Timaya Biography & Net Worth

Inetimi Timaya Odon was born on 15 August 1977 in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. He grew up as part of a large family; the youngest of fifteen children in Agip Estate, Port Harcourt. His father was a banker and his mother was a trader. For his early education, Odon attended Assemblies of God Nursery And Primary School. His secondary school education began at Nkpolu Oroworukwo in Port Harcourt. He would often break house rules to attend late-night music events.

Before Timaya could graduate from school, his mother arranged for him to travel with his older brother and older sister to Lagos. After moving to the city, he gained admission into Lagos’ Ikeja Grammar School, where he eventually obtained a secondary school certificate.

Timaya later returned to Port Harcourt to study Banking and Finance at tertiary level, however, he performed poorly in examinations and dropped out after the first semester. He then moved back to Lagos to join Eedris Abdulkareem’s hip-hop group as a backup vocalist. After three years of working for Eedris, Timaya departed from the group to focus on his solo career.

He began to record collaborations with fellow up-and-coming artists and made his first cameo appearance in an unreleased music video by UDX, a Lagos-based rap group. He subsequently met producer Obaksolo in Mafoluku, Oshodi, who produced his first major hit record “Dem Mama” after hearing him perform the a cappella version.

Timaya gained further visibility and international prominence through his third studio album De Rebirth—released in partnership with Black Body Entertainment—and its lead single “Plantain Boy”. Both were commercially successful. He collaborated with Dem Mama Soldiers on the album LLNP (Long Life N Prosperity). In 2012, Timaya released Upgrade, which spawned hits “Bum Bum”, “Sexy Ladies”, and “Malonogede”. To date, his work has earned him several notable awards and nominations including four Headies Awards wins, 2 AFRIMMA Awards wins, one Nigeria Music Award, and an NEA Award.

Timaya Net Worth

Inetimi Timaya Odon, better known by his stage name, Timaya, is a Nigerian musician, songwriter, and founder of DM Records Limited with an estimated net worth $8 Million, according to Forbes. Timaya is also a brand ambassador to multinational companies, including Globacom and Hennessy (which he announced himself in 2017).