Olamide

Olamide Gbenga Adedeji, known mononymously as Olamide, is a Nigerian rapper, singer-songwriter, and record executive, born on March 15, 1989, in Bariga, Lagos State. Widely regarded as one of Africa’s most influential artists, he is credited with pioneering the Afrobeats genre and nurturing many new talents through his label, YBNL Nation. Olamide’s journey began with his debut single “Eni Duro” in 2010. His first major breakthrough came in 2011 with the release of his studio debut Rapsodi under Coded Tunes, which featured the hit single "Omo To Shan." The album's popularity soon found him rubbing elbows with some of the most famous artists in African urban music, including Wizkid, ID Cabasa, 9ice, Reminisce, and D'banj. In 2012, he founded his own label, YBNL Nation, and released his sophomore effort, YBNL, which included hit singles like "First of All" and "Ilefo Illuminati." Baddest Guy Ever Liveth, Olamide's third studio album, came out in 2013 and consolidated his status as a rising star in the Afropop scene, winning Best Rap Album and Album of the Year at the 2014 Headie Awards. Over the following years, his career continued to flourish with successive releases like Street OT (2014), a collaborative album with Phyno 2 Kings (2015), Eyan Mayweather (2015), and The Glory (2016). In 2020, he released the EP 999 and struck a joint venture deal with international distribution company Empire. His eleventh studio album, Carpe Diem, followed in October the same year. Even though he hinted at retirement shortly after the release of 2021's UY Scuti, Olamide returned with the single "New Religion" featuring Asake in 2023. Later that year he quashed any suggestion of retirement with the release of his 13th studio album, Unruly, which featured guest spots from YBNL signees Asake and Fireboy DML as well as BNXN Fka Buju.