GoldNiagara: Kevin Olusola (born October 5, 1988) is an American musician, beatboxer , rapper, record producer, singer, and songwriter. Olusola is perhaps best known as the beatboxer of the vocal band Pentatonix . [2] After the group won NBC 's The Sing-Off in 2011, they released five albums, which all charted in the top 5 of the Billboard 200 charts, have sold over 2 million records, [3] and have amassed more than two billion views on their YouTube channel.
Olusola has also been identified as developing the art of "celloboxing" (playing cello and beatboxing simultaneously). [4] His celloboxing version of Mark Summer 's "Julie-O" went viral in April 2011, which led him to become involved with Pentatonix. Olusola has performed at classical musical festivals such as the Amsterdam Cello Biennale and the Kronberg Academy Festival, opened the TED Conference in Vancouver, and was chosen by Quincy Jones to represent him in concert at the 2012 Montreux Jazz Festival on the same program as Bobby McFerrin and Chick Corea . [5] Olusola is fluent in Mandarin. [6]
Early life and education Olusola was born in Owensboro, Kentucky, to Nigerian-born Oluwole Olusola, a psychiatrist, and Grenadian -born Curline Paul, a nurse. At that time, his father had just come from medical school in Nigeria and an internship in Trinidad and Tobago to Loma Linda University (a Seventh-day Adventist institution), where he met his wife while she was doing her MPH . After they married, they moved to Hershey, Pennsylvania (where Kevin's sister Candace was born) for a short period of time, and then to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania , for his father to finish residency at Albert Einstein Medical Center (where Kevin’s brother Kellon was born). Olusola started his education at Greater Philadelphia Junior Academy, but his family eventually moved to Owensboro , Kentucky where he was raised. He attended the Triplett School, a Montessori-based school, for a short period of time before his parents transferred him to the Owensboro Public School system for their accelerated math program that allowed him to take precalculus starting in the 9th grade. He applied and was accepted to Phillips Academy Andover , Choate Rosemary Hall , and Deerfield Academy for boarding school for 11th grade (upper year) but decided on Andover. Olusola says that Andover taught him work ethic, tenacity, and discipline. [ citation needed ] He went from an average student to a high honors student in his senior year. He was involved in community service (directing a music program for elementary string students) and Spanish-speaking activities, where he led the Spanish language table and went to Costa Rica for four weeks to study Spanish. Olusola chose to attend Yale University , but was also accepted at Princeton University , Stanford University , University of Pennsylvania , and Brown University .
At Yale, Olusola planned to pursue medicine and finished all his pre-med requirements. He started as an academic music major, but decided to switch to East Asian Studies after being introduced to China through a 10-day Chinese government sponsored trip for 100 Yale students. He lived in Beijing for 6 months through a PKU-Yale joint program during his sophomore year, and then took a leave of absence during the 2009-2010 academic school year on Yale’s Light Fellowship to study intensive Chinese at the Inter-University Program for Chinese Language Study in Beijing. In school, Olusola was the Director of Communications for a Rhodes Scholar-led non-profit called College Outreach, and he worked as a book monitor in the Yale Law School library and as a practice room monitor at the Yale School of Music . He graduated from Yale in 2011.
Musical career 1988–2010: Career beginnings Olusola’s parents discovered his musical talent when he was six months old and decided to put him in music lessons. He started the piano at age 4, the cello at age 6, and alto saxophone at age 10. He was heavily involved in music programs throughout grade school at Owensboro, Kentucky, in school and the community participating in jazz band , marching band , concert band , orchestra , and community youth orchestra. When Olusola was 12 years old, he was selected as the principal saxophonist of the United States Collegiate Wind Band and toured Europe during the summer for three weeks. He was also the principal cellist of the Kentucky State Youth Orchestra and received the highest honor at the Kentucky Governor’s School for the Arts . He soloed and performed in a piano trio at Carnegie Hall as the winner of the American Fine Arts Festival , and soloed a second time on alto saxophone for PBS ’s special " From the Top at Carnegie Hall ".
While at Yale , Olusola was one of the principal cellists of the Yale Symphony Orchestra and participated in chamber music. It was during his junior year when he started thinking about music as a career when, that previous summer in Beijing, he began working on "celloboxing". One of his teachers at a Harvard summer intensive Chinese program suggested that he should try combining the two abilities. He won runner-up in Yo-Yo Ma ’s "Celebrate and Collaborate With Yo-Yo Ma" competition (Ma said Olusola’s version of Dona Nobis Pacem was "inventive and unexpected" and opened for KRS-One at Southern Connecticut State University . Olusola says that, during that spring break, his pre-med mentor Brandon Ogbunugafor (who was MD/PhD at Yale at the time) helped him to make the decision to finally go into music, saying medicine would always be there. After a summer of neurobiology research at Yale, Olusola moved to Beijing for his academic year of Chinese study and continuously honed his celloboxing skills. He started uploading celloboxing covers to his YouTube channel and performed for Ambassador Jon Huntsman, Jr. at his residence, and on Beijing Television with Li Yu Gang and Chong’er (Chinese beatboxer). He also met KorElement , an American rapper in Beijing, and they did covers on YouTube, in addition to performing together at the American Pavilion for the 2010 Shanghai World Expo . [10] 2010–present: Pentatonix After Olusola’s academic stint in China, he spent the summer in Beijing working on his celloboxing version of Mark Summer’s "Julie-O" the summer of 2010 while living in a Chinese friend’s apartment as a way to begin expanding his skills. He continued working on it throughout the year and decided to audition to music schools with it. He was accepted at New England Conservatory for their Third Stream Program and Berklee School of Music , but chose Berklee in the end. During his spring semester of senior year, Olusola (along with YouTube sensation Sam Tsui ) was nominated for a graduation-day prize and videotaped "Julie-O" with the help of YouTube star and Yale alum Jake Bruene. Olusola posted the video on April 14, 2011, and by the second week, the video had reached number 6 on Reddit, and had become a viral video on the Internet, garnering national and international acclaim.
At the time the video was going viral, Olusola was contacted by Scott Hoying who was impressed by his musicality and beatboxing skills. Hoying was forming a group with Kirstie Maldonado, Mitch Grassi, and Avi Kaplan to compete in season three of NBC ’s The Sing-Off and he wanted Olusola to join. The second weekend after Olusola graduated college, he met the group the day before the audition, and Pentatonix was born. After the taping of the show, Olusola did a brief stint as the cellist for Gungor on the David Crowder Band "7" Tour before returning with Pentatonix for the season finale. The group won the Sing-Off title on Nov. 28th, 2011, which landed them a recording contract with Sony Music Entertainment and a $200K cash prize. The band immediately moved to Los Angeles to record their first album with producer Ben Bram, whom they met on the show. [11][12] Their first EP , PTX, Volume 1, was released on June 26, 2012, charting at #14 in the US Billboard 200 chart and #5 on the digital chart. [13] It sold 20,000 copies in its first week of release. [14][15] They embarked on a fall 2012 tour and released their Christmas EP, PTXmas, on November 13, 2012.
After their winter–spring 2013 tour, Pentatonix returned to the studio to finish their second EP, PTX, Vol. II. [16][17][18] Olusola became more interested in songwriting and production, especially with how stomping and clapping could be used as an effective production tool for bolstering their a cappella tracks. Olusola co-wrote four of the songs on the album, Natural Disaster, Love Again , Hey Momma/Hit the Road Jack and Run to You . The album was released on November 5, 2013 and debuted at number ten on the Billboard 200 and number one on the Independent charts, selling 31,000 copies in the first week. The Christmas album was re-released on November 19, 2015, additionally labeled the "Deluxe Edition", and contained two additional tracks. [19] One of these, The Little Drummer Boy , charted in several Billboard categories including peaking at number two on the "Streaming Songs" chart and number one on the "Holiday 100" chart. It became the fourth-highest charting holiday song on the Hot 100 in Billboard history. [20] Pentatonix signed a deal with RCA Records after finishing their third US tour and their second European tour in 2014, and have finished and released [ when? ] their self-titled album. Olusola also released a solo EP in early 2015, titled The Renegade EP . It charted #1 on Billboard Classical Albums Chart and Apple Itunes Classical Chart.
On February 8, 2015, Pentatonix won a Grammy in the "Best Arrangement, Instrumental or a cappella " category for their song "Daft Punk", a medley of songs by Daft Punk . [21] On February 15, 2016, Pentatonix won a Grammy in the same category, this time for “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy” from their “That’s Christmas to Me” album. [22] On February 12, 2017, Pentatonix won a Grammy in the "Best Country duo/group performance" category for "Jolene" which featured Dolly Parton. [23]
Wikipedia
Yoruboid bloodlines rock!
Yeah... the Sax player in me resonates with this kinda stuff!
Fahdiga: Imagine such a raunchy picture being posted by a fifty year old woman. [s]How will her grand children feel when they see this.[/s] Internet never forgets
Olusola’s parents discovered his musical talent when he was six months old and decided to put him in music lessons. He started the piano at age 4, the cello at age 6, and alto saxophone at age 10. He was heavily involved in music programs throughout grade school at Owensboro, Kentucky, in school and the community participating in jazz band, marching band, concert band, orchestra, and community youth orchestra. When Olusola was 12 years old, he was selected as the principal saxophonist of the United States Collegiate Wind Band and toured Europe during the summer for three weeks.
He was also the principal cellist of the Kentucky State Youth Orchestra and received the highest honor at the Kentucky Governor’s School for the Arts. He soloed and performed in a piano trio at Carnegie Hall as the winner of the American Fine Arts Festival, and soloed a second time on alto saxophone for PBS’s special “From the Top at Carnegie Hall”.
drlateef: For the information of those ignorant ones among us, the figures quoted by Nigeria Centre for Disease Control is far less than what is going on ground. I have insiders at IDH in Lagos and the deaths reported there in one day is higher than the one reported throughout the country on same day. And majority of those dying are elites and high society people. They have over 280 patients of COVID on admission. Yet the stupidly ignorant people are talking gibberish here that government is just spewing fake figures. Yes! The figures might incorrect for many reasons. Poor information gathering due to poor health system already existing in Nigeria is one reason. The second reason is corruption. But the actual figures are far higher than what the government is stating on daily basis. If you love your life observe social distancing, wear your mask, wash your hands and stay safe. A word is enough for the wise.
WORD! The denial by these people is really irritating Doctor. This 2nd wave will be "bloody" if they do not take heed!
High Chief Bolu Akin-Olugbade....
The iconic international business magnate of Abeokuta-descent has just taken a bow yesterday too!
Dan Foster, Prof Ibidapo Obe, Prof Odekunle [Nigeria's first Professor of Criminology], etc have all passed on lately in this pandemic, and these lemmings are still living in denial. SMH
sweetmelanin: As of recent, many Nigerians can be seen on Twitter celebrating their escape from Nigeria as some acknowledged relocation as a 'great achievement':
ravensckar: Honestly, when I read one-sided write ups like these, I feel appalled. Ain't there two sides to a coin any more? The so-called 'desperation' from ladies may not always be what you think. It could be a way of saying their own mind is made up. They have no more time to waste.
Now, let me shock you with my own story. When I met the lady I'm married to today, she told me straight up that she's not in for any long term relationship. She's almost done with school and that if the relationship won't lead to marriage, I should jejely excuse her. Me being the 'guyman' that I was then, I wanted to chop and clean mouth. I sha played along with the intent to chop until I'm full. Now, therein lies my confusion; the said lady in question was everything I wanted in a woman (beautiful, educated, well behaved, God-fearing and highly industrious). But I have just one problem; I wasn't ready for marriage. Money no dey, even the job I was doing then, salary was around 70K.
She sha encouraged me that we should pull our resources together and that we'll survive. Long story cut short, I decided to give it a shot. After all, person wey dey ground no get anywhere to fall to. We got married in less than 4 months of dating. When I mean married, I mean a proper and elaborate wedding. Brethrens, today we're still together. Yes, she's not perfect just like I'm not as well, but we are still happily married.
It was later I understood the reason for her 'desperation'. She had wasted too much time dating some Bleep boys, hence, she felt she has no more time to waste. To her, if it's not going to lead to marriage, then, she shouldn't even venture into it. What we guys see as 'desperation' to some ladies, it's called making up their mind.
Ulunne777: First arrangee. Came back for Xmas and we finally met. He said if I agree before the end of the week we will marry. I refused, Oga wedded another woman end of the week. I marvel at women . You marry someone you are meeting for the first time in less than 3 days.
2nd Arrangee. Suddenly realized he was getting old. I was 19 and just got admission he was 34.There was nothing he didn't promise me even a car. My plans in life didn't have him in it. Will be disturbing me with midnight calls. #1 of his money I didn't see, an importer at that with so many shops. He doesn't give girls money lyk he said.His mum on meeting me for the first time told me if I won't marry him I shouldn't waste his time and money. I left him quick quick. When I refused and left for school, he dated another girl that he paid for her school fee for 4 yrs including project and clearance then the girl absconded. I was on my way home from school when he met me on the road after 5 yrs to narrate the whole story and started begging me again.you and your mother should Eat your money. Nonsense
3rd was hellish. My lecturer. This man begged me at every opportunity until my course mates started laughing at us. He informed even his colleagues and they joined in begging me. He was in his 40s while I was in my early 20s.
After I went out with him on a lecturers insistence, he was gulping okra soup ND telling me he can't stay a day without eating it. We drove over to his house where he claimed he wanted to pick something. This man inserted porn for meoo and started caressing me as his gbola has risen. God saved me that day. Anuofia..
One week later he called me that our wedding cards was out. See me see wahala, I had to inform my bf and parents. It was war. Laslas he started threatening me with my results in final yr. My lecturer friend and my Course adviser had to warn him.
Almost a decade later, he isn't married yet which is his business anyway.
4th one that I was recommended to. On our first meeting the fool was squirming in his seat and when he could finally muster courage to talk had the guts to ask me if I was ready to bear children. I then asked him if that was all a wife means to him. Idiot. No introductions whatsoever.
They are plenty oo. For one man that esdapes a desperate woman, the woman has escaped 5x more. . E NO get wetin we no dey see.
bestman09: Nigerians spend over $1 billion buying foreign citizenship, golden visas – report By Agencies -December 13, 2020
Some Nigerians have spent over $1billion this year, 2020, buying themselves citizenship of other countries or golden visas as they plan ahead for safe haven should Nigeria collapse as a nation.
The $1billion is a conservative estimate, given the number of applications processed by the citizenship advisory firms.
According to a report published by Al Jazeera, more Nigerians paid for citizenship or golden visas in 2020 more than any other year.
At London-based Henley & Partners, one of the world’s largest citizenship advisory firms, applications by Nigerians increased by 185% during the eight months to September 2020; making them the second-largest nationality to apply for such schemes after Indians.
More than 1,000 Nigerians have enquired about the citizenship of another country through Henley & Partners this year alone, which Paddy Blewer, Head of Marketing, said “is unheard of.”
“We’ve never had this many people contacting us”, Blewer said.
Arton Capital, a citizenship advisory group, said “demand from Nigerian families for Antigua and Barbuda citizenship is up 15% in 2020 compared with the last.”
St Lucia has also seen a record number of Nigerians applying in 2020. “It’s more than it’s ever been over the past four years,” says Nestor Alfred, CEO of the St Lucia Citizenship-by-Investment Unit.
The rush to escape from Nigeria reached the apogee in July, with the coronavirus epidemic raging.
Another propelling factor has been the recent #EndSARS protest, according to the report.
A Nigerian interviewed in the report, cited the escalation of COVID-19 cases as a reason wealthy Nigerians started looking more seriously at citizenship abroad.
“Those with medical conditions that could not fly out – a lot of them are buying passports just because if there is any problem they can fly out,” said Olusegun Paul Andrew, 56, a Nigerian entrepreneur and investor who spends much of the year in the Netherlands.
“Flying out” of Nigeria is hard and not just because of the coronavirus pandemic. Just 26 countries allow Nigerian passport holders visa-free entry, many of them part of West Africa’s ECOWAS arrangement. Both the United Kingdom and Europe’s Schengen zone require Nigerians to obtain visas ahead of travelling.
For the wealthy, this is too much hassle. “They don’t want to be queueing for visas for any EU country or whatever”, says Andrew. Instead, why not purchase the citizenship of a country with visa-free access to Europe?
According to the report, the destinations of Nigerians seeking citizenship or golden visas are Malta and many Caribbean nations.
In Malta, all they need to do for citizenship is to have an investment of between $100,000 to $800,000 in the country.
In St Kitts and Nevis, a passport can cost as much as $400,000.
The passport opens doors to Europe and America, where they do not to get visas anymore.
Bimpe, a wealthy Nigerian who was interviewed for the report said she has three passports. One Nigerian, which she says she never uses, and two from Caribbean nations: St Kitts and Nevis; and Grenada.
The St. Kitts and Nevis passport, which cost her $400,000 via a real estate investment programme, was useful when she travelled between London and New York on business as it allows for visa-free travel to the UK and Europe.
But now that she has retired in Abuja, Bimpe, whose husband has passed away, wants her three adult sons to have the same opportunities to travel and live abroad.
“My kids were interested in visa-free travel. They are young graduates, wanting to explore the world. So that was the reason for my investment”, she explains.
Her investment to gain a Grenada passport for herself and her sons took the form of a $300,000 stake in the Six Senses La Sagesse hotel on the Caribbean island, which she bought in 2015.
Patriotic9ja: This accident just happened in my Estate this morning. The man in red just left the scene of crash less than 3 minutes before the crash. So unbelievable because the driver just drove out of her compound in less than 20 seconds.....
EMEKUSBOY9: Good day ladies/ gentlemen, am a nigerian guy who went to ivory coast in 2016 but came back to Nigeria 2018 . I had some sweet memories that really look sweet and adventure to me.
i remember when life was unbearable for me i have no choice than to think about making some despirate journey, mind you i don't have any friends or family members over there and i was even discouraged by friends not to move because is not Europe, america or Asia. ( please am not advising anybody to take this risk ooooo). But believe me that journey changed my life.
Starting from how i left Nigeria to" Benin Republic" then i met an ivory babe at STC bus terminals.., i believe i was destined to meet that sweet girl for things to be easy for me. Anyways i have a lot to talk but let just keep it for another day topic or probably "part 2".
Now to my sweet memories
If you are married or you have a girl friend in Nigeria that u had promise to marry., please do fasting and praying before going to ivory coast, because their figure 8 women with beautiful skin and faces will not even allow u to think of coming back. I know many Nigeria guys who lost focus just because of this and they get married to ivorian ladies.
i remember the oppurnities at every organization i went too, just because am a nigerian i was treated like a star and any public places i went too i was attended too first just because am a Nigerian and the power of English language i was speaking to them. Infact i got my first job offer the first day i went to their canteen to eat but i declined it because i was focus and all my desire is to get a soccer team" ( please job is not easy to come by, if u are reading this note make sure u know why u are going there and business is the only surest way to make it there above any other way ooo).
" SAMEDI SUA" is Saturdays in ivory coast, and is my best days in ivory coast. Am not sure if i got the spellings correctly.., this days mother dnt have right over any woman no matter her age and they are allow to pass a night at their boy friends place .
My people, out of emotions i decided not to continue but to leave it for another day. And I have so many sweet memories about this sweet country..., And before i forget.... it's only in ivory coast Republic, u will see night clubs that start by "8am on monday" and the only country where foreigners has rights more than it's citizens because this people are very peaceful. Even the country "first lady" is "white " woman from france. I have a lot to say let me just keep it for another day.
Thanks for your time
I flew into the beautiful city of Abidjan in 1987 on the iconic Nigeria Airways Airbus A-310. I had an international conference at Hotel Ivoire where I also lodged. Michael Jackson the pop star also lodged in the same hotel in 1986. The posh Cocody District is were the hotel is and car drivers don't try to beat the traffic light.
Many Yoruba big time traders have lived there for over 100 years. Over 2.8 million Yorubas live in Cote D'Ivoire.
I thought I was in Paris. Wow!
And many speak good English and French. The Baoules are related to the Akans of Ghana just across the border.
thaoriginator: SOME 150 passengers were part of aviation history as Air Peace made its historic direct flight from Lagos to the Sangster International Airport in the western city of Montego Bay, Jamaica earlier this week.
The arrival of Air Peace, marked the first non-stop flight to the island from Nigeria and is aimed at exploring the possibility of direct round-trip commercial airlift between the two destinations.
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator Kamina Johnson Smith was on hand to greet Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffery Onyeama.
Air Peace, one of Nigeria’s leading airlines, on December 21, left on a nonstop 11-hour flight from the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, to the Caribbean island.
It was a special charter flight which indicated the airline’s capability to operate flights to any destination in the world, said a spokesperson for the African airline.
He said that the aircraft would fly into Montego Bay again on December. 27, for the return flight a day later, adding: “Air Peace has the aircraft and the requisite manpower to do this.
“Air Peace has operated international flights to multiple destinations such as China, Turkey, India, Malaysia, Israel, United Kingdom, Thailand, Indonesia.
“Air Peace also recently launched scheduled direct flights to Johannesburg, South Africa, providing respite to travelers on the Lagos-Johannesburg-Lagos route and connecting the two giant African countries at affordable fares.”
The extreme gun violence in Jamaica is on another level... The worse in the entire Caribbean.
The Bahamas, Trinidad and Tobago, and Saint Kitts and Nevis are Caribbean countries with high gun attacks also. When you get to those countries just behave yourself! SMH
draftmaster: To be honest I don't understand why women act surprised and mushy when a man proposes to them. I mean you have been dating and in all of those two years you guys didn't discuss marriage? If you did, why the overly histrionic displays when a man goes down on one knee to stain his trousers with Naija dust? I don't know how relationships go, see I am a Pope but I would think if I were ever going to get married, I would have discussed marriage a hundred times with my prospective wife. Type of marriage, prospective period of marriage, number of kids, kind of education for the kids, honeymoon location, choice of city to live in, number of palmwine glasses I'd get per day, who gets tv rights when it is Arsenal vs The Promise. I mean the whole gamut. So point is, if I am getting married to a girl she'd know a full year before the proposal. So why the surprise package? Abi she no believe me before ke? Why the occasional tears sef? Are you shocked that someone you dated for years is asking you to marry him? Anyways, before I started dating Chinenye, I asked her, will you marry me? And she replied with a sweet smile on her face, draftmaster, of course you know I'd marry you, you leave me no choice. See? Me I done skip proposal and engagement ring o. I have even done the math in PKE - Palmy Kegs Equivalent.
Politics / Re: Yorubas Are The Most Industrious,Richest & Educated Tribe in Nigeria & Africa by RuggedSniper: 11:52am On Jan 14, 2021 
