Oseyiza Oogbodo Blog

The critically acclaimed author of the best selling ‘Nine Lives’ and winner of Ana-Jaccaranda Prize for Prose, El Nukoya, has penned a new book, Baron Of Broad Street, to be launched on August 2nd, 2015. The book chronicles the polarized worlds of the Lagos impoverished and the affluent, living side-by-side, yet a world apart. It captures the limited prospect for mobility in an often negligent society, and the determination of a select crop of youths to take it upon themselves and change this seemingly rigid equation, by all means necessary. Disun Falodun and his bosom friend Ige are young boys growing up within the squeeze and squalor of Makoko. As they sit on the banks of the Lagos Lagoon, they contemplate life on the other side of town, the exclusive district of the Metropolis covering Ikoyi, Victoria Island, and, Broad Street that mysterious area, so distant, yet so close. Disun is the optimistic of the duo, resolute in his faith in a fair chance at success in Lagos, his ordinar...

Top gospel artist, Frank Edwards, has just released a song, Where The Story Began, which was recorded on his birthday, July 22nd. The song stayed true to its title, as Edwards reveals in it how music began for him when he didn’t expect it. A new release, the song sounds like one that will take some time to grow on people, but then that’s been the case with most of his songs and in fact his career.

One of the goals of every music artist is to release albums. And probably most important of all an artist’s albums is his, her debut album. Like the morning tells the day, an artist’s debut album most times defines that artist’s career. So artists look forward eagerly to their debut album, especially as it’s never even easy to get it released. That’s why it took Tiwa Savage, Waje and many others several years, despite being popular, to release their debut albums. Anyway, one artist who has now worked so hard to the extent that her debut album can also be released is Nigeria’s America-based afro, folk and soul singer-songwriter, Tosinger. She has announced that her debut album, Organically Singing, will be released next week. According to her, it took two years to record it, and it’s been preceded by a 6-track EP, Finally, which came out in 2012, and her AfroSpire Demo, a 2013 release. Explaining how she came about the album title, she said she derived it from her preference for the use...

Though Nigeria, and virtually the world, have refused to properly recognize and commend the late Dr Stella Adadevoh, who willingly sacrificed her life so that the deadly disease, Ebola, would not spread anyhow when it hit Nigeria last year through a Liberian, Patrick Sawyer, adequate recognition might just eventually still come her way as a movie is being put together about her and her Ebola experience. The movie, titled 93 Days, is backed by Bolanle Austen-Peters, Dotun Olakunri and Steve Gukas and its shooting is scheduled to commence next month. It’ll be directed by Steve Gukas who has previously backed a movie, A Place In The Stars, which was inspired by and dedicated to another late Nigerian amazon, Dora Akunyili.

Celebrated actor, Gideon Okeke, has gotten his first tattoo and told the world about it. “Ink it,” he posted with the video of him getting the tattoo. “I answer to three people. The first is the All-Seeing, All-Forgiving, Ever-Patient, Ever-Loving. The second is unconditionally loving but will definitely flip an eyebrow … then understand with time. And the third … well, she’s not old enough yet.” Tattoos are very popular in the world presently and they are especially more popular about celebrities who go to the extreme regarding their own tattoos and make it seem as if a celebrity who doesn’t have a tattoo is not hip. Lots of celebrities have tattoos all over their bodies and the tattoos sometimes are to represent incidences in their lives at different times. But even as Okeke is excited about his tattoo, which he got in America, he should remember that he should be very careful about emotional tattoos, such as those that bear the name or face of a spouse or romantic partner, becuas ei...

It’s obvious that one-time highly demanded actress, Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde, is no longer as in demand as she used to be, for reasons best known to her and her Nollywood colleagues. And since demand for her brand in movies dropped, like a smart woman, she’s taken up many other things to keep herself relevant. So she might not be in your face in movies, but she’s gradually building up a reputation as a social activist and has been speaking at several occasions thereby. So if you are someone who feels she’s no longer relevant because you don’t really see her in movies again, you better have a quick rethought because she still has all her star power intact. On July 21st, she was at Yabatech, Lagos for World Youth Skills Day organized by the United Nations and she was mobbed by her fans who just wanted to see her, touch her, shake hands with her, take selfies with her and all that. Oh boy! Nollywood producers, you don’t know what you’re missing. You better eat the humble pie and get Omotola...

Tiwa Savage Nigeria’s current hottest female singer, Tiwa Savage, who has been off the scene for some time now due

Just as shocking as was the news that celebrity couple, Maje Ayida and Toke Makinwa, were having issues with their marriage, is it that the man in the union, Ayida, has now come out to eat the humble pie by apologizing publicly to the union’s woman, Makinwa. Come to think of it, though, Ayida and Makinwa’s relationship is one that has always been shocking us with its unexpected twists and turns. For instance, their wedding was a shock as well to the world because they didn’t make it public that they were wedding, so when it was disclosed, everyone was shocked. Anyway, considering how difficult it is for African men to apologise to their women in private, how much more publicly, it definitely must have taken a lot of soul searching for Ayida to make the apology. But it’s not surprising that he apologized, because the blame for the wedding’s problem is laid squarely at his doorstep with the accusation against him for impregnating a woman who isn’t his wife. Courtesy of Instagram, he rea...

Call it the most anticipated collaboration of the music industry and you won’t be wrong, as that’s exactly what the soon-to-be-released collaboration between Davido and Wizkid is. A collabo between the duo has been expected for a long time and Davido confirmed it this week by releasing a bit of it. Though the two are seen as major rivals and they are constantly being pitted together, their fans won’t say no to both of them jumping together. However, you can be sure that once the full song is released, it will lead to their fans arguing that either Davido or Wizkid did better on the song which Davido says is titled Lamborghini. So, more exciting times ahead for music lovers.

How did you come about the name O’Kay Megamixer? The dictionary meanings of Okay are: all right; satisfactory; correct; permissible; acceptable; feeling well etc. All these words describe me as a person. O’Kay was coined from my name, Olowoyeye Kayode, while the name Megamixer was first given to me by an ecstatic caller on my radio show at Positive FM in Akure, Ondo State about seven years ago describing my mixing prowess. I initially did not take the name seriously but decided to include it to my name in 2009 at the Gombe State NYSC camp when I was privileged to play at the defunct Bank PHB sponsored event. The corps members at some points during the show started chanting Megamixer! At that point, I just fell in love with the name and decided to tag myself DJ O’Kay Megamixer. What have you achieved as a DJ? Though I have got some awards to my credit, my greatest achievement as a DJ I would say is the number of lives I have been able to touch. I have a number of protégés in the industr...

Seyi Shay Superstar Seyi Shay has been announced as one of the headliners for Konamii 2015 taking place on Saturday July 25th 2015.

Primate Ayodele Primate Babatunde Elijah Ayodele recently released the 2015/2016 edition of his annual book,

Japheth Omojuwa is one of Nigeria’s bright boys. He’s undisputably one of those being looked up to as having a say in Nigeria’s future. So when he speaks on an issue, it’s best to listen. And he has spoken again, on a very weighty issue in the music industry, that of Nigerian artists featuring international artists. It’s a contentious issue, one that many opinions have been waged on, and now we have Omojuwa’s. I might as well digress from the start. I ought not to be the one writing this because for starters, I am not an artist and I am definitely not an expert of the music industry or any industry for that matter. But someone has to say something and I’ve got the microphone now. We have put our super stars in a box where they can hardly share their opinions on an issue without such opinions being deemed as them hating on the successes of others or being condemned as some sort of subliminal. That leaves us in a place where such people would rather keep their thoughts to themselves. In...

Primate Elijah Babatunde Ayodele (pictured), founder of the INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, is a man who doesn’t mince words.