The name Tunde Osinibosi might not ring a bell to some people, but Laface will surely do, especially for those conversant with the showbiz industry in Africa.

This Ogun State-born man has contributed immensely to the growth of the entertainment industry in Africa and that is why he is highly respected.

He was the bridge most artistes in Nigeria used to penetrate into the American music industry, which many believe is the world capital of the industry.

The likes of 2Baba, Sound Sultan and many others can never forget the role this easygoing man called Laface played in their careers.

In the Yoruba movie industry, nothing has matched the prestigious Yoruba Movie Academy Awards, YMAA, a platform that made most of the actors to be treated like kings and queens.

Despite these achievements, Laface, for those who know him too well, is a go-getter. He is not resting and now, he is planning a big show for the Hausa movie industry fondly called Kannywood.

Laface spoke with members of the press based in the north recently, when he sealed a deal to stage the Arewa Film Festival & Awards.

For the records and for those who don’t know you kindly introduce yourself

I was born Babatunde Oshinibosi, but popularly known by my brand name Laface. I am from a family of 5 and hails from Ijebu Ode in Ogun State. I attended St Bernadettes Private School, Abeokuta; the great Baptist Academy Lagos; and the Ogun State Polytechnic, Abeokuta, where what has become one of the biggest entertainment brands in Nigeria today started like a common dream.

At Ogun Poly, now known as Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, I became the Social Director of the school unopposed.

I initiated and created Royals Classy Club to rival the legendary Gentlemen’s Club and created a healthy club rivalry. I won several awards for my social exploits and ultimately won the Mr Polytechnic contest. My service year was in Ilorin Kwara State where the show continued with several landmark events as a young serving corper. I later travelled to the UK on another chapter of my growth process.

While in London, I delved straight into the showbiz world bringing back the popular Jeans Carnival Revolution, which went on for years and played a major role in revolutionizing the London club scene before heading back home to Nigeria, the motherland.

How did you get back in the entertainment scene in Nigeria

In the first instance, I came back home because I believed I could play a major role in the continued development of the Nigerian entertainment industry. It all started with the Nigeria Carnival project and the home coming of my friend and sister, Weird MC at the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos.

What are your major achievements in the Nigerian entertainment industry so far

My brothers, I don know how much time we have but I will try to be as brief as possible. To the almighty God be the glory, I can proudly state the success story of Nigeria’s entertainment industry today cannot be written without the name Laface popping up several times. I was at the forefront of the music revolution in Nigeria with the major international artistes’ revolution after Senator Ben Bruce’s era with the coming of Soul II Soul and Carol Wheller on the Rothmans Mega Grove project. This project was very challenging as no international artist wanted to do business with Nigeria because of the then Abacha regime. I will honestly state that it took the grace of God and strategic planning to make this major turnaround gig happen. The Rothmans Mega Groove turned out to be a landmark event in the evolution of the today’s Nigerian music scene as it broke all records, including major weather challenges as it rained all day, all night and Nigerians; young and old from all works of life like never seen before, defied the odds, queued, bought tickets and partied all night in the pouring rain.

I could not explain what was going on; it only brought back memories of the Glastonbury festival in the UK. The Wyclef Jean concert series, a record breaking international five city back to back tour of Nigeria, other artistes tours in Nigeria and Africa included Joe, Shaggy, the late Lucky Dube, Bennie Man, Drake, Lil Wayne, R Kelly, Akon, Usher, 50cents, Chris Brown, Trey Songs etc.

I created Felabration, the celebration of the great Fela Anikulapo Kuti; the Yoruba Movie Academy Awards, the popular annual celebration of creativity in the Yoruba movie industry and the biggest indigenous awards in the world; the Yoruba New year countdown project and the creation of the Guinness world record breaking tallest traditional gong in the world; the Naija Pidgin Awards, a celebration of our unique pidgin lingo bond,; the Arewa International Film Festival and Awards, the premier and biggest indigenous film festival in Northern Nigeria; the Uniglobe annual Music Extravaganza in Esanland Edo State amongst many others.

Read concluding part here as the interview is very long: http://www.businesspost.ng/2016/08/19/how-yenis-greed-forced-me-out-of-felebration-project-tunde-laface/

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