Adekunle Gold Signs Deal with Popular American Label Def Jam

Nigerian Afrobeats star, Adekunle Gold, has reached new heights in his music career by signing with the popular American record label, Def Jam Recordings. This exciting news was announced in a statement by the company’s CEO/Chairman, Tunji Balogun, as reported by Billboard on Tuesday.

Balogun praised Adekunle Gold for his artistry in the music industry and noted how distinctive the artist is. “I’ve been following Adekunle Gold since I first heard his record ‘Sade’ in 2016,” he said. “Over the years, everything in AG’s world has elevated — his songwriting has refined, the scope of his artistry has widened, his vocals have strengthened, his approach to fashion is more distinct, and his showmanship and performance ability have grown exponentially. He’s stepped into stardom on his own terms and is completely comfortable being his true self.”

Balogun also revealed that he had been planning to bring Def Jam label into the Afrobeats space as soon as he started working at the label in 2022. “Adekunle felt like the perfect fit – he’d already done so much work on his own to build a base, but I knew that we could scale his audience to an even bigger level if we combined our energies and worked together,” he continued.

Gold expressed excitement upon signing with the label, conceding that the move is the right one for him at the present stage of his music career. He also relished getting to work with Balogun, describing him as his studio buddy. “He understands it,” Gold said. “So signing to Tunji makes sense. He’s like my studio buddy that just comes everywhere I go. The day he doesn’t have time to be there, I know he must’ve been stupidly busy. He’s great.”

Def Jam Recordings, which is owned by Universal Music Group, boasts a roster of superstar alumni like Jay Z, Rihanna, and Kanye West. With this new partnership, Adekunle Gold has joined a list of niche, unique artists that the label is known for.

Adekunle Gold rose to fame in 2015 with his debut hit, “Sade”. AG Baby, as he is popularly referred to, then proceeded to signing his first record label deal with YBNL Nation, before releasing his debut studio album, “Gold”, in 2017. Two years later, he launched his own label, Afro Urban Records, putting out two albums: “About 30” in 2018 and “Catch Me If You Can” in 2022. He released his 2020 album, Afro Pop, Vol. 1, under EMI.

Fans of Adekunle Gold eagerly await his upcoming album, set to release under Def Jam in June 2023. With this new collaboration, it’s safe to say that Adekunle Gold’s music career is on the rise, and the sky is truly the limit for this talented artist.