Entertainment

People Behind Asake’s Success Revealed

Published

2 years ago

September 3, 2023

Asake’s recent sold-out performance at the O2 Arena sealed his credentials as one of the musical greats in Nigeria, trailing behind only Wizkid, Davido, Burna Boy and perhaps a handful of others. In the last two years, the singer has had a meteoric rise to fame, both locally and internationally. But the music star, Ahmed Ololade’s story can’t be told without mentioning Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Yhemolee, Fireboy, Super Boy Cheque, Chinko Ekun, Blaqbones, Don Jazzy, Tunde Ednut and ultimately, Olamide, the Godfather of YBNL.

His story was told by Yhemolee and highlighted by Sportsdokita Odogwu. According to his friend, Yhemolee, he started off as a floater before gaining admission to read “Dramatic Arts” in Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU). Dramatic Arts didn’t change his life but the friends he met at OAU did and the change was indeed dramatic.

In OAU, Asake met and became friends with Yhemolee, Fireboy, Super Boy Cheque, Chinko Ekun and Blaqbones. They all started their music journey in OAU and in 2016 when they were done with school, life as an adult dawned on them. Yhemolee decided to head back to Lagos after staying two months in school doing nothing, Super Boy Cheque and Asake followed Yhemolee with no concrete plans.

On their way to Lagos, Yhemolee reached out to a friend staying in Ajah who agreed to allow him to squat in his place for a while. When they got to Berger, Yhemolee gave Asake some money and told him to go back to Lagos Island where his family was staying whilst Super Boy Cheque whose parents were staying somewhere in Ogun State stayed with Yhemolee in his friend’s place.

Yhemolee started posting funny videos on IG and got lucky to be reposted by both Don Jazzy and Tunde Ednut in one day blowing up his IG account. He became an influencer and also ventured into crypto during the pandemic and this made him super comfortable and he brought Asake to stay with him.

Asake on the other hand was pursuing his music career dropping singles that were not really “blowing”. By this time, Super Boy Cheque was already signed by Phyno’s record label Penthauze, Chinko and FireBoy were both signed by Olamide into YBNL.

It just looked like Asake was the only one that wasn’t moving up with his music career but he remained consistent and kept on sending messages to Olamide since 2018 begging him to sign him but he never got a reply. Yhemolee, his friend, became a big time “Night life influencer” and one day Olamide sent him a message asking him about another of his friends.

Yhemolee sent the contact to him and decided to shoot his shot at that moment. He told Olamide that he has an artist he would like him to listen to, if possible give him a verse in one of his songs, this was happening in 2022.

Yhemolee told him about Asake and when Olamide asked for him to send him some of Asake’s works Yhemolee immediately sent him “Omo Ope”, Olamide loved the song. Olamide did a verse on the song and sent it to Yhemolee.

Yhemolee called Asake and told him that Olamide has done a verse for him but he didn’t believe it, until he came down to the vehicle and Yhemolee played the Olamide verse for him and you could see tears swell up in Asake’s eyes before he ran out shouting for joy.

He dropped “Omo Ope” featuring Olamide and it was an instant banger.

Olamide invited him to his house and asked him if he would love to join YBNL, Asake agreed on the spot but Olamide told him to go home and get a lawyer first and Asake told him, he doesn’t need one. He got signed to YBNL and the rest they say is history.

In a space of one year, Asake has gone from an upcoming artist to a global artist selling out the O2 Arena in the UK and it’s thanks to a friend.

Even when it looked like his career was lagging behind and others were all moving ahead, his friend stuck by him, supported him and was the connection that changed his life.

Entertainment

Drama As Hilda Baci’s Jollof Pot Falls After GWR Attempt

Published

15 hours ago

September 13, 2025

Editor

It was a shocking sight at Eko Hotel and Suites, Lagos, on Friday night as the giant pot used by celebrity chef Hilda Baci to set a Guinness World Record for the largest serving of Nigerian jollof rice suddenly collapsed after the crane meant to weigh it malfunctioned.

Thousands of people who had waited patiently to feast on the record-breaking rice gasped as the massive structure gave way, bringing a dramatic night to an unforgettable conclusion.

The collapse, however, did not dampen the celebration. Guests had already been served, and many continued eating and cheering late into the night, turning the mishap into another chapter of a historic occasion.

For Hilda, it was still mission accomplished: a brand-new Guinness World Record for cooking the world’s largest pot of Nigerian jollof rice.

The atmosphere throughout the event had been electrifying. Hilda, known for her 2023 Cook-a-thon fame, thrilled over 20,000 fans, food lovers, celebrities, and influencers who packed into the venue for the first-of-its-kind attempt.

Before firing up the stove, she rolled up her sleeves to personally wash the massive red pot, joking with her fans: “Yes, I can officially confirm this pot is squeaky clean! I washed it myself.”

She told journalists that the process was carefully calculated to preserve the dish’s authenticity.

“To keep the authenticity of the jollof rice, I applied some mathematics, and we will still watch it while it is cooking to make sure that everything is right,” she explained.

Moments before the cooking began, Hilda held a short but emotional prayer session with the lead pastor of the Harvesters Church, Bolaji Idowu, setting a solemn tone before the fiery cook-out began.

As the rice simmered, the crowd swelled, with guests beaming in excitement for a taste of the steaming dish.

Notable personalities such as Veekee James, Tomike Adeoye, and Enioluwa joined the celebration, cheering her on. Even Guinness World Records itself showed support, dropping a goodwill message on her Instagram page as the cooking unfolded.

Speaking after the feat, Hilda disclosed that it took nine months of preparation and revealed that the pot, which eventually collapsed, was specially built over two months to handle the enormous task.

She explained that she had originally planned to cook 250 bags of rice, but scaled down to 200 bags, about 4,000 kilograms, due to weighing challenges.

The ingredients also included staggering amounts of tomato paste, onions, oil, and spices, all supplied by food sponsor Gino.

Despite the shocking end, the attempt has already been hailed as one of the boldest food events ever staged in Nigeria.

From the prayers to the pot collapse, from the suspense of the weighing to the feast that followed, Hilda Baci once again proved her knack for turning the ordinary into the extraordinary.

For Lagosians who stayed all night, it was not just about jollof rice but about being part of history and going home with full stomachs and a story they would never forget.

Entertainment

Why I Cooked 200 Bags Of Rice Instead If 250 — Hilda Baci

Published

23 hours ago

September 13, 2025

Editor

Nigerian sensational celebrity chef, Hilda Baci, has revealed why she decided to cook 200 bags of rice instead of the initially planned 250 bags for her Guinness World Record attempt for the largest serving of Nigerian-style Jollof rice.

In a statement, Baci said the decision to scale down the rice quantity was due to technical reasons related to the measuring crane and scale designed to weigh the final dish.

The custom-made pot’s weight, combined with the rice, would exceed the 20,000-kilogram limit of the measuring device.

“If you notice when we started, we weighed the pot and we needed to weigh every single thing that goes into the pot when we’re done.

“The average crane and the measuring device can only weigh 20,000 kilogrammes. It’s safer for me to go below 20,000 kilogrammes so that my scale can carry it all at the same time,” Baci explained.

Despite reducing the quantity, Baci emphasized that the 200 bags of rice cooked still amount to 4,000 kilograms, enough to feed 20,000 people.

“This 4,000 kilogrammes of rice is 200 bags of rice and it will still feed 20,000 people, so we’re still up there,” she said.

The event, which drew a large crowd of food lovers, celebrities, and dignitaries, has taken on the feel of a carnival with music, dancing, and appearances from public figures.

Baci described the feat as the most ambitious of her career, noting that it took almost a year of planning to pull off.

“Honestly, Gino and I figured this whole thing out was hectic. Figuring out how to fabricate the pots, it took Mr Ayo two months to figure out and fabricate the pots. Then it took us about nine months to plan this event and it took us almost nine hours to make the entire meal,” she revealed.

Guinness World Record, the London-based record body, posted a message of encouragement on social media, wishing Baci “best of luck” in her attempt.

The recognition comes just two years after Guinness certified Baci’s 2023 cook-a-thon, which brought her global fame and inspired many young Nigerians to explore the culinary industry.

Entertainment

Why I’m No Longer Stable On Social Media – Davido

Published

1 day ago

September 12, 2025

Editor

Afrobeats singer, David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, has revealed why he is no longer stable on social media.

Davido, who is the most-followed African artist on social media, insinuated that his marriage has forced him to limit his use of social media while responding to a fan who expressed worries over his recent absence from social media.

The fan wrote on X, “Davido never post for over 3 days now. I miss my idolo.”

Responding, the music star wrote, “When u marry u go understand.. lol”

Davido and his wife, Chioma Adeleke, held their white wedding ceremony in Miami, Florida, in August 2025.

The couple marked their one-month wedding anniversary on Thursday, September 11, 2025.

Chioma shared a short clip from their glamorous wedding as she expressed deep gratitude and happiness for the journey so far.

Davido responded with a heartfelt comment, describing their wedding day as “the best day ever.”