* En anglais uniquement
Although he earned widespread recognition repping his signature dance move alongside
2baba on the 2017 hit "Gaga Shuffle,"
Larry Gaaga had already infiltrated the Nigerian music industry through a multidisciplinary assault of songwriting, production, management, entrepreneurism, comedy, and of course, singing. From his early days managing rapper Vector and being featured on occasional tracks to starting his own label and scoring major hits of his own with the
Davido collaboration "Doe," and with
Wizkid with 2019's "Low,"
Gaaga has established a significant presence in the Afro-pop world.
Gaaga, whose real name is Larry Ndianefo, made his entry into the music scene in 2011, helping foster the career of rapper Vector as the general manager at YSG Entertainment. Making his own creative inroads, he was featured alongside
2baba on Vector's track "Get Down," and quietly began making his name behind the scenes as a producer, songwriter, owner of Gaaga Muzik, and business mogul with ties to a prominent oil company. His budding empire already in the works, he became a household name in Nigerian music when
2baba named his 2017 single "Gaga Shuffle" after one of
Gaaga's famous dance moves and asked him to sing on it. "Gaga Shuffle" proved to be a big hit and the singer moved further into the spotlight with heavy-hitting collaborations like 2018's "Doe" with
DaVido and "Baba Nla" with
2baba,
Burna Boy, and
D'banj. He and
2baba continued their partnership the following year with "Iworiwo" before he added another major hit to his resume with the
Wizkid collaboration "Low." Also in 2019, he produced the soundtrack to the film
Living in Bondage: Breaking Free. He remained busy into the next decade with the 2020 Love Zone EP, which he made with Acetune. ~ Timothy Monger