Olamide a Nigerian rapper who literally merged English with his native accent, a Nigerian hip-hop sub-genre known as street hop, revolutionized the Nigerian rap business.
Obviously, the impact and influence of Indigenous rappers like Da Grin, Lord of Ajasa, and I.D Cabasa cannot be overlooked or ignored when discussing the sub-genre, as those were truly inspiring good times for the street, providing us with a plethora of gems that helped popularize it in other parts of the country and laid the groundwork for what the culture is today.
However, Olamide broke into the industry in 2010 with his viral hit ‘Eni Duro,’ and then took off in 2011 with the release of his debut album ‘Rapsodi,’ followed by the release of the video for Omo to Shan with Wizkid.
It was all the rage at the time, charting on numerous radio stations across Nigeria.
Olamide debuted and ripped the Nigerian hip-hop landscape, and he has continued to create songs to this day.
The debut album ‘Rapsodi’ was the resurrection and the rebirth of the renowned sub-genre that has become globally acclaimed.
Olamide continues to branch out and experiment with several genres, including afrobeat, juju, fuji, Street hop, Dancehall, R&B, Trap, Reggae Fusion, and Afro Pop.
Olamide is, in fact, one of the most versatile performers in the Nigerian music industry, having evolved to maintain durability over the past decade while hip-hop in Nigeria has gone through many phases.
Importantly, in addition to his undeniable talent, Olamide founded the YBNL record label in 2012, seeking a new platform to realign and capitalize on his highlighted practicality and potentials.
It was a rare feat in the Nigerian music industry, as Olamide became the youngest to ever own a label after parting ways with ID Cabasa’s Coded Tunes record label.
Olamide annually releases one or more projects, and to date has more projects than any artistes in the last decade, totalling eight (8) studio solid albums and about three (3) collaborative albums and EPs.
Olamide discovered Lil Kesh and signed him to the YBNL record company in 2014. The label has also signed Adekunle Gold, Chinko Ekun, Viktoh, Davolee, and Fireboy DML.
Olamide was untouchable in 2015, releasing street anthems like ‘Melo Melo,’ ‘Lagos Boys,’ ‘ladi,’ and ‘Eyan Mayweather,’ as well as a sold-out Eko Hotel at Olamide live in concert (OLIC), making him the first Nigerian artiste to have a sold-out concert in Eko Hotel and the first to introduce the annual concert culture.
From Zlatan Ibile to Naira Marley, Bella Smurda, Small Doctor, Lil Kesh, Davolee, Lyta and others, Olamide has clearly influenced every street rapper of this decade.
Let’s move on. Olamide is still a chart-topper in 2020, a decade later, and has one of the best albums of the next decade, Carpe Diem, a hit-filled studio album
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