Kobi Jonz

Daniel Okobi, better known as Kobi Jonz, is a musical artist from Delta State, Nigeria. As a teenager, Kobi was involved in all manner of the arts, writing poetry and performing dance in high school. He began making music in 2009 as a student at Covenant University, where he would release tracks on streaming site Hulkshare. Just before graduating in 2013, he began to gain recognition, and released his first music video, “Takeover”, which was played on SoundCity TV in Nigeria.

After graduating from Covenant with a Bachelor’s in Policy and International Strategy Studies, Kobi began his year of national public service in Ebonyi State and was discovered by Martial Records. With Martial, Kobi won a Lagos audition that led to the release of his first record, “Paddle”, featuring Nigerian artist Falz in 2017. “Paddle” was a turning point in Kobi’s career, and after leaving Martial Records and moving to the United States, Kobi began making music using his own independent label, WeWoke Music Group. Under WeWoke, Kobi released Xylem, his first EP, which amassed over 1.5 million streams over the course of 2018, and later the single “O Gbono”.

Kobi Jonz primarily sings in English, Pidgin, and Yoruba with occasional lyrics in Igbo and French. He cites Fela Kuti, Bob Marley, and Burna Boy as musical influences, and is also inspired by Jay Z, Kanye West, and Sade Adu.

Kobi describes his mission as an artist as encouraging positivity and action in young people, hence the motto, “wake them up”.