By Tosin Ajirire
For Afro hip-hop superstar and rave of the moment, Olamide Adedeji popularly known as Olamide Baddo, winning The Sun Creative Personality of the Year award is one of the greatest things to happen to his career.
According to Olamide, who won alongside Azubuike Chibuzo Nelson also known as Phyno at The Sun Awards held last Saturday at Eko Hotel & Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos, he would forever be grateful to the newspaper for the honour bestowed on him.
Hear him: “I feel very honoured, humbled and grateful to be recognised as The Sun Creative Personality of the Year. For someone like me coming from the ghetto, from nothing to something, to be recognised by an institution like The Sun, that also honours big politicians and big businessmen and women in the country; for me to be on the same platform with them, is a big deal. May God bless The Sun newspapers.
“Yes, this is the very first time that a major newspaper like The Sun would be giving me an award and I’m grateful. It goes a long way for a newspaper like The Sun to recognise me; you see my talent and you blow it out to the world, that for real, this guy is good; it goes a long way.
“I have been seeing The Sun right from when I was young; my daddy used to buy it. And for musicians like us to be recognised like this is not common.”
For a man who is familiar with The Sun, which column or pull out in the newspaper is his favourite? His response: “Most times I go to the business pages before anything else. I read the business pages first because I want to know what’s going in the business sector in our country. I’m more a businessman than a musician.”
Glory
Only recently, Olamide released his sixth studio album entitled, The Glory. But what actually inspired the 16-tracker and how is it doing in the music market? He explained: “The Glory is doing very well, great as expected. Big shout out to all the fans that have been supporting me. The album actually made it to number six on the Billboard chart. It’s the very first Nigerian album to make it to Top 10 of the Billboard chart, and you know it can only be God.
“And God is greater than everyone of us. Because some people refuse to acknowledge and give glory to God when they get to where they prayed for, they get carried away and all that. I am trying to be an exemption; I’m trying to let the ghetto kids know it is not because I’m skillful or whatever, it’s because of God’s grace. I want the ghetto kids to believe in God. If someone like me from the ghetto of Bariga (in Lagos) can make it with the support of God and good people that believe in me, I believe anyone can also achieve success. Yes, the album is called ‘The Glory’ because it’s high time I let people know that God has been great and wonderful in my life.”
Baddo
Famously known as Baddo by his numerous fans across the country, many will wonder how Olamide came about the nickname. And is he such a ‘bad guy’ that he’s nicknamed ‘Baddo’?
“I got the nickname from the street. People have been calling me that name right from the time I was in school. But then, I am not a bad guy. It’s just a nickname,” the musician said with a boisterous laughter.