkid, Davido, Banky W, Sound Sultan, Dbanj, Wande Coal, Darey, Tuface Idibia, Olu Maintain |
Lanre Dabiri (born May 23, 1977), better known by his stage name Eldee, stylized as eLDee, is a retired Nigerian-American rapper, singer, and record producer based in the United States.[2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]
He is a member of the band Trybesmen, which was started in 1998 with rappers KB and Freestyle. He has made five solo albums. In 2019, he said he does not regret quitting music as the path his career was going would not make him have time for his family.[9] On 1 October 2016, Netng longlisted him on its list of 56 greatest Nigerian entertainers of all time, for his contribution towards the music industry, and for founding the first official Nigeria airplay chart, known as Playdata, for monitoring music consumption on radio.[10]
eLDee was born on May 23, 1977, in Kaduna state, a northern geopolitical zone of Nigeria. He is originally from Lagos Island in Lagos State of Nigeria.
He attended Command Children School kaduna and Essence International School before Moving to Lagos for his higher education. He has a master's degree in Architecture from the University of Lagos, Nigeria in 2001.
eLDee is credited as one of the pioneers of the afrobeats music genre. In 1998, he started a band called Trybesmen which went on to be one of the music groups that popularized the fusion of hip-hop, highlife, pop and traditional afrobeat music. Trybesmen were a continental hit by the year 2000 and played a pivotal role in the shaping of the new music genre.
eLDee signed a total of 16 artists to his Trybe Records label and named the collaboration of all said artists Da Trybe. They produced the singles "Work it out" and "Oya" in 2002, and the album BIG Picture in 2005.
After moving to the United States in 2002, eLDee recorded a solo album titled Long Time Coming (2004). He followed it up with Return of the King (2006), which contains the single "I Go Yarn". Return of the King won "Best International Album" at the 2007 Nigeria Entertainment Awards in New York City.[11] His subsequent albums are Big Boy (2008), originally titled Evolution, Is it your money Vol.1 (2010) and Undeniable (2012).
eLDee has worked as an artist, producer, director and an interactive media consultant.
"Lanre" is a derivative for the Yoruba name "Olanrewaju" (which translates to "Wealth is moving forward").[12]
eLDee and his long-term partner, Dolapo Latinwo-Bello are married and together they have 2 daughters, Temi, and Toke. He has been based in Atlanta, USA since 2002.
In December 2013 he posted a message on his official Twitter page to voice his support for gay rights, saying that hopefully one day soon Africa will realize that anti-gay sentiment is no different from racial or religious discrimination.[13]
See main article: eLDee discography.