“Music to me is life. I breathe and eat music. I don’t know if I can survive without music – after God and water,” says 27-year-old Nigerian hip hop artiste Olamide Baddo before daring me to check his bag to confirm that he always carries a Bible with him. I don’t check. He says that he also loves Drake, Jay Z, Mali Music and “almost anything”.
The name Olamide in his Nigerian dialect means ‘my wealth has come’ which only prompts me to ask him if his has indeed arrived. “We are almost there,” he jests, adding, “Too much money is never enough money. The more money you have, the more responsibilities you have to take care of. I have so many things.” My trying to get more details pertaining his responsibilities hits a dead end.
In a tough music industry, Olamide has emerged as one of the illest and most popular rappers in Nigeria. It might have a lot to do with the fact that he records mostly in Yoruba. Fans love that he stays local. “I will never forget I had a show in the East Coast of Nigeria and an artist brought an art work of me and the size was very big. He came to Lagos just to deliver it to me and let me know that he appreciates my music and he didn’t expect anything from me,” he recalls.
Olamide’s delivery in rap is fierce like a dragon spitting fire. “From a tender age I always knew that this is what I wanted to do. My family and mother have been very supportive but my father wanted me to finish school first before I started music but I couldn’t listen [because] I was crazy about my ambition.”
Read about that time when I passed Olamide’s hood in Lagos.
In 2012, Olamide founded his label imprint: Yahoo Boy No Laptop Nation (YBNL). The independent record label is home to notable young Nigerian pop artistes: Lil Kesh, Adenkule Gold and producers Pheelz and Young John—YBNL soldiers. He says, “I do employ people to supervise projects [but] I scout YBNL artistes myself. Everybody should look out for Adenkule Gold that’s the next big thing.”
Undoubtedly one of the most prolific African artistes in their prime, Olamide has produced an album each year since 2012. I wonder what’s it like to keep up with being Olamide? “I have to put out content within the year properly, bring my A-Game to the table all through the year and make sure I do the right collabos.”
I meet Olamide in Nairobi during my stint as Publicist of Coke Studio Africa season III. On the show, he is paired with Mozambique’s Marabenta Queen Neyma. Her twerking skills were on another level. “I used to dance so badly so I stopped but as you can see I am putting in work. You’ve seen us give you Shoki and Shakiti Bobo,” he says, adding, “Bobo is like a guy – like my hommie. The song is talking about being successful in life. If you want to be successful in life you have to live out of the box. You can’t be doing what everybody else is doing and expect to get the same results.”
Olamide loves Nairobi. “Kenya is a very chill place. I love the hospitality. The girls are very nice and the guys are cool but I love the girls more. Kenyans love hip hop music and that always reminds me of my beginning,” praising the Kenyan singer Fena whom he was paired with on the show’s second season. “She is hip hop in a way and she adds soul to her music.” In the middle of our conversation, he stops to appreciate a friend’s anatomy. She is passing by. Hilarious!
Even though it’s been a long day at rehearsals, Olamide is so chill and patient. I want to know if this is who he really is. “You can’t fake such things, people who know you from Day 1 will know you are faking it. People who know me know that I am real” By the end of this interview we are having a great conversation, I even forget that this is an interview. What’s your style? I ask him. “I am actually not a fashion person, I am just a crazy-ass nigga I rock whatever I feel like rocking. It depends on my moods. You can see me tomorrow and I will be rocking my jalabiya. I am that crazy.”
Baddo touts 2 Baba as his favourite artiste and says that he would love to work with Jay Z. “I want to conquer Asia and America,” he asserts. Olamide says that a new album might be dropping in 2016.
BONUS: Check out my other Olamide stories
Olamide announces no-collabos year – DStv
5 Things You Didn’t Know About Olamide – Coke Studio Africa
Black Roses 
“Too much money is never enough money. The more money you have, the more responsibilities you have to take care of
too much money is never enough,you’re right hommie