Akeem Eseosa Raji was born in Chicago, IL on January 31, 1987 but it is his Nigerian roots that make him such a diverse Artist with a smooth and unique sound. Some of the influences that helped to shape and mold his sound are Afrobeats, Hip-Hop, Rap, and R&B – mixing various genres of music has shaped him to be one of the most interesting Artist’s making his mark in the industry today. “I believe in pushing the boundaries of what may be traditional frequencies and fusing them with my own sound to allow me to remain true to my personal style.”
In
1988, he moved to Georgia with his mother and father for a better life
of opportunity - while growing up in the states, along with learning
about and honoring his own culture, he developed a new found love and
respect for Western culture music with influences from artists like
Jay-Z, NAS, The Notorious BIG, Mob Deep, and Fabolous to name a few.
However, his personal influences weighed heavier on the East Coast sound
and lyricism style of Rap.
By
his Senior year in High School, Akeem had multiple composition books
filled with songs and rhymes, and a passion to do music and share the
excitement that music brings with the world. After High School, he
attended a local Junior College, where he met a group of friends that
shared the same passion for Music, The Arts and Dance, from there they
formed a group called - “APJ” and he was given the name “Night Child”-
due to his dark complexion. He eventually transferred to Georgia
Southern University where he studied and received his degree in
Logistics. However, after transferring, Night Child left the group to
pursue a solo career and changed his stage name to “BlackDove”.
BlackDove
is now a seasoned artist and performer, having done performances at
Georgia Southern University, Ricky Smiley’s Open Mic at Frank Ski’s,
Suite lounge, Apache Café, and Cloud 9. He has also made appearances at
various spots around the US (The Allure-Houston, TX, PinUps-Atlanta,
Mirza Hookah Lounge-Atlanta). His new hit single - “Walk My Way” is
currently streaming on all major platforms (Spotify, SoundCloud, Apple
music and iTunes) and is gaining momentum and earning spins all around
Atlanta, Dallas, and New York; as well as radio stations in Nigeria.
He’s also being recognized on multiple other platforms: The Web-based
promo site – Naijphobia.com.ng out of Lagos, Nigeria; the publication – the Voyager ATL, and Internet Radio Stations like - Beef Stew and Highly Unique Radio.
Up
next for Black Dove is to shoot more videos and start traveling to
promote his newly released Freshman album, 'NOW OR NEVA' (Released:
12.15.19 on most streaming platforms) Also In the near future, Black
Dove is in negotiations to officially launch more gear for his
production company (Ultra-V Productions) based clothing brand – ‘Ultra-V
Apparel' In developing the sound for his album it was very important to
him to stay true to his Nigerian roots and incorporate that background
into a few songs, as well as the albums cover art.
The
significance of utilizing "The Mask" comes from a long history of the
Yoruba people, where masks are seen as symbols used in ceremonies, and
to signify strength, peace, honor and/or aggression - the combination of
all these also make up the albums vibe & persona. The new album,
'Now or Neva' boasts with an eclectic mixture of native Nigerian
Afro-Beats, Rap & Hip-Hop style beats - sure to have your head
bopping and body bouncing.
Follow: @blackdovebrand
Tags
HIP-HOP