The 26-year old is rewriting the rules of a game according
to the Master’s manual


This November, Grammy award-winning rapper and
dancer, Melissa ‘Missy Elliott’’ Elliott released WTF, a
song that announced her return from a seven-year
hiatus. As with many things global, Nigerians were
excited, tweeting and shrieking to no end all day. The
reason? In the accompanying video, the 44-year old
can be seen busting both old and new dance moves
alongside her crew, with all of them stopping at the
2:30 mark to briefly do the shoki.

It was a fleeting performance that only lasted all of
three seconds but the deed had been done and
Nigerian Twitter went into overdrive. “Lil Kesh is
finally going global…” someone tweeted. That
prediction was premature but on a day when the
euphoria that greeted the news of R& B legend, R.
Kelly enlisting the help of Wizkid on his latest album
had barely died down, Missy’s stamp of approval was
a statement of arrival for another homegrown act.
Shoki follows in the recent trend of African dances –
like Skelewu and Azonto – to have ‘blown’, over the
last few decades. Not even the virality of ‘Shakiti
bobo’, another craze from the stable of the YBNL
Nation, has been able to overshadow it. The
immediate popularity of both dances are proof of the
goodwill and street credibility that the label has
garnered cumulatively since it was set up in 2012.

YBNL Nation

YBNL is the acronym for Yahoo Boy, No Laptop
(YBNL), a mantra for burning the midnight oil and a
quintessential symbol of the ‘hustle’ creed that
characterizes Lagos. While Yahoo boys stay up all
night scheming on how to dupe the next victim, the
theory is that those on the record label’s roster stay
up recording songs and doing heavy work. Or so it
seems.

Since MoHits Records and its successor in Mavin
Records, perhaps no other music label with a
performer as chief executive has done as well as
YBNL in taking the industry by storm. With at least
one hit song every quarter, the group is permeating
the consciousness of the average Nigerian.
eLDee’s Trybe 2.0 Records died a premature death,
with Eva, Shayman, Sarz, Aramide and K9, leaving the
label unceremoniously. EME, like Knighthouse before
it, did great but the minute the cash cows
(Mo’Cheddah and Wizkid) left, their heirs (Phenom
and Shaydee/Skales) have not been able to weather
the storm, regardless of their obvious talent. So far,
YBNL Nation seems to be threading the same path as
the Mavins and it is all down to the work of 26-year
old Olamide Adedeji aka Baddo Sneh.

Sold Out

As at the time of writing this, the video for Lagos Boys ,
one of his most recent songs had passed the one
million mark in less than three months.
In the last five years, he has released four solo studio
albums, a joint one with Phyno, a mixtape and
countless stellar verses on an assortment of songs in
the Nigerian music space. Lil Kesh and Adekunle Gold
who have no album out yet, are both making money
for YBNL through a series of concert performances
and ringback tunes for among other songs, Orente and
Shoki respectively. And just this time last year, Kesh
who is still in the infancy stage of his career, was on
the Holy Grail of TV appearances for African artistes,
Tim Westwood TV.

Last year, the maiden edition of Olamide Live in
Concert (OLIC) held with the venue, Eko Hotel &
Suites, completely sold out. Plans are already on for
the second edition and with Eyan Mayweather , his fifth
album out soon, there’s no stopping Mr. Adedeji.
“Impressive young man” gushed Vice-President Yemi
Osinbajo after attending the 2014 concert and meeting
him. “We are richly blessed with talented and
energetic individuals who have a lot to offer the
nation.”
“I just lose my sense of home training when that
Indomie song comes on in the club”, confesses
Adanne Okoronkwo, an undergraduate of the
University of Lagos who frequents popular Lagos
clubs most weekends. ”Especially Olamide’s verse.
Everyone knows that you can hardly sit down when
any YBNL song comes on in the club. It’s just
impossible.”

At street junctions and roadside bars across Lagos
from Idumota to Fadeyi and Oshodi to Bariga, area
boys screaming the opening credits of Lil Kesh songs
are a common sight. “It’s Young Jon the Wicked
Producer” has become a psychological booster –
almost in the same vein as credit alerts – for many of
them.

Like Eedris Abdulkareem and Wizkid before him,
Olamide is one of the few southern artistes to have a
mainstream cult following in every region of the
country. In terms of joint albums, rapper-producer
albums are common, but Olamide and longtime
collaborator Phyno are the first two solo rappers to do
one together in Nigeria. It was inspired by the hugely
popular duet Ghost Mode , where both emcees wove
their verses a la Watch The Throne’s O.T.I.S .
Stupid Love became a nationwide hit, enjoying
massive airplay on radio stations even in the North of
the country where it is traditionally harder for a
Southern pop artist to break into, while Introduction
crossed the borders into Ghana.

Furthermore, the shibboleth, “Ola baby, its Holla baby”
and the slangs ‘Sneh’, ‘smellos’ and ‘frosh’ have each
taken on a life of their own, in precisely the same way
that his gun-man pose went viral in the last couple of
years. “Me and @wale step out the rolls wit the
#gunmanpose like Olamide”, tweeted American
rapper, Meek Mill last March, alongside an image of
them doing the pose.

Also, the red party cup, like Don Jazzy’s pyjamas, has
become a signature accessory in music videos and is
now embedded in pop culture, largely because of
Olamide. While he did not pioneer the usage, he has
firmly established its presence.
Core rap hits, dance hits and loads of street credibility,
just what manner of man is Olamide? How did a
young man in his mid-twenties with no formal music
or business training and no stint abroad do it? How
did Olamide Adedeji gain the trust of the streets and
use it as fodder for the rise of a growing music
movement?

No rest for the Wicked

In a clime where Nigerian pop music is thriving and
where there are more musicians than studios, new
faces pop up all the time in the industry. To stay
propped up in the limelight, one must not rest on his
oars, advises media personality Tobechi Nneji. “You
have to work hard and stay innovative all the damn
time.”

The success of YBNL Nation is mostly down to
Olamide’s hard work as outlined above, and his street
appeal. “[It’s down to] body of work and output”
argues ‘Yomi Kazeem, writer and radio personality at
Top Radio. “He put out more songs than anyone else,
recorded more than anyone else and had more hits
than anyone else which means he’d rock a show
better than anyone else because he’d have more
material to play with.”

“Also, somehow, he’s figured out his appeal: the
streets love him, the middle class love him, the elite
love him. How he’s done that is not so clear though
because only a few have.”
“He was basically the only Yoruba rapper [in the last
five years]”, Uche Nwaozuzu, music critic and
audiophile who tweets his controversial opinions as
@mynameisuche, points out. “He owned that lane
after them Ajasa & Ibile fell back. So Yoruba folk
could relate to him; he worked hard too because
nobody makes and releases music like him.”
Before his death in 2010, Da Grin was everyone’s
favourite Yoruba rapper, amassing a cult following
and hopping on tracks everywhere like an IAAF-
licensed athlete. Cut short in his prime by an auto
crash, he had just two albums to his credit. Olamide
has since stepped in and seized the throne, ahead of
Reminisce and Lord of Ajasa., staying away from
major scandals meanwhile.
Nwaozuzu explains. “Ibile fell back. How many
albums has he put out in the past two years? Two?
How many singles were released AND worked? Video
treatments, heavy social media promo,etc? Just tell
me.”
“Nobody worked harder than Olamide”, he continues.
“Nobody. The quality of the music in general has
suffered but you don’t need an album full of hits. You
just need a “Turn up” on the album or a “Shakiti Bobo”
on another album to sell it. Olamide surpassed Da
Grin a long time ago.”

There is also the factor of sound; the infectious
percussion-heavy instrumentals on many YBNL tracks
come from its in-house producer, Pheelz and recent
accomplice, Young Jon the Wicked Producer of Hits
Factory. Smart enough to realize the importance of a
telepathic understanding with producers, Olamide has
chosen them carefully.

First, he worked with ace producer Samklef and the
late H-Code for a bit after leaving the legendary ID
Cabasa, eventually recognizing the potential of the
then largely untested Pheelz and signing him. And the
youngster has repaid his boss’s faith with a string of
hits; early in 2014, Pheelz went the extra mile
surpassing the expectations of even his fans with a
hiphop sample of the most unexpected song – Agnes
Iro’s gospel classic from the ‘90s, Follow the Ladder.
The decision to sign young Pheelz as a replacement
for his mentor has not been an isolated one. Like
American rapper Jay Z, Olamide has a penchant for
making ruthless decisions; firing even trusted
business partners and acquaintances when required.
After leaving mentor ID Cabasa, he also cut ties with
then manager Toni Payne.

In 2013 when Tony Nwakalor, his erstwhile manager
began to lose focus and concentrate more on the
business of resuscitating the career of D’banj, his
other client, Baddo fired him. This was despite the
rapper frolicking heavily with Eja Nla and being
regarded by one overzealous news reporter at the
time, as being “best friends”. “He is very serious with
anything business”, stresses Nneji who has been
involved in some deals with the YBNL crew.
D’banj himself felt the heat when Olamide put to bed
rumours that he was signing for the former’s label
(D’Kings Men), after the older musician had been
repeatedly milking the street goodwill of his younger
colleague, fuelling rumours that a new super alliance
was in the making, after the split with Don Jazzy.
When telecom giants Globacom – reputed to be thrifty
with their deals – were signing an XI of ambassadors
on watered down contracts, they also reportedly
wooed Olamide who sources claim turned Mike
Adenuga’s men down, like Jazzy before him. A few
months later, he signed a contract with rivals Etisalat
reportedly worth N50 million. The chickens had come
to roost.

Comparisons

Expectedly, there have been suggestions that he has
fashioned his management style and work ethics after
the Don Jazzy model. The head honcho of Mavins
Records has long been acknowledged as a marketing
genius, putting in work day and night on making
music and money equally and raising heir apparents.
First, there was D’banj, then there was Wande Coal,
Dr. SID and the perennially underrated D’Prince, his
younger brother; Korede Bello, D’ija, Tiwa Savage and
the equally underrated Reekado Banks are the new
generation.

Olamide has replicated that, signing Lil Kesh, Viktoh,
Adekunle Gold, Pheelz, Chinko Edun, Xino Kuti and DJ
Enimoney. Lil Kesh’s career has ballooned since the
Davido-assisted remix of Shoki and Adekunle Gold is
on his way to becoming ’that Yoruba R&B voice’ since
Brymo. “The only other Yoruba rappers popping now
are signed to Olamide”, Nwaozuzu states matter-of-
factly.

Like Don Jazzy, Baddo has also chosen his work
affiliations carefully, refusing to follow the trend and
join the craze to feature Akon, Sarkodie and other
readily available international artistes. Instead, he has
pitched tent with Maybach Music’s Wale, who as
social media can show, is the one infatuated with his
Lagos-based compatriot, rather than the other way
round. And then there’s the matter of both men having
hoarse but lovable vocals.

It is easy to forget, with his own maturity as well as
the sex symbol status and the evident insecurity of the
other two, that Olamide is actually a contemporary of
both Wizkid and Davido. So is the Bariga-born
musician on Don Jazzy’s level yet? For all its runway
success, no other artiste on the YBNL Nation roster
has released an album on the imprint – yet.
“Comparisons between Olamide and Jazzy are very
premature,” warns Nwaozuzu, “Don Jazzy’s run was
second only to Kenny Ogungbe. Until multiple people
under Olamide come out & have sustained runs, they
are not on the same level. Think of it this way: Keke
(Ogungbe) had 2Face, Rasqie, Paul IK Dairo, Tony
Tetuila, Eedris etc while Jazzy had D’Banj, Wande
Coal, D’ Prince. SID etc. Who does Olamide have?”
“And YBNL & Mavin are two premature labels; Mavin
has 2 official releases from SID & Tiwa and none of
them was spectacular. YBNL only has Olamide. The
singles from the other artists on the labels are okay,
but again they’re both premature in my opinion.”
Social media has also been a shortcut for Olamide
who at 614k followers on Twitter 702k on Instagram
has not caught up with Don Jazzy (1,244,601 on
Twitter and 1m on Instagram). Kazeem points this
out. “When Jazzy started social media was not huge
as it was at the time Baddo started. It cut short the
effort he needed to put in for his brand/music to grow
and be accepted. That was key.”

Big fish in a small pond?

So why then hasn’t he become a continental force to
reckon with? His medium of expression could be the
problem, reckons Ayodeji Rotinwa, a pop culture
enthusiast who contributes to among other platforms,
Forbes Africa. “Olamide uses language in a way that
gives the impression [that] understanding his music is
a members-only club. I’m Yoruba but there are
certain inflections in pronouncing actions or words
that even I don’t understand. But I – and this is my
honest opinion – don’t think it’s his responsibility to
create music in a way or in a language everyone is
comfortable with.”

Ms. Nneji has a hypothesis about the man who seems
to always have a plan. “I reckon he’s bidding his time.
He probably doesn’t want to end up like D’banj who
prematurely ran abroad and returned completely
washed-out.”

It remains to be seen if he will make the inroads into
the foreign space soon or stay back to remain a big
fish in the local pond that is the Nigerian music
industry. In a pop climate where consistency is key
and iTunes sales still rank below concert performance
fees, Olamide and his blossoming empire could
potentially be in our faces for a long time – unlike
Missy Eliott’s shoki cameo.

http://ynaija.com/has-olamide-built-an-empire-in-half-the-time-it-took-don-jazzy-ybnl/

Una go just day write rubbish....
Ode y not dream of becoming one of dem
Jobless mofos

sod09:
Una go just day write rubbish....
Ode y not dream of becoming one of dem
Jobless mofos

I know u didn't read the whole article illiterate. Come, i can feed your family. Mannerless children that full Nairaland.

jiggaz:
I know u didn't read the whole article illiterate. Come, i can feed your family. Mannerless children that full Nairaland.

werey
Y not feed ur family first

jiggaz:
I know u didn't read the whole article illiterate. Come, i can feed your family. Mannerless children that full Nairaland.

forget illiterate matter its too long jor

forget illiterate matter its too long jor

End time article...

Long post! But I read everything
YBNL is the biggest record label in naija today! Hands down..

Forget past story/glory, mavin doesn't have anything on YBNL, na pakagin they help don jazzy..

i love this....

Both Don Jazzy and Olamide are both good in their own ways.

I read all... olamide's Y B N L is da bomb... am in a party now and most of d song been played is from Ybnl d only one been played by mavin is Godwin

Is this a fp material ? No .......walks out of thread

Too long abeg, nah project work? I neva read my handout finish sef

naughtynaughty:
Too long abeg, nah project work? I neva read my handout finish sef

na xo

Op who will lead dis lubish you are liting? Yu no go school abi dem no teach yu sumali?

Nigerians cant read... dis small article? lol #smh thats why white people colonise una. poor reading culture. i love reading, i can read for Africa.