Olamide Gbenga Adedeji (born 15 March 1989) is a Nigerian rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. Baddo is one of the most influential artists in Africa.
Olamide has been pivotal to the creative and commercial success of several Afrobeats music stars and is consistently praised for his role in elevating Street Pop to mainstream recognition as a distinct music genre.
Now we are going to have a look at a list of artists who achieved their limelight and were brought to fame by the music megastar. In this article, we shine a spotlight on twenty artists who have received Olamide’s valuable co-sign and benefited from his support, as he played a significant role in their rise to stardom.
1. Adekunle Gold
Adekunle Gold’s success story is incomplete without Olamide’s contribution. Throwing backlight on how the YBNL boss impacted his music career, Adekunle Gold once said,
“Getting signed to YBNL took me to London for the first time. That was in 2015. So, YBNL changed everything for me. I am grateful to Olamide for all the support and inspiration.”
2. Zlatan Ibile
When the ‘Oganigwe’ crooner, Zlatan Ibile, needed to leverage on a more established artiste to break into the industry, it was Olamide he featured in his song, ‘My Body’. In an interview, Zlatan noted that Olamide inspired him in the early days of his career.
The song ‘My Body’ saw a guest verse from Olamide which helped catapult the song to the mainstream giving both artists a hit record at the time.
Zlatan himself brought this to light in a once-viral video, sharing that the YBNL boss personally reached out to him, orchestrating the recording of his first song and even accompanying him to another state to make it happen. Typical of Olamide, he provided this assistance quietly, without ever mentioning it in public.
3. Naira Marley
Although Naira Marley’s prominence in the music industry is associated with the Lil Kesh and Olamide collaboration on “Issa Goal,” his initial breakthrough occurred in 2016 with “Ko Si Werey,” a track featuring none other than the YBNL boss. “Issa Goal” was undeniably a more significant record, serving as the official single for the Super Eagles during the 2018 World Cup and subsequently earning Naira Marley a Coca-Cola sponsorship deal.
4. Asake
Asake, rave of the moment. Olamide’s impact on Asake’s career is nothing short of immense. Asake himself recognized the significance when he received the legend’s verse for his breakthrough track “Omo Ope.”
A viral video captured the moment when Asake listened to it for the first time, shedding tears of joy. Following this pivotal moment, the impact on Asake’s career was substantial, ultimately leading to his signing with YBNL and a remarkable rise to prominence.
5. Bella Shmurda
After being introduced to Olamide by Dancer, Poco Lee in 2019, Bella Shmurda featured Olamide on the remix of his song, ‘Vision 2020’. The collaboration helped Shmurda to gain more acceptance in the music industry.
According to Bella Shmurda, Olamide played a pivotal role in the song’s production, covering all financial aspects, including the music video, and handling the promotion, essentially propelling him to success.
6. Fireboy DML
The raving music star who was signed to YBNL in 2019 disclosed how Olamide helped him when he had writer’s block while recording ‘Playboy’, his album work.
He told Fader Magazine, “I started making the album in late 2020. Along the line, I had writer’s block, which happened to be my first creative block ever. I panicked. I thought I had lost my mojo. I called Olamide, my mentor, and he said, “Relax. It’s your first time. I know how it feels. You need to change your environment.”
Also, in an interview with The PUNCH, the ‘Peru’ crooner also stated that Olamide was the one who reached out to him. He said, “Olamide reached out to me himself. He explained how much he believed in my dream and said he wanted to make things happen for me. I could not refuse.”
7. Pheelz
His breakthrough as a record producer came in 2012 when he produced the chart-topping singles by Olamide titled “First of All” and “Fucking with the Devil” off his YBNL album.
Pheelz worked under I.D Cabassa at Coded Tunes, the record label where he met Olamide. In 2011, he featured vocals in a song off Olamide’s Rapsodi album titled “I’m Going In”.
He produced all but one song on Olamide’s Baddest Guy Ever Liveth album, a move which made him gain grounds in the Nigerian music industry and won him a nomination at The Headies 2013. In 2014, he was also nominated in the Producer of the Year category at the 2014 edition of The Headies and the 2014 Nigeria Entertainment Awards.
8. Lil Kesh
Lil Kesh was signed to Olamide’s record label in 2014. While confirming his exit from the label in 2016, Lil Kesh stated that YBNL remained a family to him. He had said,
“Indeed, my contract ended about two weeks ago. My contract with YBNL was for two years but that is the business side to it. My contract included three videos and one album. But, Baddo went out of his way to shoot about five videos for me. Business or no business YBNL is family and will always be.”
Still one of Lil Kesh’s most popular songs, ‘Shoki’ was released in 2014 and it was a turning point for Lil Kesh. Having Olamide and Davido, two of the most prominent artists at that time, on the remix helped solidify its banger status.
9. Young Jonn
The singer, songwriter, and record producer who came into the limelight via being affiliated with Olamide’s record label YBNL, rode on that wave for a greater part of his career, producing smash tunes like ‘Bobo’ by Olamide, ‘Gbese’ by Lil Kesh, ‘Mama’ by Kizz Daniel and also he produced a chart-topping single by Olamide titled “Story For The Gods” and lots more
He had music production credits on industry hits during the 2010s and was affiliated with the YBNL mafia family going on to be ranked #3 in The NET‘s list of “Nigeria’s Top 7 Biggest Music Producers” and went on to be nominated in the “Producer of The Year” at the 2015 Nigeria Entertainment Awards and The Headies 2015.
10. Bad Boy Timz
Bad Boy Timz gained relative mainstream recognition thanks to his 2020-released hit “MJ”. However, his most remarkable achievement that year was his collaboration with the YBNL boss on the track “Loading,” featured on Olamide’s 2020 album, “Carpe Diem.” This specific song has accumulated million streams, firmly solidifying its position as Bad Boy Timz’s standout record.
11. Portable
Though many have described Portable’s rise to stardom as that of grass to grace. After popular dancer, Poco Lee introduced Portable to Olamide, Olamide featured on a remix of Portable’s song ‘Zazoo Zeh’. That turned out to be what thrust the controversial singer into the limelight.
The influence Olamide has had on Portable’s career is written in bold caps. The track “Zazoo Zeh” played a pivotal role in catapulting Portable to fame, with Olamide’s significant contribution being a key factor in its success.
Notably, Portable has shared that Olamide generously financed the music video for the song, highlighting Olamide’s selfless support and legendary status.
12. T.I Blaze
It’s almost like a formula that always works: feature the YBNL boss on your song, and you’re made. That’s exactly what TI Blaze did with his single “Sometimes” remix. Olamide gave him the much-needed push into the limelight.
13. YCee
In 2015 YCee called on Olamide to level up the success of his single ‘Jagaban’ and on a remix that is said to be one of the hottest rap songs out of Nigeria
While YCee had previously released a hit titled “Condo,” his significant breakthrough and widespread recognition occurred when he collaborated with the YBNL boss to remix “Jagaban.” This partnership solidified his stardom and significantly boosted his acceptance and popularity, particularly among the urban audience.
14. Lyta
Babatunde Rahim, known professionally as Lyta, is a Nigerian singer. He signed a record deal with YBNL Nation in 2018 but left the label in May 2019 after disagreeing with the label owner Olamide. He released the 5-track debut EP Id in 2019.
15. Jaido P
Jaido P alias ShopLa, whose genuine name is Taiwo Olajide Daniel is a fast-rising Nigerian singer and rapper rising from Obafemi Awolowo University, Osun State. He became popular after Olamide jumped on Cracker Mallo’s produced single “Tesinapot.”
16. Senth
Senth, an Afropop and Alternative Pop singer who is originally from the East, was raised in the Northern region of Nigeria. In an interview with Moet Abehe on Sound City FM, he claimed to have disclosed that a friend had organized his YBNL agreement, which came at a bad period in his musical career.
The singer also conveyed the good news in a touching message that read:
“Time, sweat, tears, and devotion all have I given to this craft and more. Earnestly words can’t do justice to how I’m feeling right about now 🥹 But I give all the thanks and glory to God Almighty and my life changer king @olamide I’m grateful boss and to the entire YBNL family I love y’all fi life ting”.
17. Picazo Rhap
Rap artiste, Picazo Rhap joined the YBNL family in the year 2018. In 2019 he signed out of the YBNL music record label after failing to make any meaningful progress since he signed.
18. Danny S
Danny S ventured into his passion which is music in 2006, then released his first official single “Tu Mereces” in 2015. He released several projects marking his name on the street hop board in Nigeria.
Danny S’s biggest invasion came after he dropped “Ege” which took over the street putting somewhat end to Olamide‘s “Science Student” trend.
19. Fave
Fave rose to stardom after the release of her most popular single “Baby riddim” released under emPawa Africa.
Nigerian rapper Olamide featured Fave on two tracks “Want” and “Pon Pon” in his UY Scuti album released in 2021. Their collaboration promoted further Fave’s perfection and mastery in the field.
20. Chinko Ekun
In 2014, Chinko Ekun featured in Olamide’s Street OT music album, on tracks “100 To Million”, “Bang” and “Usain Bolt”. He appeared on Olamide Live In Concert (OLIC) 2014, where he did a freestyle performance. Chinko Ekun sings in English, Pidgin, and Yoruba, focusing solely on hip-hop music.
In 2015, Chinko Ekun joined Olamide’s YBNL Nation. He released his first official singles titled “Alejo Oran” and “Emi Na Re” through YBNL Nation on 25 February 2015. Barely a year later, he exited the record label after his contract expired, alongside fellow label mates Adekunle Gold and Viktoh.
On 13 September 2018, he released a song titled “Able God” featuring Zlatan and Lil Kesh. The song earned him his first Headies award as “Best Street Hop Artiste” at The Headies 2019.
Finally, other artists have enjoyed Olamide’s support and contribution as an icon, legend, and mentor which makes him outstanding in the musical industry.
