The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Basketmouth

  • Basketmouth, Efe, others attend Orijin launch

    Basketmouth, Efe, others attend Orijin launch

    Bright Okpocha aka Basketmouth and reality TV show star Efe Money, were some of the popular faces that graced the launch of Orijin Limited edition pack.

    The event, which was held at the Guinness Nigeria Headquarters also had in attendance,Neo Akpofure, and Jenni Frank.

    The event, also graced by the incoming Managing Director of Guinness Nigeria, Adebayo Alli, was a celebration of resilience and cultural artistry.

    Read Also: Five African countries with weakest passports

    The launch event was a diverse variety of engaging activities, symbolising the resilience engraved in the brand’s overall campaign, ‘Deeply Rooted.’

    Mark Mugisha, Marketing and Innovations Director, Guinness Nigeria, noted, “We’re committed to telling the vibrant story of Guinness Nigeria and our brands. Yet, nothing compares to the 200 million unique stories of Nigerians, showcasing exceptional resilience. Today, I proudly join in amplifying Orijin’s Orijinality, a brand deeply rooted in our culture and celebrating the exceptional Nigerian spirit. I urge you all to embrace your roots, stay Orijinal, and remain exceptional. Cheers to all Orijinals; it’s been a year!”

    The unveiling also featured captivating performances by the Atilogu dance troupes and an insightful mini-Art talk by Dadee Daniel, the artist mind behind the new label design.

  • Basketmouth plans to quit comedy in five years

    Basketmouth plans to quit comedy in five years

    Stand-up comedian, Bright Okpocha popularly known as Basketmouth, has announced a five-year plan to move on from comedy and channel his energy on other things. 

    Basketmouth said he would be quitting comedy when he clocks 50 to build his own empire and work in every aspect of the entertainment industry.

    The 45-year-old, during an interview on Arise TV, explained that he plans to retire after doing a run of yearly comedy shows for the following five years.

    He said even though he initially gave up a music career in the 1990s to pursue comedy, he had always known he would return to it.

    Read Also: Why AY Makun didn’t perform at my concert – Basketmouth

    “In five years, I will be 50 years old. I would have moved on to something else that would take up a lot of my time. I wish to put my all into it.

    “I am confident that I will be able to combine all of my interests and completely enjoy films, TV shows, and concerts. Doing all of these things and still giving comedy your best will be difficult,” he said.

    The comedian said there is the possibility of a comeback despite his departure strategy.

    “As a comedian, you can’t stop writing materials so I’ll keep writing, and maybe in another 10 or 15 years after now, I might come back. We have a 15-year plan,” he said.

  • Why AY Makun didn’t perform at my concert – Basketmouth

    Why AY Makun didn’t perform at my concert – Basketmouth

    Popular stand-up comedian Bright Okpocha aka Basketmouth has confirmed to have invited his rival and colleague, AY Makun to his concert but wasn’t billed to perform. 

    The concert held on Sunday at the Eko Hotel & Suites.

    He made the gesture weeks after publicly apologising to AY and squashing their 17-year-old rift.

    He, however, said AY wouldn’t perform at the event because it is scripted. 

    Speaking in a recent interview with Arise TV, Basketmouth said: “AY is not on the bill to perform but he has got a ticket. He’s attending. I sent him his ticket a few days ago.

    “I knew a lot of people have been asking, ‘Is he AY gonna perform?’ He’s not on the bill.

    Read Also: Why I apologised to AY Makun, Basketmouth reveals

    “In actual fact, I don’t have that many comedians on the bill. I know Bovi is introducing me. Senator, Dan The Humorous and Aproko from Abuja are performing. I got a few people from Ghana as well.

    “AY can’t even make a cameo because my show is already designed. We are recording for TV so it’s a three-hour set. As we speak the guys directing and producing they just came into the country about a few days ago.

    “And before they even landed, we had already sealed the whole flow of the show. It’s not the kind of show where anybody would just get on stage. It’s not that kind of show. Everything is timed. Precision to perfection.” 

  • Nigeria’s stand-up comedy gradually ‘dying’ – Basketmouth

    Nigeria’s stand-up comedy gradually ‘dying’ – Basketmouth

    Popular stand-up comedian Bright Okpocha, popularly known as Basketmouth, has bemoaned the rate at which stand-up comedy is at its declining stage and era. 

    According to him, stand-up comedy unlike the music and movie industries, lacks “structure and platform.”

    He spoke in a recent interview with Arise TV.

    Basketmouth said: “My colleagues will agree with me that stand-up comedy in Nigeria is actually dying. The culture of stand-up comedy is bleeding terribly.

    “You know, with music, they have their streaming platforms; they have a platform that supports what they do across the world. With movies, they have the same thing: they have the streaming platform. And Afrobeats broke into that space and made room for the movies. Unfortunately, for comedy, we don’t have any platforms. We don’t have comedy clubs; we don’t have any structure.

    Read Also: Music video costs N30million to produce – Basketmouth

    “In the United States, if comedians decide to go on tour, before they go on tour, they do comedy clubs across the states and try the materials repeatedly. But here in Nigeria, there’s no comedy club. There’s nowhere for you to practice your materials. Because this is an art, you can’t just create it and go on stage when you don’t know what the response is going to be like. 

    “When musicians make their songs, they call different people, A&R, and ask for their feedback before feeding it to the rest of the world. But out here, you see a lot of comedians. It’s a risky game. And they’re the ones promoting the shows, looking for sponsors. The system is not built to support comedy. A lot of newbies don’t have the platform like we had.”

  • Music video costs N30million to produce – Basketmouth

    Music video costs N30million to produce – Basketmouth

    Popular comedian Bright Okpocha aka Basketmouth, has lamented growing price of visualising a music production in Nigeria.

    He said the fee from two years ago was N7 – N7.5 million but it is now between N27 – 30m. 

    The comic actor said the price hike was why he decided to do a holdup video for ‘Party’, the lead track from his upcoming album, ‘Uburu’, instead of slashing over N25 million to shoot a standard video.

    Basketmouth spoke in a recent interview with The Beat 99.9 FM, Lagos.

    Read Also: Basketmouth most ‘wicked’ comedian, says Bovi

    He said: “The visual we have for my song ‘Party’ with Peruzzi is not an official video. It’s just like a holdup because I did not know that the economy has hit us that bad. 2 years ago, I used to make videos for 7 – 7.5 million Naira. Now, it is 27 – 30 million Naira.

    “I’m an Igbo man so the first thing I thought about was, ‘Okay Bright, if you’re spending N25m on visuals, it’s for uptick, right? Then do a holdup video, do something for uptick as well.’

  • Basketmouth working against me in top places- Comedian Destalker

    Basketmouth working against me in top places- Comedian Destalker

    Popular comedian Destalker has addressed a heated issue between him and veteran comedian Basketmouth.

    He stated this during a chat on The Honest Bunch podcast hosted by Nedu Wazobia.

    The comedian shared how some of his senior colleagues hindered his progress.

    Destalker queried how a comedian, who has bagged the title of “Best Comedian” for five years, could not get sponsors for his show.

    Read Also:I never planned to be a comedian – Basketmouth

    He revealed that he wrote proposals to sponsors who would have to seek approval from some of his senior colleagues.

    Destalker recounted the incident that occurred in 2015 as one of Basketmouth’s crew on Flatmate contacted him and revealed he should be available the next day, which he turned down.

    He stated they have been unable to resolve the misunderstanding since then.

    “Somebody called me one day and asked what I had with Basketmouth; I said nothing. He said, go and beg him. Because something happened in 2015,” Destalker said.

  • Basketmouth expresses worry over stand-up comedy

    A list comedian and actor, Bright Okpocha, popularly known as Basketmouth, joined a panel of communication experts at Viacom International Media Networks Africa’s (VIMN Africa) forum at Social Media Week Lagos to discuss the future of content in Africa.

    The captivating discussion, which was themed ‘Music, Content and Consumer Experiences…Changing The African Narrative’, was moderated by MTV Base VJ, Folu Storms and featured MTV Base Africa (ROA) Senior Channel Manager, Viacom International Media Networks Africa, Solafunmi Oyeneye; Founder and Principal Consultant, Peaceville Entertainment Group, Ernest Audu; CEO and Chief Creative Officer at X3M Ideas Limited and X3M Music, Steve Babaeko and Publisher of Nigerian Entertainment Today, founder of BlackHouse Media and ID Africa, Ayeni Adekunle.

    The session had about 100 people in attendance and touched on everything from creating content in the evolving music industry to how content creators can position themselves to make profit from their craft.

    Basketmouth is one of the few Nigerian stand-up comedians who has worked twice on VIMN Africa platforms. In 2011 he was approached by MTV Base to host his own show ‘The Big Friday Show’ and the TV show went on to win the best TV show. In 2013, he collaborated with Comedy Central as host of Live at Parker’s.

    Sharing his inspirational story, the comedian touched on the need for Nigerian content creators to create content that not only strikes a chord with their target audience but also outlives the creator.

    “While it is good for us to evolve, we have to remember to make content that has substance. We need to understand our target audience and what they need,” he said.

    Speaking about the comedy scene in Nigeria, Basketmouth appreciated the efforts of Comedy Central, a property of Viacom, in creating a platform not only for traditional stand-up comedians but also trendy one minute skits comedians. He, however, noted that while he has no problem with the new generation of Instagram comedians, he still does not see enough comedians taking time to hone the craft of stand-up comedy.

    Expressing his displeasure with comedians who take the easy route of only creating skits, Basketmouth said: “There’s nothing like a good joke. A joke can always be improved and even I often share some of my jokes with fellow comedians and they tell me it’s okay but tell me how to make it better. Doing skits on social media is very different from performing on stage. There is no filter on stage.”

    He also urged upcoming acts to work on their content and create a fan base for themselves before approaching brands and demanding showcase opportunities.

    With over 20,000 attendees across the week and an online social reach of 646 million, Social Media Week Lagos is now considered Africa’s largest digital media and tech event.

  • Basketmouth is Savanna Pan-African Comic of the Year

    Nigerian comedian, Bright Okpocha, popularly known as Basketmouth has again emerged winner of the 2018 edition of the Savanna Pan-African Comic of the Year organised by South African Savanna Comics’ Choice Awards (SCCA).

    He beat four other African comedians to clinch the coveted title in Johannesburg, South Africa, on Saturday.

    Announcing the news on his Instagram account, he posted a picture where he held the award plaque and wrote: “Thank you @comicschoice @savannacider for this….I truly appreciate you guys, and to all my peeps that voted for me. You guys rock. #SavannaCCA #Back2Back”

    Basketmouth, who won the maiden edition of the Savanna Pan-African Comic of the Year award in 2017, has once again been nominated in the same category this year.

    Before 2017, the annual South African Savanna Comics’ Choice Awards (SCCA) was strictly for South African comedians only. However, last year, it extended one of its categories to other parts of Africa, hence the category is called the Savanna Pan-African Comic of the Year.

    Meanwhile Basketmouth would be hosting his signature show, ‘Lords of the Ribs’ comedy festival on September 29 and 30, 2018 at the Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos.

    The foreign comedians slated to perform that night include Capone, JJ Williams, Kevin J,, Alfred Kaina, Salvador and Mpho Popps. And on the Nigerian corner, it will be likes of Buchi, Okey Bakassi, Igosave, Senator, Funnybone and Dan D Humorous that will thrill the audience.

  • Basketmouth honoured at Comic Choice Awards

    Basketmouth honoured at Comic Choice Awards

    Stand-up comedian, Bright Okpocha, aka Basketmouth has been honoured at the 2017 Savannah Comic Choice Awards held at the Lyric Theatre in Johannesburg, South Africa last Saturday.

    The comedian is the first to win the Savanna Pan-African Comic Award category which was introduced this year.

    It was also the first time the award would offer nomination opportunities to comedians in Nigeria, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Angola and Lesotho, according to reports.

    Dillon Khan, the Vice-President of Comedy Central Africa presented Basketmouth with his trophy which gave him a feeling of pleasure as observed from his delighted expression while walking towards the stage.

    Expressing his appreciation to the organisers on his Instagram page, Basketmouth wrote; “Thank you @comicschoice I truly appreciate this.”

    The organisers of the award also sent in their congratulatory message to the actor and comedian via Instagram.

    “Africa!! Your Pan African Comedian of the year is @Basketmouth #SavannaCCA Naija Stand Up!!! Congrats,” they wrote in a post.

    Another memorable occurrence at the event was the Lifetime Achievement prize given to Cyril Green, a comedy vet who died in August 2017.

  • GLO TREATS KANO RESIDENTS TO HUMOUR FEST

    RESIDENTS of Nigeria’s most populous city, Kano, were recently treated to a dose of jokes and laughter by seven iconic comedians led by Bright Okpocha, popularly called Basketmouth and Bovi Ugboma.

    Courtesy of Glo Laffta Fest, the show held at the Meena Event Centre, Kano. Other comedians who performed at the show, which coincided with the annual Durbar festival, included Godwin Komone (Gordons), Iruvwe Okiemute (De Don), Francis Agoda (I Go Die), Patrick Onyeke (Mr. Patrick), and Saed Mohammad (Funky Mallam).

    The evening of endless fun was teed off by Mr. Patrick, the drama sketch kingpin, who thoroughly entertained the audience. Funky Mallam, one of the most prominent Nollywood personalities from northern Nigeria, picked the baton and entertained the audience with an admixture of Hausa and English jokes.

    The heavyweights, Gordons, I Go Dye, Bovi and Basketmouth, took the show to its zenith with waves of jokes. Gordons, in his own routine commended the residents of the city for upholding peace and unity in Kano, calling on the media to project the positive image of the city.

    Kannywood star, Sani Danja, Nollywood legend, Kanayo O. Kanayo and accomplished Nollywood comic, Victor Osuagwu complemented the comedians with cameo appearances which excited the overfilled hall whilst Nollywood actresses, Mercy Johnson-Okojie and Uche Jombo anchored the event and DJ XGee entertained with pulsating music from the wheel of steel.

    Attendees who arrived early were appreciated with goody bags while those who correctly answered quiz about Glo products and services and those who excelled in dance competitions were also rewarded with corporate gifts.

    The female category of the dance competitions was jointly won by Maryam Muhammad and Ochuwa Oshio while the male category was jointly won by Gideon Emmanuel and Timilehin Oyedemi.