Connect with us

Entertainment

Why I Refused To Rap In English For Global Validation – Olamide

When the conversation around Nigerian hip hop legends arises, Olamide Badoo’s name sits firmly at the top of the list.

From his breakout in the early 2010s to becoming a full-blown cultural force, Olamide Gbenga Adedeji has built an empire around authenticity, consistency, and a fearless embrace of his roots.

The YBNL boss is not only responsible for his own catalogue of timeless street anthems, but for discovering and nurturing some of the country’s biggest modern stars, from Lil Kesh to Fireboy DML to Asake.

What sets Olamide apart isn’t just his ear for hits or his dominance on the charts. It is his refusal to conform. In an era when many Nigerian artists switched to English or diluted their sound in search of international recognition, Olamide doubled down on the streets that made him.

During a recent interview with Eddie Kaddi on BBC Radio 1 Extra, Olamide spoke candidly about the philosophy behind his decision to rap in his native language rather than switching to English for global appeal.

His words revealed a sense of pride that goes beyond music.

He said: “Growing up and seeing the likes of Awilo Longomba doing his thing, Brenda Fassi (…). These people never tried to infuse English by force or anything. They were just doing their thing. Key thing is you have to identify your audience. Once you identify your audience, then the rest of the world are going to catch up eventually. So I have to stay true to myself no matter what it is, where it is in this world.”

The 36-year-old star added: “I’m a Naija boy. If I want to wear my Agbada and my Dashiki, I will do it. Let them know what I’m really all about — my heritage, my lineage, my culture, my food. You just have to stay true to yourself and that’s the only way you can become comfortable in life. I’m comfortable in my skin, I’m a Naija guy, Yoruba boy. I’ve got H-factor and all that. And I’m proud about it.”

That statement alone captures the very essence of Olamide’s career, a superb balance of street confidence, cultural loyalty, and an unshakeable belief in himself.

It is the same attitude that has fuelled his rise from Bariga to global acclaim, without ever having to abandon his linguistic or sonic identity.

Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Entertainment

Adekunle Gold surprises Simi with Mercedes-Benz GLE and diamond ring for her 38th birthday

Afrobeats hitmaker Adekunle Gold marked his wife Simi’s 38th birthday on April 19 with a surprise gift of a brand new Mercedes-Benz GLE and a diamond ring, in a moment that has since circulated widely across social media.

A video shared by Adekunle Gold on his Instagram page captured the moment the award-winning singer Simi walked out to find the luxury vehicle, visibly overcome with emotion, before embracing her husband. The clip spread rapidly online, drawing warm reactions from fans and fellow entertainers.

The gesture comes at a particularly eventful period for the couple. Just days after welcoming their second child in March, Adekunle Gold had made headlines for acquiring two new Mercedes-Benz vehicles, which he named “Taye” and “Kehinde”, the Yoruba terms for twins.
The birthday gift to Simi follows in that vein, reflecting what has been a notably celebratory season for the household.

Simi, for her part, had taken to social media earlier in the day to mark the occasion independently. In a post, she described the past year as “a pretty big, long, heavy, blessed year,” expressing gratitude for her faith and the people closest to her. The surprise that followed appeared to be entirely unscripted.

This is not the first time Adekunle Gold has made a public gesture of this nature on his wife’s birthday. On her 35th birthday in April 2023, he presented her with a multimillion naira customised diamond necklace bearing her name, a moment that similarly trended online. The pattern has come to define how the couple marks the date each year.

Their relationship has been a fixture of public interest since they first came to prominence as a couple. The two began dating in 2014, maintained a private relationship for five years, and married on January 9, 2019.

They celebrated their seventh wedding anniversary in January 2026 and welcomed their second child the following March. Despite sustained public attention and periodic online speculation about their relationship, the couple has remained a consistent presence in each other’s lives and work.

Continue Reading

Entertainment

Kanayo O. Kanayo demands lifetime streaming royalties for Nollywood stars

Veteran Nollywood actor Kanayo O. Kanayo has stirred up a conversation the industry has been quietly avoiding for years. The award-winning actor and lawyer recently proposed that the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN) implement a policy mandating lifetime royalty payments for all Nigerian actors and actresses featured in films uploaded to streaming platforms.

He also called for a dedicated agency to oversee and enforce compliance nationwide, arguing it would ensure performers earn from their craft long after the cameras stop rolling. The timing of the proposal is telling. Stories of financial ruin among once-beloved Nigerian actors have become alarmingly common.

Last month, veteran actor Abiodun Ayoyinka, widely known as Papa Ajasco, spoke openly about his financial struggles despite decades in the industry.

Two years prior, Hanks Anuku made headlines with public pleas for financial assistance after falling on hard times post-Nollywood.

Patience Ozokwor recently put it bluntly: “The reason why Nollywood actors and actresses are poor is that we don’t get royalties for what we do, we only get paid for our appearance at the shoot.” Her words, along with the others, show a consistent pattern of demand.

The proposal has drawn mixed reactions from industry figures. Writer-director Jadesola Osiberu responded with sarcasm, suggesting that if actors want royalties, perhaps they should also contribute to covering a producer’s losses proportional to their screen time, a dig at the one-sided nature of the demand.

Producer and actress Bolaji Ogunmola was more direct: if actors want backend earnings, they should negotiate equity stakes and invest in projects upfront rather than seek guaranteed payouts after the fact.

It’s a fair challenge. The music industry comparison many have reached for doesn’t quite hold up here.

In more structured film industries, residuals are tied to carefully negotiated distribution contracts and enforced by unions, organisations built over decades with legal infrastructure and industry-wide buy-in.

Continue Reading

Entertainment

Wizkid & Burna Boy Clash Over DJ Tunez Brawl

Hours after DJ Tunez publicly addressed the alleged altercation involving Burna Boy’s camp, Wizkid took to X with a series of posts that appear to directly mock Burna Boy over the incident.

Videos circulating on social media appear to show DJ Tunez, the Nigerian-American DJ, being physically attacked by individuals allegedly linked to Burna Boy’s camp. The incident, believed to have taken place at a private gathering at Obi Cubana’s residence, has sent fans of both artists into a frenzy online.

According to a source in Burna Boy’s camp, the confrontation ensued after DJ Tunez, who played at the event, accompanied the legendary Afrobeats superstar D’banj to Burna Boy’s section of the VIP lounge. The source said an argument followed between the Grammy-winning megastar and DJ Tunez, which then led to a scuffle before Burna Boy was quickly dragged away from the scene by his security.

In one tweet, he wrote: “Pussy nigga jump a DJ with 10 man carry Diddy towel dey dance. I never see fool like this diddy babe for my life,” a line that quickly began circulating across social media.

The post references the claims that multiple people were involved in the confrontation with Tunez, while also dragging in the ongoing online jokes linking Burna Boy to embattled American music executive Diddy.

Wizkid doubled down shortly after, posting an image of Johnson’s baby oil, a not-so-subtle callback to the same “baby oil” angle that has trailed Burna Boy in recent days, particularly following comments made by Speed Darlington that have since taken on a life of their own online.

The timing is also quite interesting. Wizkid’s posts come just as the situation between DJ Tunez and Burna Boy continues to escalate, with the Nigerian DJ Association already announcing a temporary nationwide ban on Burna Boy’s music pending further investigation.

Burna Boy himself has yet to issue a formal statement on the incident. What this does, however, is shift the tone. Until now, the situation has been judged to be somewhere between a personal dispute and an industry issue.

Wizkid’s involvement firmly pulls it back into the long-running, often tense rivalry between the camps, one that has historically played out through music, subtext, and the occasional online shade.

Continue Reading

Trending