Category: Entertainment

Popular street-hop act Portable has decided to equip himself with some self-defense mechanism through boxing after his recent encounter with some friends who allegedly beat up him and his elder sister.

‘Ika of Africa’ was spotted shirtless in his hood with boxing gloves on.

The video captured him swinging his arms as one learning the art of boxing.

A few days ago, Portable via his insta stories claimed he and his elder sister were attacked at his bar by friends from the community.

He said the friends who he referred to as ‘oke osa boiz’, whom he had helped at different times, pounced on him after he interfered in their dispute with his big sister.

The ‘Zazu’ crooner claimed the sister was subsequently hospitalised at a result of the severe beating meted out to them

He also recorded a video on the alleged assault, showing parts of his battered arm, neck and head; vowing to take legal action against his attackers in another post.

Prominent stakeholders in Nigeria’s creative industry have come together to discuss the proposed Creative Industries Development Bill (CIDB) and its potential to transform the Nigerian creative economy.

The interactive sessions between creative gurus and the presidency seek to enhance the industry through a well-designed action plan centered on putting the creatives “FIRST”: Funding, Incentives, Research, Skills, and Training.

Speaking at one of the meetings, the CIDB Stakeholders Engagement Sub-Committee Lead, Obi Asika described the bill as a whole of government and whole of nation approach with key stakeholders continuously engaged.

“The continuing stakeholder engagement sessions aim to provide an opportunity for industry professionals to engage with the CIDB team, understand the significance and benefits of the bill, and provide valuable insights to make it fit-for-purpose and shape the future of the creative industries in Nigeria.

“The bill seeks to create a transparent, lean, and modern commission to serve as a one-stop-shop for the creative industries. When passed into law, the CIDB becomes the Creative Industries Development Act (CIDA),” he said.

On his part, the Investment Banker and the CIDB Finance Sub-Committee Lead, Chukuka Chukuma, emphasized the importance of leaving no one behind and the need to enable and support the sector.

He explained that the bill is not intended to replace existing agencies but to act in the best interests of the creative industries, and drive collaboration. He noted that the private sector, development finance institutions, and global multilaterals all seek a clear line of sight into the sector, and the CIDB will meet their expectations and provide a one-stop-shop that facilitates seamless foreign direct investments.

The industry stakeholders commended the team and the efforts of the Minister of Information and Culture in promoting the kind of collaborative environment that led to the development of this laudable bill.

Other members of the CIDB Presidential Advisory team–including Davidson Oturu, Ojoma Ochai, Tonye Faloughi-Ekezie, Baba Agba, Enyi Omeruah, Femi Odugbemi, Ijeoma Onah, Moses Babatope, Titilayo Adebola, Eghosa Imasuen, Sam Onyemelukwe, Oswald Osaretin Guobadia, and Chichi Nwoko–were present to give further insights into the details of the CIDB.

TIKTOK has announced the next chapter of its partnership with Festival de Cannes 2023 with the launch of the second edition of the #TikTokShortFilm competition.

From March 6 to 29, TikTok invites creators in Sub-Saharan Africa and the rest of the world to register through the official form to create and share their own short-form films, using the hashtag #TikTokShortFilm.

From 40 shortlisted videos with the highest number of views and engagement, a highly-acclaimed jury will select winners across three categories: Grand Winner, Best Script, and Best Direction, and will be invited by TikTok to the 76th edition of the Festival de Cannes to present their work and receive their prize. The Grand Winner will receive a cash prize of €10,000, while winners of the Best Script and Best Direction categories will receive €5,000 each to support their next creative projects.

Launched for the first time in 2022, the #TikTokShortFilm competition brought together emerging and experienced filmmakers as they showcased their skills through TikTok’s wide range of creative tools and bringing their stories to life in new and authentic ways.

Garnering almost 10 billion views, the first edition of #TikTokShortFilm highlighted four creators with very distinct styles, who embody the diversity of the TikTok community.

Claudia Cochet, the winner of the Best Script award with her activist film Modern Princess, which denounces violence against women, shares how joining the competition helped her find more opportunities across the industry. “Winning the “Best Script” award not only gave me confidence as a writer-director, but also gave me credibility in the film industry. I have been able to direct and write for large groups on TikTok, and I have recently co-written two feature films thanks to the visibility that the award has given me. Since then, I’ve also directed the pilot of a series that I’m now looking to produce and have been invited to many short film festivals to talk about my experience as a director on platforms, all thanks to TikTok,” she said.

SPOTIFY has unveiled features and tools to grow their 500+ million monthly active users and build their careers for artists, podcasters and creators.

This was revealed at the Spotify’s second Stream On event which was held on Wednesday, March 8.

The virtual event had music artists, songwriters, video and content creators, and podcasters from all over the world joining Spotify for a day of announcements, inspiring stories, and hands-on demos of new tools and resources coming to the global creator platform.

“Stream On is about all the ways we are bringing Spotify to life and letting creators at all stages of their careers know that we are open for business. We are focused on building the best home for them – a place where they can establish a career, thrive and grow and where the world can be inspired by their creativity,” Spotify Founder & CEO Daniel Ek shared during the morning keynote presentation.

He continued, “And that’s what we’ve been doing for almost 17 years: building, improving and reimagining this home to better meet creator needs and help them chart new pathways to success. As we look to the future, we are excited to expand that ambition to even more creators across new formats. We’re enabling more creativity, discovery and personalization than ever before by providing the best resources, support, and interactivity.”

NIGERIAN singer Bella Shmurda has opened up on his evolving music genre.

In a chat with Dadaboy Ehiz on Apple Music 1, Bella Shmurda said he feels his music genre is too harsh for some folks, hence, he’s working on slowing it down to their taste.

He said, “I just feel like people feel like my vibe is hard to combine. It’s not something you can just wake up in the morning and just want to vibe to. It’s not just a vibe, it’s something you have to think about, something that goes a long way.”

 Continuing, Shmurda said, “Me personally I’ve been trying to calm it down with my vibes, because I really want people to vibe with me. I don’t want it to be too hard for people to vibe with me. There are important people in this music industry that don’t like it, they can’t do it so harsh. You can’t do it too harsh because they won’t follow.”

Undoubtedly, music played an important role in the struggle of president-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu’s long walks to victory. OLAITAN GANIU writes about how Fuji music star, Wasiu Ayinde Omogbolahan aka K1 de Ultimate expressed his loyalty to one of his benefactors using his musical prowess to campaign and eventually mobilise votes.

FROM the outset — before Tinubu won his party’s presidential ticket — the renowned Fuji star has been a mouthpiece for Tinubu by amplifying his presidential ambition through songs and active participation in mobilising people towards achieving the ambition. Not only because the musician is a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), but because he believed in the dream and action plan of the former governor of Lagos State.

For KWAM 1, music is a potent tool to canvass and provoke the consciousness of the masses, so he swiftly hits the studio to compose a theme song to enrapture his fans worldwide towards his choice and emergence of Tinubu.

The 66-year-old entertainer would never fail to chant the political anthem whenever he was opportune to grab a microphone at party rallies, concerts, or Owambe parties. He would order his band to increase the tempo of the beats as he continues to sing the praises of Tinubu in Yoruba.

One of the popular anthem, which K1 hijacked after it was created by members of the Tinubu’s inner caucus, goes thus: “On your mandate we shall stand, Tinubu, on your mandate we shall stand. On your mandate, we shall stand.”

While many Nigerian celebrities were at loggerheads over their preferred political candidates on social media, the experienced performer was unbuffered, rather, drumming support for his leader and presidential candidate choice.

Loyal to Tinubu, the singer accompanied the APC candidate to different parts of the country, especially the Southwest regions to continue to propagate his political ambition.

On February 21 at the final rally in Lagos, the musician showcased his political capacity, acumen, and mobilization skill to the admiration of several politicians and elective office holders.

Aside from music, before the elections and during the campaign, the imminent artist also shared customised mobile phones amongst his fans as a way of showing his support for Tinubu’s presidential ambition last year.

“The musician is not just showing his support for the former Lagos governor alone, which he has been doing for many years through live and recorded songs, he has just taken delivery of customised mobile phones that have, not only pictures and expressions of Asiwaju but also the new song he has just composed for him,” the musician’s spokesperson, Kunle Rasheed said.

“Aside from the mobile phones, K1 will also be distributing CDs and other campaign materials that have set his pocket back hundreds of millions.”

As Nigerians wait for the inauguration of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu come May 29, music lovers are also expecting to see K1 performing on the big stage in Aso Rock as he rolls out a specially dedicated album in the honour of Tinubu in collaboration with 9ice.

Jonathan Georgewill is one of Nigeria’s brilliant professional comperes who have utilized his talents on a myriad of high-profile projects, both on and out of the stage; Georgewill is the Founder of Mentenance, an Instagram live show for men’s matters. He is also an emerging Nollywood actor and a realtor. In this interview with GBENGA BADA, he highlights how he has been able to develop the requisite skills of public speaking, his desire to make a big break in acting and other issues in the Master of Ceremony business space in Nigeria.

HOW did you set out to become one of the sorts after Mcee in the country?

It all started when I was an undergraduate. I studied Mass Communications at the Federal Polytechnic Bida, Niger State and majored in Broadcasting. I wasn’t the outspoken type but many times someone needed to stand and speak before people I got the opportunity and afterwards, I started featuring in some gigs on campus, and then I let it go. Interestingly, after I left school, I worked with New Wave Productions, which was Charly Boy’s studios. While I was there, I was opportune to understudy Charlie Boy and Clint de Drunk and Iyabo Lawani, they were all working for Charlie Boy at the time. I also got the opportunity to be on TV on the Charlie Boy fan club a couple of times and from there it became a thing, then it became full-blown when I found myself in the church at the Daystar Christian Centre. The church gave me the platform to hone my skills when I would stand before everyone to make them laugh on Wednesday services, carol services and other special programmes. That was how I started out and the rest is history.

Outside being a professional MC, what other things do you do?

I am a concert producer, and a realtor, and I dabble in acting, hoping to get a big break in that space someday. I hope Kemi Adetiba will look my way someday. I’ve been praying and looking forward to the day that she will invite me for an audition. (Laughs)

Why did you mention her, do you know her?

I don’t know her personally, but I’m a huge fan of her movies. King of Boys which is one of her movies with depths amazes me. I have watched other flicks that she has done but they don’t wow me like King of Boys does. On one or two occasions in real life, I was behaving like one of the characters in King of Boys. I have watched the movie over and over again and I’m sending a big shout-out to her. I also wish I could get the privilege to be on her next production and show the world my talent in acting.

Tell us the movies you have featured in

I have featured in an NTA soap opera called Us, Broken Places, and I did Skit and Sketches among other roles. 

How lucrative is the MC profession in Nigeria?

The MC industry space in Nigeria is lucrative. Thank God for people like Alibaba, Bisi Olatilo, Soni Irabor, Ebele Young, Basorge Tariah Jr, and Gbenga Adeyinka among others who made it lucrative in the sense that they brought professionalism into the act, created a career pathway and made it a huge viable industry it is today. Now, upcoming comperes with the innate or learned ability to communicate artistically can make a living out of it. 

As a viable industry, is there a body supporting the interests of people working in this profession?

Currently, there is no Body and I think there should be a body so that the industry has a standard when it comes to the earnings of MC and it would be able to create some level of ethics that is required for each and every master of ceremony to work with and also discipline.

Do you think there is an improvement in the way events are anchored in Nigeria?

Yes, I believe there is an improvement. Clients are more aware of what they want; MCs are aware competition is stiff; audiences are more exposed and therefore demand more. And more training is available to MCs now, so people are indeed improving their delivery.