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Who is KiDi and what’s his net worth?
Dennis Nana Dwamena popularly known as KiDi aka Sugar Daddy, aka Golden Boy, aka Gyal dem Sugar is a Ghanaian singer and songwriter born on 18 August 1993 in Accra, Ghana. He’s known for his smooth vocals and blends of Afrobeats with Highlife in his music.
KiDi rose to fame in 2015 when he won the
MTN Hitmaker competition and got signed to Lynx Entertainment. His hit song “Odo” launched him to stardom in 2017, especially after a remix featuring Nigerian artists Davido and Mayorkun.
KiDi’s net worth is approximately $2 million. Converted to Ghana Cedis, that would be ₵25,620,000.00 (twenty-five million six hundred twenty thousand ghanaian cedis). When converted to Naira, it amounts to ₦3,188,680,000.00 (three billion one hundred eighty-eight million six hundred eighty thousand naira). KiDi’s source of income includes sales from his albums, show performance fees, endorsement deals, and revenue from streams on platforms like YouTube.
KiDi’s parents and siblings
KiDi’s parents are Gerald and Beatrice Thompson. His father is of the Kwahu-Abetefi descent and his mother is of the Ga descent.
He lost his father at seven so his mom was the central figure in his life. When asked about how he deals with spiritual attacks during an interview, he said, “I have a prayerful mom. I’m grateful. You see, they’ve told us that when we pray, it’s powerful. But our mom’s prayers are always more. So yes, I do pray, but I believe my mom’s prayers are also up there being heard by God as well”.
He only has two siblings Elliott and Philip and both are younger.
KiDi’s wide, girlfriend, and children
There’s been several rumors about KiDi’s love life. Here are a few women KiDi has been rumored to be in a relationship with.
Ghanaian actress Salma Mumin
After featuring in KiDi’s music video ‘Thunder’, fans started making speculations about the two being up to something romantic. The speculations heightened when Kidi and Salma were spotted having a good time in Kwahu at the Rock City Hotel. From the video and photos that circulated online, KiDi was seen giving Salma some enjoyment as they quad biked together.
However, in an interview, Salma Mumin debunked the dating rumors, stating that she and KiDi don’t have such feelings for each other. According to her, their relationship is not of a romantic nature.
Media personality Anita Akuffo
Media personality Anita Akuffo, sparked rumors of dating with Ghanaian singer KiDi when she joined the #10yearschallenge and shared a photo of them together. In the photo, KiDi was seen holding Anita from behind as if they were a couple. However, Anita dismissed the rumors, stating that she and KiDi have been childhood friends, having attended the same Junior High School.
She emphasized that their connection is solely based on friendship, refuting any romantic involvement. Anita specifically said, “The truth about me and KiDi is that KiDi and I sat in the same class from kindergarten all through to JHS 3, so it was after JHS that he went to Accra Academy and I went to Wesley Grammar. So KiDi and I go way back. So the picture that came up somewhere last year that I posted that y’all thought that I was dating…no no no.”
Ghanaian singer Cina Soul
It has also been rumored that KiDi dated Ghanaian singer Christie Quarcoopome, popularly known as Cina Soul, has been. The speculations arose after a romantic scene in KiDi’s movie “Sugar,” where the two engaged in a passionate kiss.
Despite admitting that KiDi has very soft lips, Cina Soul clarified in an interview with Ola Michael on Okay FM that they are not dating. She revealed that they have been great friends since their University days, emphasizing the absence of a romantic relationship between them.
KiDi’s baby mama
KiDi co-parents his child, Zane Dwamena, with his baby mama, Babette Van Aalst. Although they used to date, they are no longer together.
Babette, KiDi’s baby mama, is of mixed-race Ghanaian heritage. She runs her own business called Loaves and Fish Studio, specializing in the production of TV commercials, music videos, and other related content.
KiDi’s son, Zayne
Zayne was born on November 28, 2016. The public wasn’t aware of this till three years later in 2019. KiDi kept the birth of Zayne secret and he says the reason is because he was scared of people judging his morals based on the fact that he had the child out of wedlock. Asked why he finally opened up about the child, he said he had become mentally stable and able to deal with the public. KiDi emphasized that he loves Zayne so much and the young lad has brought so much happiness and blessings to him.
KiDi’s educational background
KiDi studied at St. Anthony’s School in Accra before continuing his Senior High School education at Accra Academy. Subsequently, he pursued higher education at the University of Ghana Legon, graduating in 2016 with a degree in Economics and Information Studies.
KiDi’s life before fame
KiDi’s musical journey has been progressive and he’s been putting in the work from his early days.
When he was in high school, he joined a hip-hop music band called ABC, meaning Ace Boot Camp. Being the only singer in the midst of the rappers he was responsible for coming up with the best hooks for their songs. Looking back, he said, “Yeah, I always come up with the best hooks for them, so whenever I meet my high school friends like reunions and stuff, now they’re like, ‘wow, you’re actually pursuing your dreams. You were doing this with us in high school’. It’s crazy when you are in somebody’s life and you see them start and also see them buzzing later”.
Talking about university days and Moonlight Cafe, KiDi said, “When I came to university, I got the opportunity to perform at Moonlight Cafe and that was like university level fame where once a year people pay to buy tickets to come watch live bands, poetry, comedy and stuff. That’s where I started building myself from, because that’s my first point of fame.
But I won’t call that fame even as I said fame because people really didn’t know me”.
One thing you have to note is that KiDi was not writing songs at this time, he was rather recording covers for popular songs.
So from Moonlight Cafe, KiDi competed at The MTN Hitmaker season 4 in 2015. (Launched by MTN Ghana in 2011, the MTN Hitmaker is a music competition for upcoming Ghanaian musicians.)
As you already know, KiDi won the contest and afterwards got signed to Lynx Entertainment.
KiDi’s life after fame

KiDi became more recognised in 2017 when he composed and produced the single “Say You Love Me”. This marked the start of a higher level for him in the Ghanaian music landscape. Building on this achievement, he further established himself as a fast emerging star by producing chart-toppers like “Odo” in July 2017, with a remix featuring Nigerian artists Davido and Mayorkun in December 2017, and “Adiepena” in April 2018.
Since then, KiDi has graced various stages, including the 2017 Rapperholic Concert, Ghana Music Honors 2017 Edition, December to Remember 2017, S Concert 2017, and the 61st Ghana Independence Celebration Show in March 2018 at the Indigo 02 in London. Sharing the limelight with esteemed African artists such as Sarkodie, Samini, Shatta Wale, MzVee, WizKid, Tiwa Savage, Efya, and Patoranking, his performances have been nothing short of captivating.
In 2018, KiDi secured six nominations at the Vodafone Ghana Music Awards, ultimately winning the coveted ‘High-life Song of the Year’ award. His impressive accolades continued as he claimed the title of Artiste of the 5th Edition of the 3Music Awards and VGMA 2022.
Beyond showcasing his vocal prowess, KiDi has delved into production, collaborating with renowned Ghanaian producer Richie Mensah. His musical contributions extend to tracks for artists like Tic tac, Ko-Jo Cue, Magnom, and Kwesi Arthur. KiDi’s versatility also encompasses songwriting, having penned compositions for notable Ghanaian talents, including award-winning MzVee and Adina.
5 questions and answers on KiDi’s life
How did KiDi cope without a father figure in his life?
How KiDi coped with this challenge is what we can’t tell but it was really a tough one for him even as an adult. He gave clues to this when speaking at an interview saying, “…I know what it’s like right now. Sometimes I would want my dad. No matter how grown you are, sometimes you want a word from a man, you know. And I didn’t have that for some part of my life. But I would want my son to always have that, you know, forever”.
KiDi is often working with a lot of people in the industry, why is that?
Well, two heads are better than one right? And creativity is an important factor in the music industry, isn’t it? So KiDi makes some of his beats himself and lets the producers do some others too. In his own words, “I always know that no matter how much of a genius I think I am, there is genius in somebody’s head too. So I always like bringing another genius to come and help what I’m doing, no matter how great I think it is. My goal is to be the best. If I have to take ten people to get the best, I’ll take ten people to get the best. That’s the most important thing”.
What’s KiDi’s take on the argument that Ghanaian Afrobeat is better or not as good as that of the rest of Africa?
Since KiDi is Ghanaian, it’s easy to imagine him supporting his people but as a matter of fact, he doesn’t even see the need for such an argument in the first place. To him, it’s unnecessary, KiDi expressed himself about this subject saying, “I’ve said before that I think this is a wrong way to attack this whole thing.
“I think it’s embarrassing for people to always be battling about who is and who is not. I don’t understand it. There’s other things we could focus our energy on. If somebody’s doing something that is great, you learn the great thing and add it to your own special thing. There’s no need to fight. It’s not important”.
What artists did KiDi listen to when growing up?
You know KiDi started singing from the church right? So he was often listening to Don Moen. Yes, you read that right, he listened to Don Moen a lot.
He also loved RnB so the likes of Psquare and 2 Baba made a good listening experience for him too.
What’s the meaning of KiDi?

In the Volta part of Ghana, Kidi is a drum – like kidi drum. This drum is the centerpiece of all cultural performances in the area as it gives life, harmony, and rhythm to their acts and songs. Taking that into consideration, we can say KiDi considers himself the life of the party. Without him and his music the essence of the party is lost.
Meanwhile, did you know that KiDi’s first stage name was Eduardo? Here’s how KiDi narrates the back story, “When I was in high school, I used to write letters a lot, you know, to like my female friends in some of the other schools. And then some of my other male friends used to pay me to write their letters, you know, because I had the vibes, had the words, and I provided value for my service.
I won’t just write the letter for you. I’ll design your letter and make your letter look like effort was put into it. I used to draw stuff like flowers. And you know, all of those things, they considered me romantic. And there’s that, they called me Eduado…”
Hmm…KiDi aka Sugar Daddy, aka Gyal dem Sugar.
Anyways, KiDi soon changed the name after he searched himself on the Internet and saw that Eduardo was a very generic name (just as generic and popular as Precious). That caused him to realize the enormous work he had to do to become the number one Eduardo on the internet so he started looking for an alternative and eventually switched from Eduardo to KiDi.
KiDi’s Controversies
And a fan was ignored…
After a show in Ghana, Obaa Cee, a popular TikToker and fan, tried to record a video with KiDi. Despite standing beside him and persistently calling his name to get his attention, KiDi ignored Obaa Cee and refused to look at the camera. The clip quickly spread online triggering reactions from Ghanaians who voiced their dissatisfaction with KiDi’s behavior, deeming it rude and inappropriate for a public figure.
Ga women are gossips
During a conversation with Jacinta on the program “Area Code”, Kidi was asked what he’d love to change about Akotolante, the locality he grew up in. In response, KiDi said, “I think about the state of living. As you can see a lot of people who live here don’t do anything. Like they just sit by and gossip. The Ga women, they know how to gossip”.
While KiDi didn’t mean that as an insult, the public took offense and it became a controversial subject.
Haunted by old tweets
In 2022 when KiDi was preparing for the release of his EP, ‘4Play’; past controversial tweets of him attacking other celebrities resurfaced on the internet. He had to apologize to Ghanaians and the celebrities he had attacked. In the apology which he posted on X, he said, “Years ago when I was young and ignorant and didn’t understand the implications and consequences of my words, I tweeted things that were inappropriate and unkind.
“As I matured, I came to be extremely regretful of these actions and how they affected the parties involved. I want to apologize again to everyone for the statements I made, and use this to remind us all to be mindful of the things we say and how they affect people. Let’s be kind to each other”.
KiDi’s discography
Albums
2019 – Sugar
2021 – The Golden Boy
EPs
2020 – Blue
2022 – 4Play
Singles
2015
- Drunk
- Never Again
2016
- Awurama
- Bleed
2017
- Say You Love Me
- Odo
- Twist
- Odo remix feat Davido and Mayorkun
2028
- Adiepena
- Thunder
2019
- Badman
2020
- All My Love
- Enjoyment
- Say Cheese – Remix
2021
- Touch It
- Off You
- Spiritual
2022
- Champagne
- Blessed
- Touch It – Remix
KiDi’s awards, nominations, and recognitions
Nominations
2017
- Odo was nominated for Best Discovery Video by 4syte Music Video Awards
2018
- Say You Love Me was nominated for Afropop Song of the Year by Ghana Music Awards
- Odo was nominated for Song of the Year by Ghana Music Awards
- He was nominated for three awards Best New Artiste, Highlife Artiste of the Year, and Best Male Vocalist by Ghana Music Awards
- Ghana Music Awards (UK) nominated him for five awards Best New Artist of the Year, Artist of the Year, Best Male Vocalist, Highlife Artist of the Year, Highlife Song of the Year
- 3Music Awards nominated him for two awards Male Act of the Year and Breakout Act of the Year
- 3Music Awards nominated Odo for Song of the Year
2019
- Nominated for Highlife Artist of the Year by Ghana Music Awards
- Thunder was nominated for Highlife Song of the Year and Song of the Year by Ghana Music Awards
- 3Music Awards (UK) nominated him for Highlife Act of the Year
- 4syte TV Music Video Awards nominated Cinderella for Best Edited Video
2020 (All nominations from Ghana Music Awards)
- Nominated for Male Vocalist of the Year and Highlife Artist of the Year
- Mr Badman was nominated for Afrobeats Song of the Year
- Ɔhemaa (with Kuami Eugene) was nominated for Best Collaboration of the Year
- Mr Badman (ft Kwesi Arthur) was also nominated for Best Collaboration of the Year
- Cinderella (ft Mayorkun & Peruzzi) was nominated for International Collaboration of the Year
- Sugar Daddy (ft Mr Eazi) was also nominated for International Collaboration of the Year
2021 (All nominations from Vodafone Ghana Music Awards)
- Say Cheese was nominated for Most Popular Song of the Year
- Enjoyment was also nominated for Most Popular Song of the Year
- One Man (ft Adina) was nominated for Collaboration of the Year
- He was nominated for Artiste of the Year and Best Male Vocal Performance
2022
- He was nominated for Best West African Artiste of the Year by The Headies
2022 (All nominations from Vodafone Ghana Music Awards)
- Spiritual ft. Kuami Eugene, Patoranking was nominated for International Collaboration of the Year
- Bad Things was nominated for Best Male Vocal Performance
- Mon Bebe was nominated for Best Afrobeats Song
Awards
2018
- Odo won Highlife Song of the Year at the Ghana Music Awards
- He won Most eventful Snapchat channel at 3Music Awards
- He received Best Artiste Duo or Group in Africa Contemporary from AFRIMA
2019
- He won Best Male Vocalist for the track Thunder at the Ghana Music Awards
- He received Best Male Vocal Performance for Fakyɛ Me (meaning-Forgive Me) at 3Music Awards
2020
- Sugar won Album of the Year at the Ghana Music Awards
2021
- Enjoyment won Afro Beat Song of the Year and Song of the Year at 3Music Awards
- BLUE won EP of the Year at 3Music Awards
- He won Artist of the Year also at 3Music Awards
- Say Cheese won Afrobeat/Afropop Song of the Year from Vodafone Ghana Music Awards
- He won Afrobeat/Afropop Artist of the Year at Vodafone Ghana Music Awards
- Enjoyment won Best Highlife Song also at the Vodafone Ghana Music Awards
- BLUE won EP of the Year still at Vodafone Ghana Music Awards
2022 (All awards from Vodafone Ghana Music Awards)
- He won Afrobeats/AfroPop Artiste and also won Artiste of the Year
- Touch It won Best Reggae/Dancehall Song of the Year and also won Most Popular Song of the Year
- Mon Bebe won Video of the Year
- The Golden Boy won Album of the Year
KiDi’s net worth and assets
KiDi’s net worth
KiDi possesses an estimated net worth of $2 million, equivalent to approximately ₵25,620,000.00 in Ghanaian Cedis (twenty-five million six hundred twenty thousand ghanaian cedis) and ₦3,188,680,000.00 in Nigerian Naira (three billion one hundred eighty-eight million six hundred eighty thousand naira). His financial sources include revenue from album sales, earnings from show performances, endorsement deals, and income generated from platforms like YouTube.
KiDi’s house
Based on information from Ghana Education, KiDi owns two luxury mansions in East-Legon, Ghana.
KiDi’s cars
In 2019, KiDi shared a photo of a customized car plate at Kelly Motors with his name KiDi written on it. He titled the photo ‘If you know you know’. This suggests that he either got a car back then or had plans to buy one.
Few lessons you can learn from KiDi’s life
- Persistence and hard work pays: KiDi’s journey to fame started with winning the MTN Hitmaker competition in 2015. His early involvement in a hip-hop music band during high school and subsequent performances at Moonlight Cafe in university showcase his dedication and continuous efforts to pursue his musical passion. While you’re waiting for that big break; work on your skills persistently so you can deliver well when the opportunity comes.
- Versatility: KiDi not only excels as a singer but also explores other aspects of the music industry. He is involved in production and has contributed to tracks for various artists. His versatility extends to songwriting to the, demonstrating that you can be multiple things in your chosen field.
- Take yourself into consideration when making decisions: KiDi shared his decision to keep his son’s birth private. This reflects a careful consideration of the public’s perception and his own readiness to handle such matters. Be kind to yourself, understand what you can cope with, what you can’t, and don’t take up tasks you can’t bear. Better to do it later than to break trying to do it now.
- Humility and collaboration: KiDi’s approach to collaboration in the music industry reflects humility and a willingness to learn from others. He acknowledges that seeking input from other talented individuals contributes to creating the best possible work. Two heads are better than one.
- Positive response to criticism: KiDi’s response to arguments about the quality of Ghanaian Afrobeat compared to other African countries showcases a positive attitude. Instead of engaging in unnecessary debates, he encourages learning and collaboration to improve and enhance the music scene collectively. As an individual, don’t waste your time comparing yourself to others and don’t try to bring anyone down because you feel they’re better than you. Instead, learn and get better at your craft.