Entertainment

Actor Jim Iyke Reveals Reason Why Nollywood Filmmakers Banned Him For 2 Years

Ace Nigerian actor Jim Iyke has revealed how a group of Nollywood film producers and directors made the decision to stop casting him after he stood up for his colleagues who were poorly paid for their craft.

Jim Iyke made this revelation at the International Youth Empowerment Summit held in Accra, Ghana. In the circumstance that played out in the year 2004, the actor described how he stood up to a group of Nollywood filmmakers who had begun making an enormous profit off of Nollywood films, demanding that his colleagues who were upcoming in the industry be better paid for their service.

Iyke’s demands were met with deaf ears, after which he called some actors in the industry, asking that they demand more pay. In response to Iyke’s actions, the Nollywood filmmakers decided to stop casting Jim Iyke, as well as other actors who had heeded his advice and begun demanding higher pay for their service. According to Jim, these actors who were labeled G8 included, Jim Iyke, Ramsey Nouah, Emeka Ike, Richard Mofe Damijo, Nkem Owoh, Genevieve Nnaji, Stella Damasus, and Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde.

“Apparently, our producers were becoming multi-millionaires and the actors, not me, I mean guys that were slightly lower, were struggling,” Jim said at the summit.

“…And so, I called the group and said, we need to change the structure, without us they don’t exist. We are the ones the fans know. We have the gift and the talent why should they be earning more than us?”

According to Iyke, the Nollywood producers maintained that they were the ones who made the actors and that the actors were nothing without them, thus, they were to be satisfied with whatever pay they offered them.

The actor explained that the filmmakers were forced to eat their own words after dwindling profits forced them to call back the G8 actors they had backlisted.

Jim further explained that the reason he was bold enough to stand up to the producers was because, unlike most of his colleagues, he did not owe his success and rise in the industry to any particular person, but sheer hard work and his refusal to settle for small roles.

“On the negotiating table, everybody had something to say. I made you, without me, you wouldn’t have been that. I gave you, your first chance. My colleagues kept quiet because everybody had a leaning, had somebody to point at to say without you I wouldn’t have been whatever it is that I became.”

“So, I said one thing, can somebody stand up and truthfully claim that without them I wouldn’t have come up. Not one person. Because I knew how I started. I knew the belief that I had… I refused to do small roles. For the first 2 to 3 years of my career, they kept giving me small roles and I refused them. I said if it is not a major lead then I’m not doing it.”

Jim Iyke who described the ban as a blessing is one of the few “old Nollywood” actors who successfully transitioned to the “new Nollywood.” Unlike some of his colleagues, Jim Iyke seemed to have properly managed his career as he still remains relevant in the industry. Lucrative endorsement deals and shrewd business choices have helped to keep Iyke’s wealth afloat.

Celebs

‘I smoked 40 sticks a day for 13 years’: Ebuka opens up on nicotine addiction as Banky W revisits porn struggle

Ebuka Obi-Uchendu says he smoked up to 40 cigarettes daily for 13 years, while Banky W revisited his past pornography addiction on Mentality with Ebuka. Ebuka Obi-Uchendu has revealed that he began smoking in JSS3 and spent the next 13 years addicted to cigarettes, reaching a peak of two packs, roughly 40 sticks, every single day by the time he was in university.

The television host disclosed the latest episode of his podcast Mentality with Ebuka, which aired on Friday, May 22. The episode featured singer and pastor Banky W and medical content creator Aproko Doctor in a candid conversation about addiction, its origins, and the long road out of it.

“I started smoking in JSS3, which is crazy young,” Ebuka said. “It was basically peer pressure, wanting to prove myself, wanting to belong. By the time I was done with secondary school, I had become full-on. Got into university, and by university, I was doing about two packs a day. That’s about 40 sticks of cigarettes every single day.”

He added that his exit from the habit was less a dramatic decision and more a test of willpower. “The last stick of cigarettes I had was in February 2008. I didn’t quit. I just kept saying let me see how much longer I will hold out for, and now it’s been almost 18 years.”

Banky W used the same platform to revisit a confession he had made publicly before, his years-long struggle with pornography addiction, tracing it back to a freshman dormitory in a New York university where a classmate had shared an open hard drive filled with explicit content accessible to the entire floor.

“I wonder how many of us got trapped in that moment,” he said. He described the experience of trying to stop as a confrontation with something far more entrenched than he had anticipated.

“When it’s now time to stop, you realise you’re dealing with demons that are much stronger than you. That was where the reality dawned on me.” He said it took a deliberate journey to reach a place of freedom, and that he has since addressed the issue openly from the pulpit, part of what he described as a growing willingness among pastors to tackle subjects previously considered too uncomfortable for the church.

The episode is the latest in Ebuka’s Mentality series, which has carved out a space for honest, personal conversations that Nigerian public figures rarely have on record.

Entertainment

Kizz Daniel announces that he will be releasing two albums in 2026

After posting his initially scheduled ‘Uncle K’ album in 2025, the hitmaker is making up for it by releasing two projects in 2026. Afrobeats superstar Kizz Daniel is gearing up for a busy year as he announces plans to release two albums.

On May 15, 2026, the hitmaker shared a post on his Instagram story unveiling the titles of two albums he intends to release later in the year. The revelation comes days after he teased what’s expected to be his first release of the year.

“Two albums this year. Thanks for your love and patience,” he posted on his Instagram story.

The prospective projects titled ‘Uncle K’ and ‘Radio Gidi’ will be a follow-up to his 2025 EP ‘Uncle K: Lemon Chase’, which had 7 tracks with guest appearances from FOLA, rapper Odumodublvk, and street pop star Bella Shmurda.

Back in 2025, the award-winning star had earlier shared his plans to release the album ‘Uncle K’ before postponing it after losing his mother-in-law and later releasing the EP that serves as a teaser for what listeners should expect.

With two albums scheduled for 2026, Kizz Daniel appears to be making up for not releasing an LP since the 20-track album ‘Maverick’ in July 2023. In 2024, he dazzled with the hit-filled four-track EP ‘TZA,’ which spawned the hit records ‘Sooner,’ ‘Too Busy To Be Bae,’ and ‘Twe Twe.’

Known for his ability to coin hit records that ride on the familiarity of language and musical simplicity to attract listeners across demographics, fans will be expecting a handful of hit records from his upcoming album.

So far in 2026, he has delivered a guest verse on G4ZI’s ‘Energy’. With his upcoming single expected to be released in the coming weeks, he appears ready for an explosive summer.

In a career that has spanned a decade, Kizz Daniel has become one of Afrobeats’ most reliable hitmakers, with his music finding eager listenership among millions of fans drawn to his witty lyricism and catchy melodies.

Celebs

Asake Drops fourth studio album M$NEY, featuring DJ Snake, Tiakola Amongst Others

Four albums in, two Grammy nominations to his name, the most entries on the Billboard U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart, and the most-streamed artist on Spotify Nigeria, Asake drops M$NEY, his fourth studio album released on the 1st of May via GIRAN REPUBLIC and EMPIRE.

The 13-track project is Asake’s most sonically varied to date. It opens with a live choral performance (an unusual choice that immediately signals this is not going to be a straightforward Afrobeats record) and moves through orchestral arrangements, jazz-tinged strings, dance production, and amapiano before it is done.

Speaking on the album, Asake said: “M$NEY is a reflection of my spiritual and creative journey. Everything flows from a place of gratitude to God, and every moment that’s shaped me. I stay true to myself but also weave in new creative expressions from my life experiences and personal evolution.”

Fans got their first taste of the project as far back as February 2025 with ‘Why Love’, followed by ‘Badman Gangsta’ featuring French artist Tiakola, a track built around a reimagined sample of Amerie’s ‘1 Thing’ that turned out to be one of the more interesting sonic swings of his singles run.

Then came ‘Worship’ with DJ Snake, which pushed the project into full cross-continental territory.

The full album expands on all of that. Outside the previously released singles, the album includes ‘Gratitude’, ‘Forgiveness’, and ‘Asambe’, a collaboration with South African amapiano producer Kabza De Small. It’s a pairing that will likely draw attention, given both artists’ standing in their respective markets.

The album artwork was created by Iraqi-Dutch artist Arthar Jabar.