Names are unique markers. They are an integral part of identity. For artistes, stage names might just be the most important thing after the music itself. It is what they’ll be “popularly” known as. Names are also crucial to the ideation and creation of an artistic brand. It is therefore important that sufficient thought goes in before deciding on a stage name.
We wrote an article highlighting four things to consider in picking a name.
However, whether much though is given or not, the occurrence of certain circumstances might demand a name change. In the music industry, copyright infringement issues and brand evolution are the two common reasons why artistes take on new stage names.
We look at 8 Nigerian artistes who have changed their names and why they did.
1. Mr. Raw (Formerly known as Dat Nigga Raw)
The Enugu born rapper with four studio albums, is popularly known for singles like “Obodo”, “Ko gbadun” and “O! Chukwu. In 2010, Raw announced that he would change his name from “Dat Nigga Raw” to “Mr. Raw Nwanne”, stating that the negative connotations associated to the word “nigga” resulted in his name being censored abroad and prevented people from purchasing his music online.
2. Sinzu (Formerly known as Sauce Kid)
Sinzu burst into the scene in 2005 with “Omoge wa jo” featuring veteran Mike Okri. He followed up this success with successful singles, “Yebariba”, ” Under G”, “Carolina ft. (Davido)”.On the 17th of July, 2012 via twitter, Sinzu announced that he officially dropped the name, ” Saucekid”. In a future interview with Nancy Isime on Hip TV’s “Trending” show, the rapper revealed that the names “Sinzu” and “Saucekid” represented different characters. In his words, “Sinzu is more user-friendly and Nigerian while Sauce Kid is more aggressive and thug”.
3. Madrina (Formerly Known as Cynthia Morgan)
Circa 2014-2015, Madrina was undoubtedly one of the hottest female stars in the Nigerian music scene. With her predominant dancehall style and some tints of Afro pop, Madrina held down the country with singles like “Don’t Break My Heart”, ” Lead Me On”, and “German Juice” (the latter won Best reggae single at the 2015 headies awards beating Timaya, Patoranking, Solid Star and Mr 2kay). In 2018, after about a year hiatus, Cynthia Morgan returned with a new single under the name, “Madrina”. In a chat with Victor Okpala on NET TV, the singer said, “…The name Cynthia Morgan is my real name. It’s still my legal name but I obviously thought it was time for me to switch up to that because I’m so grown now, it’s a different vibe. I’m a different person – let’s say Madrina is the grown Cynthia Morgan”. Worthy of note is the fact that in this same interview, she mentioned starting a new label hence the need for a fresh slate. In 2020, after another long time away from the spotlight, Cynthia Morgan via an Instagram live interview revealed how the process of exiting her former lable (Northside Entertainment) led to the change of her name.
4. 2baba (Formerly Known as Tuface Idibia)
With more than 20 years in the industry, 6 solo albums and numerous hit singles, 2baba is unarguably one of the greatest and most respected Nigerian artistes of all time.In 2016, he announced his name change via twitter.
5. Ladipoe (Formerly known as Poe)
Before signing to Mavins records in 2017, he was known as just Poe. However, in a bid to avoid copyright infringement issues, he assumed the moniker, Ladipoe. This is confirmed by a tweet by Mavin records boss, Don Jazzy in response to another artiste’s name change incident.
6. Kizz Daniel (Formerly known as Kiss Daniel)
When Kizz came into the scene under G-Worldwide entertainment, he made an immediate impact with back to back smash hits, “Woju”, ” Laye”, “Jombo” etc. However, with a record label dispute in 2017, the singer announced the next year that he had changed his stage name from Kiss Daniel to Kizz Daniel, a name which immediately reflected on his social media accounts and streaming platforms.
7. Cruel Santino (Formerly Known as Santi, Ozzy B)
Regarded by many as the pioneer of alte music alongside Odunsi the engine, he launched his career on SoundCloud in 2011 as Ozzy B. In 2016, he changed his stage name to Santi, with the release of his first Ep Suzie’s Funeral.The latest name change from Santi to Cruel Santino however is an attempt to avoid infringing on the rights of another Spanish artiste with the same name (Santi).
In a statement on his social media platforms, he announced his rebrand and name change from Buju to Bnxn (pronounced Benson). Speaking to People Gazette as regards this, his management said, “We had to change his name because of the confusion in the market space between the names Buju and the Jamaican singer Buju Banton, as a fast growing global brand that BNXN is, the name Buju makes it harder to trademark and take certain legal procedures, so to avoid legal actions, we had to change the name.”
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