A look at 10 records and songs by Olamide as he celebrates his 35th birthday
Olamide, also known as Baddo, is a well-known rapper who has gone on to excel as a label executive after initially succeeding as an artist.
He is one of Nigeria’s leading hitmakers, having propelled talents such as Zlatan, Bella Shmurda, TI Blaze, Portable, and others to stardom through his invaluable collaborations.
Yesterday, March 15th was his 35th birthday, Crisp Nigeria celebrated the multifaceted achievements of this multi-award-winning icon.
10 records held by Olamide:
1. Olamide is the African rapper with the most Spotify streams with over 630 million streams that cut across his impressive discography of 10 solo albums littered with numerous hits.
2. Olamide’s 15 Headies wins is the most for any artist in the history of the award. His headiness has earned him multiple distinctions in the history of the illustrious award.
3. Olamide is the only rapper to have won the Headies Best Rap Album and Album of the Year.
4. Olamide is the only rapper to have won the Headies Best Rap Album and Album of the Year in the same year.
5. Olamide is the only rapper to have won the Headies Best Rap Album and Album of the Year twice.
His sophomore album ‘Yahoo Boy No Laptop (YBNL)’ won both awards in 2013 and this feat was repeated by his third album ‘Baddest Guy Ever Liveth’ in 2014.
6. Olamide is the only artist to have won three consecutive Headies Album of the Year prizes. ‘YBNL’ won in 2013, ‘Baddest Guy Ever Liveth’ in 2014, and ‘Street OT’ in 2015.
7. Olamide’s 3 Headies Album of the Year wins is the most for any artist in the history of the award.
8. He is the only rapper to have won the Headies Artist of the Year. He won the award at the 2015 Headies.
9. Olamide is the first Nigerian rapper to be nominated for the Grammy Award. He was nominated at the 66th Grammys for ‘Amapiano’ , his collaboration with Asake, in the maiden Best African Song Performance category.
10. This is not particularly a record but Olamide is the only artist to have won the Headies Album of the Year who has also signed two winners.
His signee Fireboy won in 2021 for his sophomore album ‘Apollo’. Asake also won the Album of the Year with his debut album ‘Mr. Money With The Vibes’ at the 16th Headies.
Top 10 Olamide songs you should listen to:
Since bursting onto the music scene in 2010, the rapper has consistently released hit after hit, solidifying his place at the pinnacle of the industry.
With a remarkable 10 studio albums under his belt, Olamide has unquestionably established himself as a dominant force in the African music landscape.
“Who You Epp”
Olamide snapped once again in 2016 with this street-pop hit. The single is off his sixth studio album “The Glory”. “Who You Epp” enjoyed massive success. We even got numerous remixes of the hit song; one remix featured ace Nigerian rapper, Phyno and Afrobeats powerhouse, Wande Coal.
“Wo”
From his seventh studio album ‘Lagos Nawa’ released in 2017, this single is a street hit and gained massive popularity. The music video played a crucial role in the success of this song. This song also further popularised the viral African dance step known as ‘Shaku Shaku’.
“Don’t Stop”
Released in 2016 from the ‘Eyan Mayweather’ album, this song is unarguably the biggest single out of Nigeria in 2016. Netizens could sing this song word for word as a result of its boppy sound.
“Rock”
Olamide showed his versatility with this love song released in 2021. Introducing himself as a hardcore rapper in 2012, he showed other sides of his incredible talent when he released his 9th studio album ‘UY Scuti’, which included this hit single.
“Amapiano”
Olamide got featured in this 2023 hit by label artist, Asake from the latter’s album, ‘Work of Art”. The smooth delivery of Olamide’s verse took the world by storm. It’s no surprise the single went ahead and got nominated at the 66th annual Grammy Awards, making Olamide the first Nigerian hip-hop act to achieve this feat.
“Omo Toh Shan”
The single released in 2011 featured Grammy award-winning Afrobeats singer, Wizkid. ‘Omo Toh Shan’ is a hit single from Olamide’s debut album, ‘Rapsodi’.
“First of All”
In 2012, Olamide broke the internet with his smash single. “First Of All”. Produced by ace Nigerian producer, Pheelz, and off his second studio album, “YBNL”, is inarguably the biggest Nigerian song of 2012.
“Turn Up”
Olamide dropped his third studio album, ‘Baddest Guy Ever Liveth’ on November 7, 2013. The album housed a couple of hits including “Turn Up”. With a very infectious instrumental and intro, the single was one of the biggest music exports from Africa that year.
“Bobo”
This 2015 hit single from the rapper came alongside a dance step that went viral on social media. This song from the 2015 ‘Eyan Mayweather album topped the charts and enjoyed commercial success.
“Pepper Dem Gang”
This viral track released in 2016 featured former YBNL signee, Davolee. It became an internet sensation immediately after it was dropped by the rapper. “Pepper Dem Gang” is slang describing people who are living the good life with no worries
