Nigerian music acts, Wizkid, Tekno, Davido and Mr. Eazi, have been nominated for the 2017 BET Awards in the highly controversial “Best International Act: Africa Category”. This year’s award would see Starboy Music boss, Wizkid, making the list in the same category for the second time in a row; while this serves as a debut appearance for Tekno and Mr. Eazi.
Tekno’s appearance does not come as a surprise to fans, music lovers and critics as he has had a progressive career after dishing out his groundbreaking single in 2016 titled “Pana”.
In the same vein, Starboy Music Worldwide act, Mr. Eazi, who also became a household name with his unique style stole the shine in 2016 with his rave single dubbed “Skin Tight” and also his chart-topping EP “Accra to Lagos” which was released in 2017.
Other African artistes vying to take home the award in the same category are; AKA (South Africa), Babes Wodumo (South Africa), Nasty C (South Africa).
In the international scene, the “Best Female R&B/Pop Artist” category would see pop-stars; Beyonce, Mary J. Blige and Rihanna battle it head on.
With an impressive yet highly competitive year, the highly coveted “Album of the Year” awards would also see Beyonce, J. Cole, Bruno Mars, Solange and Chance the Rapper contending for the prize.
This year’s award is slated to hold on June 25 at the Microsoft Theatre in Los Angeles.
Bill Cosby recently gave his first interview in over two years since allegations of sexual assault against him first surfaced.
The 79-year-old comedian spoke out on whether he agreed with his daughter Ensa ‘s recent statement that racism played a role in his scandal.
He said, “Could be, could be. I can’t say anything, but there are certain things that I look at, and I apply to the situation, and there are so many tentacles. So many different — nefarious is a great word. And I just truly believe that some of it may very well be that.”
He made the statement while speaking with SiriusXM host Michael Smerconish .
Bill Cosby was also asked about the staggering number of women accusing him of misconduct.
On that he stated, “I think that the numbers came because the numbers prior to the numbers didn’t work. So the piling on, so to speak, is a way — and certainly an impressive, impressive way — to get public opinion to come to the other side.”
YBNL boss, Olamide, has again made it clear to haters that he will never run of songs.
Olamide, who is known as one of the most consistent artistes the country has, in a recent chat with Sunday Scoop, disclosed that his well of inspiration, will not be running dry anytime soon.
In his words:
“Whenever people say things like that, I just laugh. Talent comes from God and if you have it, then you have it. Even as I’m chatting with you, I can get inspiration for a song and I would immediately note it in my mind. As long as life exists and things happen on earth, I will always have the inspiration to sing. Music is life and life is music. If I were to release all the songs I have ever recorded, they would scatter the whole place. I work in the studio everyday and there are many songs I have recorded that I am yet to release as singles or in albums.”
On how he has been able to remain relevant, Olamide said,
“Most importantly the grace of God that has kept me. I don’t do this by my power or might. I also go with the flow and keep my ears on the ground. I know about the new slangs that are spoken on the streets and sometimes, I turn them into songs, which resonate with people because they can identify with the content of the song.”
G-Worldwide Entertainment pop-superstar and multiple awards winner Kiss Daniel is here again with another banger titled ‘ Sofa ‘ In the song “Sofa “, Kiss Daniel shows off what an all-round artist he is by doing a reggae infused style blend with afrobeat percussion perfectly
Wizkid , Davido , Tekno & Mr Eazi have all been nominated alongside four others for the 2017 BET Awards in the “ Best International Act: Africa” category.
Beyoncé is the leading nominee for the 2017 BET Awards with a total of seven nominations. Close behind is Bruno Mars with five nods, followed by Chance the Rapper , Solange and Migos tied at four a piece.
Beyoncé’s seven nods include best female R&B/pop artist (vying against sister Solange), best collaboration (with Kendrick Lamar on “ Freedom”), album of the year and video of the year. Mars, also up for album of the year and video of the year, nabbed a nomination as well for best male R&B/pop artist. Migos’ nods include best group and best collaboration for “Bad and Bougee ” with Lil Uzi Vert. Best male hip-hop artist nominee Chance the Rapper is also a best new artist nominee along with 21 Savage , Cardi B , Khalid and Young M.A .
Slugging it out for the “Best International Act: Africa” category are:
AKA (South Africa)
Babes Wodumo (South Africa)
Davido (Nigeria)
Nasty C (South Africa)
Stonebwoy (Ghana)
Tekno (Nigeria)
Wizkid (Nigeria)
Mr Eazi (Nigeria)
Now in its 17 year, the BET Awards will air live on June 25 from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles at 8 p.m. ET. The awards ceremony will cap off the annual BET Experience at L.A. Live in Los Angeles from June 22-25.
The BET Awards will also recognize achievements in film, television, sports and international music acts across more than 19 categorie
Want to discover the leading fashion brands in Calabar? Well, here is our list of top fashion brands in Calabar. Calabar is doing reasonably well for itself in terms of fashion. Although we expect more from Calabar fashion houses and brands. We can’t deny there’s been an effort in the fashion sector and today; in no particular order, we would be appreciating the leading fashion brands in Calabar.
LEYI-USH
Leyi-Ush is a fashion brand that retails Nigerian brands. The brand started with fashion retailing before proceeding to styling and now adding bespoke clothing to it’s services. The Leyi-Ush brand has catered to several people in need of good Nigerian clothing stores and designs ; styled on the set of Ebonylife’s, “The Governor ” and produces bespoke for it’s client’s as well. Leyi-Ush is undeniably one of the most spoken about and leading brands in Calabar.
Mr Skillful is a unique tailoring brand. The brand is mainly known for it’s bespoke services with unique designs. If you are looking for creativity and uniqueness, this is the brand to jump on. As the brand name says; the brand is really fashion skillful. Having designed for the top and leading personalities in Calabar, this brand, is no doubt one we should miss from our list of leading fashion brands in Calabar.
Contact: 08103332047
LASHAKARA
La shakara from time memorial is known for it’s corporate branding on clothing especially for group ceremonies. It started with T-shirts and Polos but with time moved to all other clothing Items. La shakara has clients ranging from corporate bodies to personal clients. La’ Shakara has branded for Funfizz, HitFmCalabar, Calabar Blog, Unicem, different departments of the University of Calabar, Churches, Brides and Bridal Train, Birthdays amongst others. The brand is no doubt one of the oldest founding names and it is good news that it is still around, and doing even better.
Contact: 07032145503
ANNIEYS
Annieys is a female fashion brand that designs and tailors bespoke and ready to wear clothing items. Annieys designs are always beautifully crafted that one can’t help but notice. The brand which also designs facinators, hats and other clothing accessories has reputable client both in Calabar and beyond. The brand recently released it’s ready to wear collection which is doing very well. The brand designs for all female individuals, corporate, brides, bridal trains amongst others. Annieys is a brand that has worked hard for itself , it has put itself on the map and is no doubt, one of the outstanding and leading brands in Calabar.
Contact: 08061255613
LUVITA CREATIONS
Luvita creations is a fashion brand that focuses on women’s fashion. The Luvita brand deals with bespoke and ready to wear women clothing. The brand recently held a relaunched event of it’s rebranded brand with Uti Nwachukwu. Luvita has dressed a host of reputable female personalities in Calabar and Nigerian celebrities. Luvita dressed the elegant Mercy Johnson and diva Juliet Ibrahim during the Glo tour in Calabar. There is no doubt that the brand Luvita is doing very well for itself.
Contact: 07031232309
PAPARAZZI WEARS
PAPARAZZI wears is a clothing brand that deals with trendy Urban retro afrocentric wears and branding. Paparazzi wears has a reputable client base in calabar as well.
Contact: 07063030385
KING QUEEN STYLING
King Queen Styling is a fashion and design brand that focuses on styling and designing for clients. The brand’s basic focus is on styling. The brand has worked with corporate bodies and individuals and has a reputable client base in Calabar. The brand serves as personal stylist for reputable personalities in Calabar, Corporate image branding and style consultant. The brand styles and designs for brides, grooms, bridal train, groom men amongst others. The brand has also designed costumes for movies like Brave Heart, My pride amongst others. The brand has styled for several music videos, TV shows and is currently styling for the TV SHOW : ” Youths Talk Everything ” which is set to air on major Tv stations in Nigeria. Although low key; we can’t help but notice this hard working brand which is doing well for itself.
Contact: kingqueenstyling@gmail.com
B’STITCHES
B’stiches is a bespoke tailoring brand. The selling point of the brand is no doubt how well crafted and tailored the finishing of each costume or clothing piece is. The brand has a reasonable client base in Calabar and is doing well for itself.
To commemorate World Malaria Day 2017, Publix Pharmaceuticals Nigeria has introduced into the market a new anti malaria drug that is an Artemisinin Combination Therapy, ACT, formulation known as Publitem 80/480 tablets and suspension.
The new product which contains Artemether and Lumefantrin is formulated in convenient dosing for adults and children.
Speaking during the launch in Lagos, the Chairman of the Company, Mr. Frank Owelle said the product introduced to ensure that people live a healthy life free from malaria attacks.
“As part of our commitment to the fight against malaria epidemic in Nigeria and Africa as a whole, we are introducing our brand of top range high quality WHOrecomended ACT formulation 80/480 Publitem tablets.“The tablet shape and size make it most suitabl for patients’ compliance. The flavoured suspension is a children’s delight. With the introduction, Publix is set to take the battle against malaria further and collaborate with all stakeholders in the fight against this recalcitrant scourge. “Publitem is manufactured by Astamed Healthcare Ltd, in a state of the art, WHO GMP manufacturing facility based in India under the approval and license of Publix Healthcare, the UK partner of Publix Pharmaceuticals Nigeria Limited.
"He announced that a reasonable quantity of Publitem 80/480 will be donated to General Hospitals in Lagos, Anambra and Kano states as part of their commitment to eradicating malaria.
Peter Okoye was live in England to celebrate Chelsea on their Premier League victory on Friday, he dropped a video of the moment the referee blew the final whistle making Chelsea the winner of the premier league.
A Twitter user 'outed' Peter insinuating he should support the Nigerian football competitions as foreign teams does not care if he is watching them, see his replies.
Singer Alfred Inetimi Odon, aka Timaya, has in a chat with Sunday Scoop, revealed how he gets his inspiration sometimes.
According to the singer who has achieved a lot in the music industry from his days as a Port Harcourt-born youth hungry for fame and fortune, starring at women's bums inspires him and he is unapologetic about that.
love the human backside because it is very beautiful and just by staring at it, I get ideas for songs. And that is how songs like Ukwu and Shake Your Bum, came about. However, I also sing about many other things so it is balanced. A lot of people are hypocritical because songs about bums usually have the highest downloads but people would come out to criticise them. So who is downloading them? I have learnt that you can never please everybody and I don’t waste my time trying to do that. I stay true to myself, and if you’re cool with it, it’s okay. And if you’re not down with it, that’s also okay. Life goes on,” he said.Revealing a side of him that is rarely seen, Timaya spoke affectionately about his daughters. He said:
“I did not know I could love anyone the way I love my children. I have a very wonderful relationship with my daughters and I relate with them a lot so they also see me as a friend.”
Nollywood actress Seyi Hunter, who once declared she was still a virgin and said money was more important to her in a relationship has once again dropped a bombshell. In an interview with Potpourri, the daring never-say-never actress confirmed that some popular Nollywood actresses offer sex to movie producers just to get movie roles.
Seyi Hunter accused film-makers of being notorious for sleeping with actresses before giving them a movie role saying:
“Film makers like ass-licking and I’ve passed that stage of licking asses, so it’s the job I see that I do. You’ll be surprised the rate at which ladies offer their pussy to get roles, and these are known faces! Acting isn’t paying my bills or feeding me, someone else would have given up but it’s a hobby for me, something I love and enjoy doing, so I’m not going anywhere. I already made up my mind to improve on my productions and feature in them, plus the jobs I’m getting, I’m sure I’ll be fine”, she said. According to her, actresses sleeping with movie-makers all to secure a role is characteristic of the Nigerian movie industry rather than a bane.
For her, offering sex to a movie producer to get a role is a big deal which she would never subject herself to because she has paid her dues in the movie industry, therefore she would rather retain her integrity than giving it up for peanuts.
Coming after news of record breaking performance went viral, Son to Nigerian music legend, Femi Kuti in his interview with Punch, clarified that only broke Kenny G’s record, as the Guinness World Record for the longest note held on a sax was set by Kenny G in 1997 but was actually broken by another sax player 17 years later.
NPR reports that the sax player who set the new record was Vann Burchfield from Birmingham and he did not make the news go viral because he loves Kenny G.
Kenny G held his note for 45 minutes and 47 seconds by using a technique called Circular Breathing. Femi Kuti dragged the note to 46 minutes and 38 seconds using same technique, but Vann had set the record at 47 minutes and 6 seconds.
Now, Femi Kuti clarifies that he broke Kenny G’s record, not Vann Burchfield’s.
Here’s what he said in his interview;
“I did not break the Guinness World Record; I broke Kenny G’s world record. There is still another record. I don’t know Kenny G, he is not my friend and we have never performed together. I have heard about him and listened to about two of his songs even though I don’t know their titles but I have never met him in person.
Initially, when I did something similar to that and it was uploaded on Facebook, some people were making some comments like, ‘so what? Kenny G has done it before. He is a world record holder.’
Someone then checked and noted that Kenny G actually had a record of 45 minutes and 37 seconds. I said I was going to break it and the feedback I got was that it was not possible so, I tried and after the third attempt, I broke his record.
On that night if they had told me there was another record of 47 minutes 05 seconds, I would have broken it as well but no one knew of that record. It was because it was Kenny G’s record that came up when we made an internet search. I was only 38 seconds away from the current world record; I stopped playing when everyone assured me that I was in 46 minutes and I went another extra 32 seconds to be sure that everyone’s time synchronised. So nobody was in doubt that I broke Kenny G’s record.
I was just doing it to prove a point because anytime I hold a key for a long while playing the saxophone, people always mentioned Kenny G’s name. It made me wonder why they always had to compare us because it was not a competition for me. Since they were making it a deterrent to my performance, I decided to go after his record. Now the matter is resolved; no one can compare us anymore. When you have a performance, it is to enhance the creativity of the music and not to show off.
Now the case of Kenny G has been rested but since people are bringing up the case of the Guinness Book of World Record holder out, I will attempt it. I am going to attempt the world record on Sunday and if I don’t succeed this Sunday, I will try again the next Sunday. It took me three Sundays to break Kenny G’s record and do not forget age is not on my side. You have to be focused and I am sure that after I break it, I will not attempt it again. I will just set my mind. I believe it might take me three weeks to break the world record for the longest single note held on a saxophone.
Once I accomplish that, the case would rest and I can go back to doing it for one minute and nobody will tell me rubbish again. It seems as if there are some people that are just bent on always comparing me with people. I am using this to shut them up because whenever I play, they say that someone has done it better. My music was never about that but I need to do this just to put it all behind even for my own personal satisfaction.
While I am doing it, I want to make sure that I have fun. I don’t want to lose focus of putting good melody to my music which is the essence of my music at the end of the day.”
Five American music stars have been crowned as world’s richest Hip-Hop artists. According to Forbes which released the list yesterday, May 10, the rappers include P. Diddy who’s ahead of Jay Z by $10 million. Drake is the only non-American and youngest on the list.
Starting the countdown here are music legends who has made millions out of music and other business ventures for decades.
5. Drake – $90 Million
At just 30 years, Aubrey Drake Graham joins the list of richest hip-hop artists as well as the youngest.
The Canadian-born rapper, songwriter, record producer, and actor’s 2016 views fueled his gruelling tour across the US and the Netherlands.
The tour was fetching Drake $1 million per night, not to mention his deals with Apple, Nike and Sprite.
4. Birdman – $110 Million
Known by his stage name, Birdman, Bryan Williams is professional American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, executive producer, and investor.
He joins the list top richest hip-hop artists 2017, at number 4.
Along with his brother Ronald William, Birdman co-owns Cash Money Record, which has three of the world’s biggest star – Nicky Minaj, Drake and Lil Wayne under its wing.
3. Dr Dre – $740 Million
Selling the Beat Record to Apple in 2014 for $3 billion reportedly gave Dre the largest single-year payday ever recorded by a living musician, placing him third on the list of top richest hip-hop artists.
The 53-year old is the founder and current CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and Beats Electronics. Dre has also signed many other artists since the surge of his career including Snoop Dogg and Eminem.
2. Jay Z – $810 Million
Shawn Corey Carter, professionally known as Jay Z is known as one of the best-selling musicians of all time, having sold more than 100 million records.
He is second to Diddy on the list of world’s richest hip-hop artists.
His telecommunication company, Sprint’s $200 million investment in music stream service ‘Tidal’ reportedly valued the platform at $600 – more than what Jay Z paid for it two years ago.
In 2015, his wealth was estimated at $53.5 million, and now, he is heading towards the billionaire direction so long his Roc Nation entertainment company and his Champagne brand continues to grow.
1. P. Diddy – $820 Million
Officially known as Sean John Combs, Diddy is not only a rapper. He’s a songwriter, actor, record producer and entrepreneur, who has expanded his money over the years in potential money breeding business ventures.
Raised in Mount Vernon, New York, Diddy alongside Jay Z can be described as grandfathers in the world of entertainment having a rolled in the industry for more than a decade.
Diddy who is currently facing a lawsuit, is heading to the billionaire list on account of his lucrative with Diageo’s Ciroc plus stakes in TV network ‘Revolt,’ alkaline water brand ‘Aquahydrate’ and tequila, DeLeon.
Shortly after he was named #1 on the list world’s richest Hip-Hop artists 2017, Diddy took to his twitter page to caption this:
Seplat scholarship is on. It's nearly for all courses Eligible students must complete and submit an online application form.
All applicants are expected to have a valid personal email account for ease of communication. Only the shortlisted applicants will be contacted. Applications are subject to NPDC/SEPLAT Scholarship Award Terms and Conditions.
