Entertainment

People Behind Asake’s Success Revealed

Published

9 months 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

Tears, As Jnr. Pope Is Laid To Rest In Enugu

Published

22 hours ago

May 17, 2024

Editor

The sleepy town of Uwala Abaka, Ukehe, in Nsukka, Igboetiti Local Government Area of Enugu State, was enveloped by sadness and grief, as the remains of one of their illustrious sons, actor John Odonwodo, popularly known as Junior Pope was laid to rest.

The burial rites commenced at 10 am with a commendation mass at St. Peter’s Catholic Parish, Ukehe, and lying-in-state at his father’s compound, where family members, well-wishers, colleagues and friends had the final glimpse of the late actor before the body was moved to a private venue for internment at about 1.30 pm.

The atmosphere at the burial ceremony was somber as colleagues and fans gathered to pay their final respects to the late actor.

The late actor’s wife, Jennifer Awele couldn’t back tears as she was sighted weeping profusely at the commencement of the final funeral procession.

Her first son, who was trying to console his mother by wiping the tears off her face, equally broke down in tears. Unfortunately, some of the A-list actors and actresses, including the leadership of the Actors Guild of Nigeria, AGN, were visibly missing at the burial ceremony.

The 43-year-old actor died alongside four other people on April 10, after their boat capsized in the Anam River, in Anambra State, while returning from a movie shoot.

Speaking at the burial ceremony, veteran actress Rita Edochie said that she was heartbroken when she heard the sad news of Junior Pope’s death.

Entertainment

Spiderman: Reactions As Portable Releases New Track Following Arrest [Listen To Audio]

Published

23 hours ago

May 17, 2024

Editor

Street-pop artiste, Habeeb Okikiola, popularly known as Portable, has released a new song following his recent arrest by the Lagos State Police Command for failing to settle a debt related to the purchase of a G-Wagon.

It was gathered that Portable had paid only N13 million after purchasing the vehicle, which was worth N27 million. He was said to have refused to pay the N14 million balance.

Recall that the Lagos State police command released the singer on bail, on Thursday, after spending a night in custody.

Portable, in an Instagram post on Thursday, released a snippet of a new song, Spider Man.

The song, produced by 2tuponthebeat, hints at the singer’s agility and ability to “fly” over obstacles, referencing how he evaded arrest by jumping over a gate.

Recall that Portable released the track ‘I’m Not A Prisoner’ following his arrest in 2023 after failing to honour several police invitations.

Nigerians react

Portable just dropped a new song. He used the voice over from his arrest video as the intro. I said it yesterday, this guy doesn’t disappoint. Spiderman.

— OLAMIDE 🌸💖 (@Olamide0fficial) May 16, 2024
Portable don drop new song called Spiderman. He even used the voice over from his arrest video as the intro. You can’t shame the shameless.

— ✞ (@Deyvxxd_)
If all artists turned their experiences into songs like Portable does, they won’t struggle with their catalogue.

— Oluwatomisin 🦋 (@tomifab_)

It’s a bad thing to owe, evade arrest and to be an “Onigbese”.But Portable knows how to flip the narrative in his favour.

He understands that attention is the currency of marketing.#portable#spiderman

— Kehinde Ajose (@iamkenniajose)

In this era, it’s never about how good or talented you are anymore; it’s more about how long you can hold people’s attention. Interestingly, Portable has been able to do that consistently since he got his break in 2021 and has chosen not to leave the limelight anytime soon.

Watch video:

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Entertainment

[FULL LIST] BET Awards 2024: Burna Boy, Asake, Others Bag Nominations As Drake, Nicki Minaj Lead

Published

2 days ago

May 16, 2024

Editor

Afrobeats superstar, Damini Ogulu, aka Burna Boy has secured two nominations for the 2024 BET Awards.

The ‘African giant’ featured in the Best Male Hip Hop Artist and Best Male R&B/POP Artist categories.

The singer is joined by fellow Nigerian acts – Asake, Ayra Starr and Seyi Vibez.

BET announced the 2024 BET Awards nominees on Thursday as Drake leads the nominations with seven, while Nicki Minaj has six.

BET also announced the performance lineup for this year’s awards, including GloRilla, Latto, Muni Long, Sexyy Red, Shaboozey, and Victoria Monét.

The BET Awards 2024, will air live on BET on Sunday, June 30, 2024, at 8 p.m. (European Time).

See the full list of nominations below:

BEST MALE HIP HOP ARTIST

21 Savage
Burna Boy
Drake
Future
Gunna
J. Cole
Kendrick Lamar
Lil Wayne

BEST FEMALE HIP HOP ARTIST

Cardi B
Doja Cat
GloRilla
Ice Spice
Latto
Megan Thee Stallion
Nicki Minaj
Sexyy Red

BEST INTERNATIONAL ACT

Asake (Africa)
Aya Nakamura (France)
Ayra Starr (Africa)
Bk’ (Brazil)
Cleo Sol (UK)
Focalistic (Africa)
Karol Conká (Brazil)
Raye (UK)
Tiakola (France)
Tyla (Africa)

BEST NEW ARTIST

41
4batz
Ayra Starr
Bossman Dlow
Fridayy
October London
Sexyy Red
Tyla

ALBUM OF THE YEAR

11:11, Chris Brown
A Gift & A Curse, Gunna
American Dream, 21 Savage
Coming Home, Usher
For All The Dogs (Scary Hours Edition), Drake
Jaguar Ii, Victoria Monét
Michael, Killer Mike
Pink Friday 2, Nicki Minaj

BEST FEMALE R&B/POP ARTIST

Beyoncé
Coco Jones
Doja Cat
H.E.R.
Muni Long
Sza
Tyla
Victoria Monét

BEST MALE R&B/POP ARTIST

Brent Faiyaz
Bryson Tiller
Burna Boy
Chris Brown
Drake
Fridayy
October London
Usher

BEST GROUP

¥$, Ye, Ty Dolla $Ign
2 Chainz & Lil Wayne
41
Blxst & Bino Rideaux
City Girls
Flo
Maverick City Music
Wanmor

BEST COLLABORATION

All My Life, Lil Durk Feat. J. Cole
America Has A Problem (Remix, Beyoncé Feat. Kendrick Lamar
Barbie World, Nicki Minaj & Ice Spice (With Aqua)
Bongos, Cardi B Feat. Megan Thee Stallion
Carnival, ¥$, Ye, Ty Dolla $Ign Feat. Rich The Kid, Playboi Carti
Don’t Play With It (Remix), Lola Brooke Feat. Latto & Yung Miami
Everybody, Nicki Minaj Feat. Lil Uzi Vert
Good Good, Usher, Summer Walker & 21 Savage
Rich Baby Daddy, Drake Feat. Sexyy Red & Sza

VIDEO OF THE YEAR

Agora Hills, Doja Cat
All My Life, Lil Durk Feat. J. Cole
Barbie World, Nicki Minaj & Ice Spice (With Aqua)

Bongos, Cardi B Feat. Megan Thee Stallion

First Person Shooter, Drake Feat. J. Cole
Good Good, Usher, Summer Walker & 21 Savage
On My Mama, Victoria Monét
Rich Baby Daddy, Drake Feat. Sexyy Red & Sza

VIDEO DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR

Benny Boom
Child.
Cole Bennett
Dave Meyers
Janelle Monáe & Alan Ferguson
Offset
Tems
Tyler, The Creator

DR. BOBBY JONES BEST GOSPEL/INSPIRATIONAL AWARD

Award All Of The Glory, Shirley Caesar
All Things, Kirk Franklin
Angel, Halle Bailey
Come Jesus Come, Cece Winans
Do You Believe In Love?, Erica Campbell
God Problems, Maverick City Music, Naomi Raine & Chandler Moore
Me & U, Tems
Try Love, Kirk Franklin

VIEWER’S CHOICE AWARD

Agora Hills, Doja Cat
All My Life, Lil Durk Feat. J. Cole
Gunna, Fukumean
Lovin On Me, Jack Harlow
Made For Me, Muni Long
On My Mama, Victoria Monét
Rich Baby Daddy, Drake Feat. Sexyy Red & Sza
Sensational, Chris Brown Feat. Davido & Lojay
Texas Hold ‘Em, Beyoncé
Water, Tyla

VIEWER’S CHOICE: BEST NEW INTERNATIONAL ACT

Bellah (UK)
Cristale (UK)
Duquesa (Brazil)
Holly G (France)
Jungeli (France)
Makhadzi (Africa)
Oruam (Brazil)
Seyi Vibez (Africa)
Tyler Icu (Africa)

BET HER

16 Carriages, Beyoncé
Blessings, Nicki Minaj Feat. Tasha Cobbs Leonard
Commas, Ayra Starr
Fly Girl, Flo Feat. Missy Elliott
Hiss, Megan Thee Stallion
On My Mama, Victoria Monét
Saturn, Sza
Yeah Glo!, GloRilla

BEST MOVIE

American Fiction
Bob Marley: One Love
Renaissance: A Film By Beyoncé
Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse
The Book Of Clarence
The Color Purple
The Equalizer 3
The Little Mermaid

BEST ACTOR

Anthony Mackie
Colman Domingo
Damson Idris
Denzel Washington
Donald Glover
Idris Elba
Jeffrey Wright
Lakeith Stanfield

BEST ACTRESS

Angela Bassett
Ayo Edebiri
Coco Jones
Danielle Brooks
Fantasia
Halle Bailey
Issa Rae
Regina King

YOUNGSTARS AWARD

Akira Akbar
Blue Ivy Carter
Demi Singleton
Heiress Diana Harris
Jabria Mccullum
Jalyn Hall
Leah Jeffries
Van Van

SPORTSMAN OF THE YEAR AWARD

Anthony Edwards
Gervonta Davis
Jalen Brunson
Jalen Hurts
Kyrie Irving
Lebron James
Patrick Mahomes
Stephen Curry

SPORTSWOMAN OF THE YEAR AWARD

A’ja Wilson
Angel Reese
Coco Gauff
Flau’jae Johnson
Juju Watkins
Naomi Osaka
Sha’carri Richardson
Simone Biles