The entertainment industry worldwide is bursting with exciting content, eager fans, promoters, new and upcoming artists, actors, and everything related. And of course, money is the oil of the engine. The Nigerian entertainment industry is certainly wide enough for new and upcoming acts, who promise to be the next music sensations. We introduce one of such upcoming artists to you, namely Oladips – a talented rapper, singer, and songwriter.
What perhaps brought sharp attention to this artist in recent times, was a controversial stunt he pulled not too long ago. His move made several fans of Nigerian music raise an ethical question. Specifically, how far is considered sensible for anyone to go, in the bid to raise awareness for their brand or work? Drawing negative attention to promote your work or brand seems to work for some celebrities. But is it wise? And does it always work? In the case of Oladips, it remains a question for now.
Let’s Meet Oladips: His Background
Oladipupo Olabode Oladimeji (a.k.a. Oladips) was born on March 24, 1995; and is an indigene of Ogun state in southwest Nigeria. He also completed his primary and secondary education in Ogun state before moving to Lagos, as stated by certain sources. Multiple sources have also confirmed that he is a graduate of Economics from the University of Jos in Plateau State of Nigeria. He is a Muslim.
It was also gathered that Oladips’ father was also a (gospel) singer. Besides this, not much is known about his hometown or family history. Perhaps he chose to keep the details of his background off popular media (that would not be entirely strange). Additionally, he was said to be a childhood friend of another well-known Nigerian rapper namely Zlatan Ibile.
Journey into the Nigerian Music Industry: How Oladips Began
Oladips began to pursue his passion for music at a young age. At the age of 16, Oladips engaged in several rap battles that took place both on Facebook and offline. His word talent and good grip on rap became obvious at this point. Oladips thus gained prominence as one of the top rappers on Facebook. In 2012, he did a cover of the song of American A-list artists, Drake and Trey Songz titled ‘Successful’. The cover sparked even more interest in the upcoming artist. Oladips continued to record and release more freestyle songs and rap online.
Then in 2015, Oladips participated in a rap contest tagged ‘The King is Here’, which was sponsored by renowned Nigerian music artist D’Banj. And out of over 8,000 contestants, he won the contest. From thence, Oladips became a respected voice in the music industry for his rap prowess. He got the opportunity to perform at music events; while his followership continued to grow. Music geeks have described Oladips’ style of rap as ‘unique and creative’. Oladips became very popular with Nigerian music fans. As of 2011, the music platform NaijaLoaded tagged him as one of the top 5 indigenous rappers of that year.
Oladips’ Music Career at LRR/Edge Records
Sometime between 2015 and 2016, Nigerian music artist Reminisce signed a record deal with the rapper under the LRR/Edge Records label. This would be Oladips’ first-ever record deal. It was also reported that YBNL record label boss and popular rapper, Olamide, had considered Oladips for a signing around the same period. However, Olamide withdrew solely because he had signed up another artist namely Chinko Ekun. According to Olamide, Chinko Ekun had a similar music style to Oladips. Perhaps the music boss sought for a bit more variety.
Oladips went ahead to release his first single titled ‘Bounce’ (featuring Reminisce) in 2016. He also released his debut album tagged ‘Dreams and Realities’ that same year. The album featured fellow Nigerian music artists such as Phyno, Reminisce, and Lil Kesh. Notable songs on the album included ‘5 am in Ogun State’, ‘Champion’, ‘Lalakulala’, and ‘Don’t Let DaGrin Down’ (a tribute to the late singer DaGrin) amongst others. The album also included his own unique covers for songs such as ‘Asalamalekun’ (by Reminisce), ‘Hello’ (by Adele).
Under the LRR/Edge Records label, Oladips released some other popular songs such as ‘Champagne’ (2017), ‘Rapture’ (2019), ‘Half Human Half Rap’ (2020), and ‘Shoki’. He worked with other well-known Nigerian music artists such as Zlatan Ibile, late Mohbad, CDQ, and T-classic to mention a few. He has also performed in many African countries.
In 2019, there was a fallout between Oladips and record label boss Reminisce, which led to the rapper exiting from LRR/Edge Records. Oladips stated that there were contract violations by the record label. He suggested that he was cheated financially; and that he did not have the creative freedom he desired. He reportedly left the record label following the termination of his five-year contract and with only 23,000 Naira in his account.
Oladips on His Own: His Independent Record Label
Following his departure from LRR/Edge Records, Oladips set up his own record label namely Omo Iya Aje Records. He also set up a distribution deal with Zanku Records (owned by Zlatan Ibile). Under his personal record label, Oladips released two EPs in 2021 titled ‘Mainland to Island’ (with four tracks) and ‘Alubarika’ (with six tracks). ‘Alubarika’ featured Nigerian music artists, the likes of Zlatan Ibile, Moyo Payne, and BoyWonda.
Oladips: Net Worth
Though it is not known for certain, an online source puts the rapper’s net worth between 100,000 and 500,000 US Dollars (as of 2023).
False Rumors of Oladips’ Death: The Controversy
Oladips released a 17-track album titled ‘Superhero Adugbo’ on November 16, 2023. But this was following a curious announcement on social media that the rapper had died. Oladips’ management team had purportedly announced that the rapper died on November 14, 2023, following some kind of personal battle of over two years. His friend and fellow music artist, Qdot, promptly went online to debunk the rumor. Qdot stated that Oladips was surely alive and well.
Oladips later confirmed that he was alive, hale, and hearty; and apologized to his fans. He even posted an Instagram video of himself and his mother dancing to one of his songs. The rumor sparked confusion and mixed reactions from several music fans. Many people wondered whether it was a stunt to promote his upcoming music album (released on the same day as that of his fake death).
.
