Recently, MTV Base named Olamide Adedeji ‘Badoo’ as the Artiste of the month. Bimbo Michael had a chat with the King of the streets. Read excerpts;
Q: People say Olamide is the hottest guy, do you believe you are the hottest guy? Olamide cannot be the hottest guy, it is not possible. Olamide is just a cool hardworking young boy, so the word hot isn’t right. I just pray say make God they bless me dey go.
I’m just grateful to God and my fans. They have so supportive showing me love despite the fact that I take some crazy risk like dropping new songs after dropping new album. On a good day, they suppose just look me say na weyrey, e file, ko si nkan nkan to fe shey.but they still embrace anything I do even when I make mistake.
Q: When u kept on dropping songs, what was going through your mind, what were you trying to achieve? Music is all my life, when I’m bored I just go into the studio and make music, so sometimes when I have unreleased songs I just ask why am I keeping it? so I just release it for the fans.
Those wey go like am go like am, those wey no vgo like am no go like am because at the end of the day, you no know which one go be hit and no be you dey make hit, na God dey make hit.
Q: You recently signed two artiste to YBNL, when will they be releasing their debut music? Victho just dropped hi s single last week, lil kesh dropped his a long while.
They’ve shot their videos already and it will be released very soon, let’s say next week. YBNL is beyond more than a label. It’s a my way of giving back to the street, if I can sign 10 artistes and promote them, I will. If you are talented and my spirit flows with yours, i will sign you.
I believe in lil kesh and vicktho and instead make their talent they waste for street, out of frustration, this boys fit go carry gun they rob. E fit be say na you sef dem go rob. So if you can help the society in any way, help the society, you get me so? Na why I jus dey do my own for God.
Q: During your UK tour, your girlfriend was there with you and both of you were everywhere together, is there possibility of you getting married to her? Na God fit answer the question o. I no be God.
Q: How do you feel been among the artiste for this year’s Star Trek? I’m very happy because Star music Trek is a music carnival everyone wants to be on and my fans should expect all of me, just all of me.
Q: Should we expect a joint album from YBNL records? Hopefully.
Q: How close are you to your Mum and Dad? I have never been that close to my mum and dad because me I no fit dey dey house but the love is strong. My parents are closer with my sister and brother.
Me I just dey middle.
Q: Are you still going back to school? I’m doing a professional course very soon to study Music business in South Africa hopefully in 2015.
Q: Tell us, how is your relationship like with ID Cabasa and Toni Payne. Tony payne be like Angel, Cabasa be like angel, two of them too try for me because na them carry me reach where I dey right now.
Maybe we had a lil misunderstanding back then, you know as human we are not perfect. Till today, I don’t know what really happened. I just know she para for me, maybe she got a wrong information from someone and she took it up. She be human being, me sef dem fit gimme wrong information and make I vex. She’s still cool with me.
Q: What about you and Tony Nwakolo? Tony Nwakolo no suppose be my manager, if Tony Nwakolo dey manage any artiste, na person wey him just need him help. I needed help so badly when Tony Nwakolo came in. I had no manager and Tony Nwakolo came in and told Cabasa that he should pick me up and help me. No be say tony na manager, na business man.
Q: So its not like you guys fell out at some point? No no no
Q: How did you survive without a record label? Too many things attached to the success of Olamide, like beign determined and youy have to actually know that talent is never enough, you have to build your character and be going good music.
Even sometimes when you no get money, some producers fit do free beat for you. because you be good person and people wey dey around you them like you, once you do song, you send to them via Bluetooth and all because them like you, them go they share the song because say them like you; this na my story o, play play the song dey go.
If you hear say them dey do something for one place, you go go beg them to perform, because you are cool, they will allow you. Try and be nice to the people around you. build your character first and the fame will come later, but God first and do more of smart work and less hard work.
Q: Where do you get the slangs or lingua you use in your songs from considering you no longer stay in Bariga? (laughs) those lingua noni… I do call up my hood brothers and have conversation with them and some of my friends still dey hood, we hook up on weekends and I hear all this things.
Q: There was this report that you have a beef with Wande Coal because you subbed him in one of the songs on YBNL album, how true is that? I didn’t mention n**e in my song, I didn’t mention picture in my song, me and wande coal don’t have any beef, we were on phone together like 3 days ago, so when I saw that report online, I was like really, where is this kind of report coming from.
Wande na my guy and na street boy and he understand wetin I dey try talk. People just want to bring you down, people want to make a scape goat out of you, that’s what I meant with that line.
I’m not subbing him. I said “they want to Davido me, they want to Wande Coal me” because of the many scandals people try to bring up and it’s another way of saying they want to put me for trouble. I don’t have issues with Wande Coal at all.
Q: How have you been able to stay away from controversy? I don’t have wahala. I have a lot of responsibility- family, friends, label so I can’t get involved in controversy.
