Last week, the Nigerian entertainment industry was thrown into mourning and celebration with the sad news of the death of street hop artist Mohbad and Rema’s victory at the 2023 MTV VMAs. Here’s our entertainment rundown for last week.
Mohbad’s controversial death
On Tuesday, afrobeats singer Mohbad, aged 27, tragically passed away. He gained fame through Instagram before being signed onto Marlian Music by estranged record label boss Naira Marley.
The 27-year-old Mohbad went on to achieve success with hits like “Ponmo,” “Feel Good,” and “KPK”. His death last week sparked widespread reactions from fans and the public.
Fans of Mohbad have accused Naira Marley and his associate, Sam Larry, of complicity in the late singer’s death. Police say they are investigating the death and may exhume the late artist’s body.In self-defence, Naira Marley took to Instagram to deflect attention from himself, accusing nameless individuals of manipulating blogs and coercing post deletions related to the Mohbad death.
Recordings that reveal the frosty relationship between Mohbad and his former record label have been circulating on social media, implicating Sam Larry and Naira Marley of trying to bully Mohbad into submission after he had left the Marlian Music record label.
Former colleague and one-time Marlian signee, Lil Smart, has come out to shed light on the inside workings of the Marlian Music record label and its boss Naira Marley.
The popular dancer cited the lack of appreciation and concerns about others suffering from mental health issues as reasons why he left the record label in January of this year.
Mohbad’s management has vowed to retrieve his songs and royalties from Marlian Music record label.
Rema’s impressive MTV VMAs win
Rema won Best Afrobeats Song at this year’s MTV Video Music Awards, with the mega-hit collaboration ‘Calm Down,’ featuring American pop sensation Selena Gomez.
The win came amidst stiff competition from Burna Boy’s ‘It’s Plenty,’ Wizkid’s ‘2 Sugar’ featuring Ayra Starr, Davido’s ‘Unavailable,’ Ayra Starr’s ‘Rush,’ Fireboy DML’s ‘Bandana,’ and Libianca’s ‘People.’
The 2023 MTV VMAs took place in Newark, New Jersey, United States, on Tuesday evening.
During the event, Rema acknowledged the profound influence of Nigerian music icons such as Davido, Burna Boy, and Wizkid in propelling Afrobeats onto the global stage.
Davido, who was present at the event, showered praise on Rema’s well-deserved victory via his X handle, stating, “Well deserved! Keep shining, young King! @heisrema.”
Rema added another feather to his cap with the ‘Calm Down’ remix with Selena Gomez reaching Spotify’s ‘Billions Club’ for artists with over one billion streams on their tracks.
Ex-YBNL Princess versus Olamide and wife
Temmie Ovwasa, formerly known as YBNL Princess, revealed her unpleasant experience with record label owner Olamide and his wife, Aisha Adebukunm, during her time at YBNL.
Despite being promoted as a “princess” in public, she said she suffered privately, and was mistreated and humiliated by Olamide’s wife, who constantly reminded her of her humble background.
She also mentioned recording 25 songs, but the label lost the hard drive, leading to only four songs being released during her five-year tenure at YBNL.
Since leaving, she has released three albums and has a wealth of unreleased material.
Former YBNL record producer, Pheelz, took to social media platform X to refute Temmie Ovwasa’s claim of the record label losing a hard drive with 25 of her songs in it.
“We collaborated on no more than 4-5 records. Hard drive lost? Lmao. Don’t ever disrespect my name. Temi Ovwasa, no bring am come my side. Cap for clout. Eyama,” he said.
DJ Kaywise stands with girlfriend against family
DJ Kaywise, also known as Ayorinde Kehinde Okiki, has expressed frustration and distress due to what he claims are false reports about his mental state and lifestyle.
He denied being suicidal and slapping his mother. He criticised his relatives for not defending him and accused them of associating with people he had fired from his team.
Regarding his girlfriend, Nenny B, he said his family was convinced that she had bewitched him.
Despite the turmoil, he declared his love and support for his girlfriend and had previously posted a cryptic message on Instagram but clarified that he was not contemplating suicide.