IK Ogbonna Speaks out About Gay And Gigollo Rumors

You may have noticed him already as the new face in Nollywood and his acting skills aren't bad at all considering he is new to the industry.He is Ik Ogbonna, the young handsome rave of the moment in Nollywood but his successes has come with a lot of controversy as there are rumors everywhere that is either gay or a gigollo. In a recent interview with Encomium, he opened up:

The allegation about your trip to the States is that you went to do gigolo ‘runs’, what is your take on it?

People don’t really know my story. I have heard different things about me.  I have heard that I am a gigolo, gay that I have foolish attitude, that I am a snub. 

Some people don’t know I had a very rough beginning, even though my parents were on the average. I moved to Lagos alone and I had a very rough time.  I slept on the street sometimes.

 Seven years ago when I moved down to Lagos, for like three years or so, I slept in cars.  I had this friend of mine that I used to sleep in his car and burn insecticide at night. I always carry myself well because I know where I am destined to be.  I kept on pushing.  

Sometimes I slept over at the club when there is no friend’s house to pass the night.  I was homeless.  I had things very rough at a particular point in time. 

It is God’s grace that is working for me. When people say I am a gigolo, I am waiting for the person that will come and tell me I slept with his mother. If one person can just come and tell me, IK see this woman you are sleeping with, she is my mother and I will admit I am a gigolo.

 They also alleged you are gay?

Like I told you, I never thought I was going to be an actor.  I was more into business.  I am involved in a lot of things.  Acting is just something that just came and I loved it. 

A greater percentage of my money is from business.  I am an Igbo man (laughs).

I want to get into Forbes and it is not by acting alone. I have to work very hard and be creative with my ideas.  Money I get from movies will go to charity. 

 For the gay thing, I don’t blame people, but the truth is I love women.  I won’t judge those calling me gay or tell them what to do.  Gay is a very deadly thing and I am someone that respects God a lot.  I try to keep His commandments.I know I am very adventurous and I have a very high fashion sense.  You can see me wearing a three-quarter pants, colourful things and thank God for making me a fine boy.

When people say I am a gigolo or gay it’s their own judgement.  There is no man or woman that can ever come out and say IK has slept with me or a mother that is above age that will say I am sleeping with her and she pays me.  When you’re successful people will always talk. They should keep talking and promoting my brand.

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I Am Ready To Get Married Again –Musician KSB

From heartbroken ‘Brown’ to ‘divinely inspired Best’, this award winning gospel singer, natural born chef and mother of three has been around the music industry for more than a decade, a feat she ascribes to divine calling and innate passion.

She has long been in the forefront of the urban gospel feel that has now found its way into mainstream, partnering with the likes of eccentric but hugely talented singer Terry G and the late rave making rapper Dagrin in bringing her message across to a larger audience.



In this revealing interview, the re-branded KSB, talks about her music, life, her novel approach to food business and, yes, romance. Enjoy!

Why the name change from ‘Brown’ to ‘Best’? 
I’ve been separated from my ex for close to six years now, and I’ve never really filed for a divorce before that, but now I want to do that and the divorce proceedings are already on. I never thought I would have to drop the name ‘Brown’. But after Whitney died, you know there is a kinda similarity with her too, I just didn’t want to identify with that at all, if something is ‘ex’, it’s expired.

Did you feel you were in a similar situation with Whitney Houston and why? 
I was in the situation she was, the only difference is that I didn’t do drugs myself. But the issue is he is the ‘ex’ now, the marriage has not even been in existence for about six years now. So if I want to start anew, then I have to drop the name, let it go. It’s a bold step. It’s not been an easy task switching to ‘Best’, I’ve been used to Kenny Saint Brown like for ever, but it would appear I’m still hanging on to the marriage, so let it go. Secondly, I wouldn’t call it a re-branding strictly, you know, coming from Kenny Saint Ogungbe, and then it became Kenny Saint Brown. I abbreviated to KSB about three years ago because of all the drama and blackmail that followed the whole ‘thing’. I just wanted to be a brand new person but still retain the popular KSB brand. I prayed about it and ‘Best’ was what it was.

With your credentials and academic background, why choose music? 
I believe I was just called to do this, and my job is to inspire people. Also, my foundation was letting people know that this is a divine duty. Along the line, I’ve come to realize that my main calling is basically to help people out of their struggles, through songs, talks, through inspirational words because I also go through pain, frustration, hatred, blackmail and all the things that others also go through. That is why you can identify with what I’m saying in ‘Turn Around’ or ‘Live your Life’, my new song which features eLDee.

How would you describe your music? 
It started out like traditional gospel, and I would have maintained that if God wanted it that way, but He put me in a different phase, with different experiences. I mean, I’m not going to do it like Sammie Okposo, or Kefee, because their experiences are theirs alone, so it is my experiences that have kept me. So I said I was doing alternative gospel, and the title alternative gospel singer kinda stuck along the way. But it gives me an edge because I can work with secular artistes, like Terry G and the like, which helps to push the message across better.

How did your new venture in the food industry come about? 
I have a passion for cooking. I’m in love with cooking, especially for people. I get bored with the same old jollof rice, fried rice and the rest. Now, my menus are named after celebrities because the Nigerian entertainment industry has really gone far in promoting our culture around the world, through movies and music. So the idea is to get people to fall in love with our culture, leveraging on the popularity of these celebrities. It shouldn’t be about Chinese food all the time. So I thought, how about taking the name of these icons to brand the food, such that there’s an endearment to it. There’s a Genevieve, a Don Jazzy, Goldie, Omos*xy, 2face, someone called me last time for a Minjin (laughs). There’s a clamour now for aBanky W which I haven’t quite worked out yet, but it’s in the works (more laughter).

What should i expect when i order a Don Jazzy? 
A Don Jazzy is a sauce with spicy pepper, onions, garlic, oriental herbs and others but with a lot of assorted meat. It’s kinda close to an ‘ofada’ sauce.

Did you have to blend the personalities of these people into these menus? 
Yes, that’s what I did

So, I’m just curious, what’s a Genevieve like for example? 
A Genevieve is a brown smoked chicken, chopped and spiced up with colourful pepper; green, yellow, red, pepper which can be eaten with rice, yam etc.

So it’s like playing with people’s fantasies? 
Yes, so when you’re eating this you’re like, ‘I’m having a Genevieve’ (general laughter). Then you have a Funke Akindele, you know she’s a very proudly Yoruba actor so she best promotes a food like ‘gbegiri’, but with a little innovation on my part in the creation of the food, making it more appealing and appetizing. For now, we do deliveries based on orders, we’re still building, but with time, we’ll expand the KSB foodies brand so it can get across to a lot of people everywhere. We are also taking it to a global audience, with a TV program in the works.

What’s on the cards for you romantically? 
You can tell from my disposition that I am a romantic person and when I find someone to love I drift and soar.

Would you take another shot at marriage? 
If it’s good, if it’s the type that would nurture me, help me to develop, and bring out the best in me, yes of course. But more importantly, marriage is a good thing when you’re both friends. Friendship is very important and it is what I didn’t have in my marriage. I would do anything for friendship, genuine friendship.

What would you like to be remembered for? 
I want them, especially the youths of today, to remember me as someone who gave them wings to fly.

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I’m not sure Sophia’s kids are Mine – Tchidi Chikere

Delia Innoma interviews Tchidi Chikere about his seperation from his wife and the rumors flying around about his involvement with his pregnant girlfriend Nuella Njubigbo.

Today, we spoke with Tchidi on the issue and below are what he told us.

We heard you are divorcing your wife. What happened?

Yes it’s true. I need a woman that will stand by me and love me for who I am and not for what I am.

Are you saying that Sophia wasn’t that woman?

She is not truthful.

How do you mean?

She has a skeleton in her cupboard. What I need is a good woman in my life, a woman that’s ready to sacrifice and not a pretender. I am not sure the kids are mine.

We heard you’re living now with Nuella Njubigbo and that she is pregnant for you. How true is that?

Na waa oh, you heard? Who told you that…?

(Cut in) The same way we learned about your divorce. So are you living with her or not?

I’m not living with Nuella…and what sort of question is that?

Is she pregnant for you?

What do you mean by that? Please stop these questions!

Now that you are single, many girls will want to be in your life. Do you have anyone in your life at the moment?

No I don’t have anybody. I told you I want someone that will love me for who I am.

How will you know when you find that person?

Through cross examinations.

Will you still have kids with the woman or are the ones Sophia has for you enough?

I will still have kids with the woman my heart pleases.

How about Sophia’s kids, will you still be taking care of them?

That should be my own concern and I don’t want to discuss that with nobody.

We are really sorry you guys are passing through divorce.

Thanks.

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In My Eatery, You Can Eat Genevieve, Omotola, Don Jazzy, Funke Akindele

From heartbroken ‘Brown’ to ‘divinely inspired Best’, this award winning gospel singer, natural born chef and mother of three has been around the music industry for more than a decade, a feat she ascribes to divine calling and innate passion.

She has long been in the forefront of the urban gospel feel that has now found its way into mainstream, partnering with the likes of eccentric but hugely talented singer Terry G and the late rave making rapper Dagrin in bringing her message across to a larger audience.

In this revealing interview, the re-branded KSB, talks about her music, life, her novel approach to food business and, yes, romance. Enjoy!

Why the name change from ‘Brown’ to ‘Best’?

I’ve been separated from my ex for close to six years now, and I’ve never really filed for a divorce before that, but now I want to do that and the divorce proceedings are already on. I never thought I would have to drop the name ‘Brown’. But after Whitney died, you know there is a kinda similarity with her too, I just didn’t want to identify with that at all, if something is ‘ex’, it’s expired.

Did you feel you were in a similar situation with Whitney Houston and why?

I was in the situation she was, the only difference is that I didn’t do drugs myself. But the issue is he is the ‘ex’ now, the marriage has not even been in existence for about six years now. So if I want to start anew, then I have to drop the name, let it go. 

It’s a bold step. It’s not been an easy task switching to ‘Best’, I’ve been used to Kenny Saint Brown like for ever, but it would appear I’m still hanging on to the marriage, so let it go. Secondly, I wouldn’t call it a re-branding strictly, you know, coming from Kenny Saint Ogungbe, and then it became Kenny Saint Brown. 

I abbreviated to KSB about three years ago because of all the drama and blackmail that followed the whole ‘thing’. I just wanted to be a brand new person but still retain the popular KSB brand. I prayed about it and ‘Best’ was what it was.

How did your new venture in the food industry come about?

I have a passion for cooking. I’m in love with cooking, especially for people. I get bored with the same old jollof rice, fried rice and the rest. Now, my menus are named after celebrities because the Nigerian entertainment industry has really gone far in promoting our culture around the world, through movies and music. 

So the idea is to get people to fall in love with our culture, leveraging on the popularity of these celebrities. It shouldn’t be about Chinese food all the time. So I thought, how about taking the name of these icons to brand the food, such that there’s an endearment to it. There’s a Genevieve, a Don Jazzy, Goldie, Omos*xy, 2face, someone called me last time for a Minjin (laughs). There’s a clamour now for a Banky W which I haven’t quite worked out yet, but it’s in the works (more laughter).

What should i expect when i order a Don Jazzy?

A Don Jazzy is a sauce with spicy pepper, onions, garlic, oriental herbs and others but with a lot of assorted meat. It’s kinda close to an ‘ofada’ sauce.

Did you have to blend the personalities of these people into these menus?

Yes, that’s what I did

So, I’m just curious, what’s a Genevieve like for example?

A Genevieve is a brown smoked chicken, chopped and spiced up with colourful pepper; green, yellow, red, pepper which can be eaten with rice, yam etc.

So it’s like playing with people’s fantasies?

Yes, so when you’re eating this you’re like, ‘I’m having a Genevieve’ (general laughter). Then you have a Funke Akindele, you know she’s a very proudly Yoruba actor so she best promotes a food like ‘gbegiri’, but with a little innovation on my part in the creation of the food, making it more appealing and appetizing. 

For now, we do deliveries based on orders, we’re still building, but with time, we’ll expand the KSB foodies brand so it can get across to a lot of people everywhere. We are also taking it to a global audience, with a TV program in the works.

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D'BANJ TALKS TOUGH ON FUEL SUBSIDY REMOVAL PROTEST(VIDEO)

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HOW GENEVIEVE NNAJI WOES BACK IN THE DAYS TURNS TO BLESSING NOW

Genevieve Nnaji is one of the most respected actresses in Nollywood, with excellent interpretation of characters in movies.

She is one actress every good director would want to work with. Pretty and unpretentiously friendly,Genny, as this acting queen is fondly called, is one Nollywood personality who has worked herself to a level where she gets the sort of adulation that stars in Hollywood get.

Beyond movie,what many people don’t know is the many challenges she has been through in life.

At the tender age of 17,the talented thespian that Oprah Winfrey named Nigeria's Julia Roberts, had a daughter as a result of a fling with her teacher in secondary school.But she moved on,utilized her God given talents and today,she is the most recognized actress in Africa.

She is even happy to tell anyone that cares that she loves her daughter so much and that she is all she lives for.

In an interview she granted years back, she narrated her ordeal thus, I’m sure everywoman knows the feeling of pregnancy, but for the young girl – it is difficult for me to say now, because I have grown much older – but I know at that time it was, let me see... Anyway, I’d just wake up every morning hoping to wake up from a dream... but you know it doesn’t happen so. It’s more like giving me hope that ‘no, it wasn’t...’ I was like looking forward to sleeping and waking up, then it wasn’t getting any better anyway.

Getting rid of the pregnancy was an alternative then, but it was too late, because not until I was four months before we discovered it and so it was not what we could do, and my dad was like, ‘it’s a child for Christ’s sake. God knows why he wants to bring that child into life”. We are Catholics and it’s just that conscience, you do wrong once and doing another would not make the first right. So, you either correct your mistake by doing the right thing. If I was pregnant, and then have an abortion, it would have been like murder after fornication! So, that was basically wrong.She said

From the look of things, the reality of this costly mistake she make back then seems to be blessings in disguise now that she seems to be finding right men for marriage elusive.

But that doesn't bother her one bit because she has 15 year old daughter that is source of her joy, happiness, and fulfillment. This helps less pressure to get married.

According a close pal to Genny who pleaded anonymity, Genny knows how tricky men could be, so she's taking her time to choose Mr. right among the many men asking for her hand in marriage.

The nature of her job as an actress is cumbersome,it entails moving from one location,country to another.Only a man with a good heart would take that in marriage.And she’s just at the starting point of her career.She needs a man that would be a silent reflection of her strength and a supporter of her dreams and goals not a dream killer.

The minute she settle for less, this will only take her to despair.

Apart from that, men her scared of her achievement and high profiles lifestyles. this makes it pretty difficult for her rushing into a marriage.

Even though she once admitted she’s tired of spinsterhood, that’s not a yardstick for settling down

That brings me to the interview she granted months back,Genevieve said; I’m 32, I’ve been busy for 12 years and I’m still busy.

My parents have other children to focus on. I'm only one out of eight. For me if marriage comes, fine. It's not a priority. It's never been, but it a good thing every woman wants. So, I'm not shying away from it. But then, I'm going to go in with my head straight. I will go into marriage for the right reasons. Not for money, not for fame, not for name and not to satisfy the world. I don't want any sort of peer pressure getting involved in my settling down, or trying to prove a point that I can settle down. I don't need that. I'm here to please my God and myself, and as long as my parents have no issues with it, I'm fine. When I find the right person, I'm sure I'll settle down.

First of all I have to agree within myself that I actually want to get married. I think my life is already chaotic as it is being one celebrity.

I don’t find marriage repulsive but everyday I learn from married people about what not to do when it comes to marriage. I think I’ve just learnt the bad things about marriage before the good ones.

There is constant discouragement but I just know for a fact that when I find the right person I will definitely not think about it. Marriage should be about finding the right person, finding your soul mate, not necessarily in receiving love.

I think she said it all. She has developed and established a very successful career in the movie world, got a lovely daughter and other good things of life. What else could she want?

Ceteris paribus; "all other things being equal”let’s hope that the wedding bells will soon be ringing.

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WE TOUCH OUR FEMALE FANS BOOBS IF THEY WANT IT- PSQUARE

Peter and Paul Okoye are perhaps the most famous twins in the country today. In this interview with Showtime Celebrity they bare their minds on issues bordering on their career, women and family.

Can you cast your mind back to when you started?

Yes. Whenever I see an upcoming artistes, I just say to myself that he or she is trying. But one can’t really compare now to when we started. Then, most Nigerian TV and radio stations don’t pl...ay Nigerian music or support musicians.

But now, everyone of them is keying into what we do and it makes it really easier. Then, we had to come to Lagos because we wanted to be big in the industry. But now, an artiste could be anywhere and still make it big in the industry.

So how tough was it for you guys when you started?

It was so tough that we had to think of how to combine schooling with music. We had to think of our parents, how to hussle and where we came from. Generally, it was tough and that’s why we’re not surprised at where we are and what we have today.

Although some fans and friends may see our success story as a big deal, the truth is that success has become part of us and we do whatever our fans want. But it wasn’t so easy in the beginning.

What about the girls?

The girls are the best thing to happen to us

Do they throw pants and under wears at you guys too?

It’s normal. Sometimes they bare their br*asts for us to sign autographs. The girls are the ones that give us the confidence, that we’re doing the right thing.

Guys would just hail us but the female fans would give us signals and make us know that we’re on the right track. So we try our best to give our female fans all the time we think we can give to them.

Are there situations where some ladies would want a kiss or take you to bed?

Yes o! Some would even threaten you, if you don’t kiss them. And we wouldn’t have a choice than to kiss them-but not the deep kiss.

What about those who want you to touch their bodies?

Yeah, at times we touch their boobs if they want it.

Do you experience stage fright and how do you deal with it?

That only happens whenever we go for sound check before the show. Sometimes we wouldn’t be sure of the sound because something may be wrong.

But when they tell us not to worry that it’ll be fixed, then, the fear vanishes. When we travel out of the country, we what we do is, ask the organizers, promoters and fans that we meet, to list their top ten (10) P-Square songs that they love.

That helps a lot because we don’t want to bore our fans with our choice of songs. Sometimes, we experience language barrier, especially when we go to French speaking countries. We often make sure we’re with a translator.

So, stage fright is a nor mal thing but our own way of dealing with it is that before we go on stage, we pray and test the microphone from the backstage. And as soon as we get on stage, the first scream you’ll hear from the crowd will tell you that you’re in-charge of the stage.

Was there ever a time you walked into a show and your expectation wasn’t met?

Never. The only one I can remember which is something general was during our first American tour. we ‘d heard gist that Nigerian artistes go over there to perform in clubs and they come here and claim to have performed at concert circuits.

So, when the promoter told Jude they wanted P-Square, he told them that the hall capacity must not be less than five thousand before we could go over. When we got to America and it was one week to the show, we heard it would be a club performance. When we heard it, we were perplexed and wanted to know whether the speculation was true.

The show was at Atlanta and when we got to the venue, the crowd we met there, was more than five thousand, and the place was too small to contain them. Another hall had to be set up for the remaining two thousand persons.

So when we finished performing at the 5000 capacity hall, we moved straight to entertain the remaining persons, doing the same thing with the same quality.

The guys who invited us to play didn’t play by the rules of the police that not more than five thousand people should be at the venue, so there was a problem.

And during our first performances, we flung our T-shirts and belts into the crowd. At the second venue, we had to borrow belts from our bouncers.

Could the Usher lookalike thing have helped your show in America?

No. The thing about the American concerts is that it’s not like what we have here. P-Square is of Africa and most of the countries we’ve been to are in Africa. When we went to... Minnesota the Nigerians living there weren’t up to three hundred, but there were like three thousand Sierra-lonians living there.

It’s only when you go to NewYork that you see more Nigerians. So P-Square isn’t like a Nigerian thing anymore, it’s African.

If other Nigerian artistes want to do shows outside Nigeria, organizers would have to ask for the number of Nigerians living there. But for P-Square, they gave us access based on how many Africans living there.

How does being wealthy make you feel?

There are so many things that my brother and I wouldn’t want to make public. We have our foundation but we’ve never made it public. It’s between us and God. We pay school fees of more than thirty people, most of whom are under graduates. Their names are on our records.

We have someone taking care of these things for us. All he does is come to us when it’s time for them to pay school fees and once in a year, they all visit us here. We’ve even helped footballers to travel out for their career and we’re proud of it. Our mother told us not to make everything we do public. And I think that’s one way God keeps blessing us and people don’t know.

How much do you spend on charity?

We can’t really say. All we know is that, once it’s June/July, we have to pay the school fees of everyone onboard. And there are incidents that happen and we help out. Like last month, we read about a woman who needed money for surgery. And it was unfortunate that she’s the mother of our flight agent and he didn’t tell us.

When we saw a number on the page and dialed the number, it was his name that appeared on the screen. He picked and said ‘yes boss’.

After we found out she’s his mother, we had to help out. The last time we celebrated our birthday, our plans was to even sleep at the orphanage, but the patron told us to go because if we stayed the children wouldn’t be able to sleep because of our presence.

You’re so close to your mother that one wouldn’t even know whether you have a father… First of all, you know fathers and how very hard they are with their children. But mothers are more caring. Our father was a serious obstacle to us.

Doesn’t he like music?

Not that. He wanted us to be something else other than artistes. So it was more like if we don’t drop music, he would stop paying our school fees. When we left Jos for Lagos, it wasn’t because we wanted to make it big, we did it to challenge him.

And my mother was confused because she was like we’ve killed her. But we told her not to worry. The four of us Peter, Paul, Tony and Jude left the house with a state of mind that our father should forget about us. Although we left, we are still very close till today as family.

How are you able to cope with your elder brother being part of your business?

When we were younger, we were the same. We do same things. None of us has problem with money. We’re not greedy because if we are, there will be problems.

There’s no barrier between us. When we want to buy cars, money is handed out to everyone. We know that we had nothing where we were coming from. So now that we have enough money, we are not ready to be selfish about it. Instead, we spend more money on our relations that on ourselves.

So how do you run your accounts here?

We have a joint account with Peter, Paul and Jude as signatories.

You don’t have personal accounts?

We have.

People contract P-Square and not Jude. So does he get his percentage?

This might be funny. We don’t give percentages to one another. We are property oriented so money doesn’t stay in our accounts for too long. There’s no how P-Square would release an album without using the money for a project like buying lands and building houses. What we now do after those houses are built is to share it among ourselves.

So how do you handle personal needs?

If any of us has personal expenses, the money would be given to him.

Are you saying that beyond this house you stay in, there are other houses?

The biggest house is in Jos where our parents live.

Where else do you have houses?

Here in Lagos and we’re kicking off our third house here. There’s one in Lekki

Are you not thinking of the possibility of women coming to cause problems between you all?

This is what we’ve always prayed against, that God would not to allow any woman come between us and cause problems. And problems can only come when one of us marries the wrong woman.

And I think that’s our prayer that none of us should change. There are families who still remain like this for many years. There’s a family that we know, they’ve helped us so much and it’s from them we got this idea of staying together.

As P-Square, whenever money comes, we keep it in a place and that’s why many people look at us as Igbo boys. As Igbo boys, do you think we’ll build a house in Lagos without building in our village? It’s not possible.

When you get married and you start having children, how will you split your money?

You see this house where we are is a two-wing house. We have houses both in Lagos and outside Lagos and anybody can decide to live in any of them.

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DAVIDO SPEAKS ON FAME, MONEY AND WOMEN

These days, no party or club night is complete without the latest hit song from this 19-year-old. David Adedeji Adeleke, better known as Davido, is a bit of a wunderkind, having been in the music game for six years already. He stopped by Nigerian Entertainment Today’s offices to talk about his background, why he doesn’t see Wizkid as his competition, and why he didn’t ‘Occupy Nigeria’.

Who was David before Davido?

Before I did music, I was into music, being around the industry, always in the studio. It was something I always wanted to do. But now that I’m in the operations, it comes naturally to me; when I go for shows, I don’t really think about the money. I’m going there to entertain, to make people dance and make them happy. It’s a good feeling that when people see you, they get happy. I’m happy as well that I’m doing what I love.

Where were you born?

Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.A

You grew up there?

No. I was born there and moved back to Nigeria when I was like two years old. When I was about 16, I went back to the U.S for like a year, then later came back to write the Joint Admission Matriculation Board (JAMB) exam.

Which part of Lagos did you grow up?

I grew up in Lagos, Ikeja, GRA, then moved to the Island in 2005.

How many are you in your family?

Five and I am the last. I have two sisters, two brothers.

When did you start music production?

I started producing when I was 13. I began from being a studio rat to recording songs; that was at Enough Records Studio at Ikota shopping complex, then moved to other places.

How long have you been producing music officially?

It’s going to be a year in March.

Which instruments do you play?

I used to play the saxophone but now I’m on the keyboard.

How interested are your parents in your music career?

I’m the first person in my family, my generation that has gone into music. My mom passed away; my dad kept saying I needed to go back to school. But really, it was when ‘Dami duro‘ dropped that he knew I was serious with music. With ‘Back When’, I was doing shows upon shows; he thought it was serious but not really. I performed ‘ Dami duro ‘ at my sister’s show in December, which he attended, the crowd was massive. I sang to him and everything.

Before ‘Back when‘ which other songs had you released?

I did a recording with one of my cousins, MP. We were both pushing it then, but it didn’t work out. ‘Back when‘ was the first song I released, I dropped it when I was in London.

What made you come back to Nigeria?

Some of my friends advised me to come back, that they were making money and that the music industry in Nigeria is easier to penetrate. I had fun over there, I had money but there was no passion. I was determined to start something, no matter my age.

How did you hook up with your manager Asa Asika?

We’ve been friends before high school, I told him my plans. He was just helping me at first then I later hooked up with him, then he became my manager and we pushed things.

People are comparing you to Wizkid, how do you see this comparison, and do you see him as a competitor?

I’m actually with him most of the time. We sometimes talk about it, laugh about it; we go on Twitter and look at blogs. I don’t know why people weigh us together. I don’t believe in turn by turn; Why can’t Wizkid have a number one song in Abuja and I have another one in Port Harcourt or somewhere else and everyone carries it together; no competition as such. I see him as a colleague, maybe if I didn’t know him personally; but I do. We are even planning some things together, so cool.

How do you feel about the buzz surrounding you?

It’s fast and crazy. When I came out, apart from Wizkid’s album that was out then, which was hot, there wasn’t really much music releases. So I was like let me use that advantage. I know that I had good music so I went back to the studio, worked in some stuff, came out with ‘Back When’, and shot the video. I had support even from Wizkid, Naeto C, D’banj and some others.

What inspires you to make music?

The streets. People look at me like this guy’s dad is rich and stuff. Even the ‘Dami duro‘ song, I got the inspiration from one of my guys on the streets. They usually call me ‘Omo baba olowo’. Most of my songs all have Yoruba in it, I want to confuse them. People look at me like I don’t have to do what I’m doing but it’s not about whose money but your money; it’s about my dream; it’s about doing my own thing.

Which artistes have inspired you over the years?

The likes of Mo’Hits, Wizkid, D’banj, Wande Coal and Flavour. Hopefully, we are going to do some crazy work this year; 2012, no play.

A lot of people like your song; how are you reacting to the reception?

It’s been crazy. I can’t do a lot of things I used to do anymore. I can’t even go to Shoprite; it’s like a gift and a curse at the same time. When I got into the game at first, I was like I just want to be there, I don’t want to blow but when everything bloomed, I was like, wow, I thank God. My first major break was at the Music Meets Runway show and from there I built on it. Before, when I went for shows, I’d wonder if people would like the song, but now it’s normal.

Your stage presence is quite different from other fast rising artists. How did you develop it?

Even before ‘Back when‘, all the shows I’ve had I’ve been always the same way, even if people don’t know the song, an entertainer should be able to go somewhere and rock it. There’s a difference between being an artiste and an entertainer. D’banj , Psquare, Wizkid and the likes are entertainers that’s why they are up there. I love people who make good music in Nigeria, and shoot good videos but I feel like this whole thing is in-built. I’m sure with all this things I have, if I don’t have this confidence, I won’t be where I am today. It’s not always all about the song; some people have big songs, but don’t do shows.

Could you say having money has helped make your career bigger?

I don’t believe that; if I go on that route, they will suck me out because they will think that there’s a lot. There are many people I approached at my beginning stages; I introduced myself to them and all but… now they are like, ‘you are my boy’. In the industry, I’m not looking at anybody; I’m going on my own. If you don’t like me, you don’t; anyone that does well, I give them their credit.

Girls, Girls, Girls…tell us about them?

No major girl for now. I’m just having fun. If I do meet a girl, now will be the time to log on/off. I’ve not really seen anyone for now; I’m on my hustle, on my drive.

What about school?

I’m studying Business Administration, 300 Level in Babcock University.

How are you managing school and music?

It’s crazy.

How do your lecturers treat you?

They bug me a lot. Sometimes, they intentionally try to test me like, ‘oh, I’m going to pick on this dude today’. I laugh with them and sometimes I’m like those are my fans. To me, it doesn’t matter. I just have to do what I have to do.

Do you think if you weren’t the one producing your music, you would still make hits?

Being my own producer helps a lot because I can produce exactly what I want. Even if I’m not the producer, I can tell a producer exactly what I want but I will take it to my studio, rearrange the whole thing and make some changes.

Do you miss your mum?

Yeah, I do. I was young though but I’m sure if she was here, she will be rocking all the songs.

What’s your relationship with your dad?

It’s very good. I go over to see him from time to time.

What’s your stand on the subsidy issue?

Well, the people voted him in, if they double the price, triple your hustle.

You weren’t at Ojota during the protest?

I felt I couldn’t go there to sing ‘emi omo baba olowo’, to me I feel some of the artistes that went there to sing, did that to promote their albums not for the right reasons. Why do you have to dress up, take a picture, upload on twitter and tweet, I’m at Ojota. Why don’t you share your money or buy fuel and share it or just do something that will touch the people.

What’s one word that describes Davido?

Different; if I’m in a room with stars that are bigger than I am, I will stand out. I don’t care, I could jump in the crowd, my facial expressions are different, and my shows are different.

When can we expect a full album?

For now, I’m not really working on an album but on songs and hits. I’m sure this year, not particular about the date, but there will be something. My fans are going to get tired of me, trust me. I have plans; I’m working on some international stuff. We also have about three marketers already.

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Yes! Jim Iyke is my boy and chioma chukwuka i beg her dad to allow her

How does your wife react to all these?

Yes, she is used to it. She met me doing this job, though I have not by then become so big and she even fights me when I don’t kiss well.

She would be like “Ehn! So you’re scared! She loves seeing good movies. She can sit in front of a TV 24hours. She encourages me a lot.

How did you meet your wife?

I met my wife when I stopped dating so many girls. I went to pastor Bimbo Odukoya’s church. She said “young men save yourselves for marriage” and she went ahead to explain that in the midst of so many girl friends, it will be difficult to identify your wife because you are only living by the flesh and some of these girls would even never give those things that your wife would give and those words made sense to me.

So that period I was shooting my film “7-12” in 1999. Later, I was editing 7-12 at Cine-craft when I saw this fine damsel walked pass through the window and I shouted at one of my guys to call the lady for me, but the stupid boy did not call her, after collecting my money, I stayed in their studio and nobody came, I came out in the evening but you know as a star I can’t easily go to a woman because they will say “this thing wey you dey do for TV, so you dey do am for real life too”.

The guy I sent was scared to talk to her, the next day, the moment I saw her, you could imagine the way I rushed down from the studio and chatted her up.

She lived on that street then?

No, she was coming for a modeling job at Cine-craft then, the way I rushed down and funny enough I was editing my film and I had not taken my bath for like three days because the owner of the job was on my neck, it was huge money that time, I think it was about three million naira.

So, the lady was with her sister, I went up to her and asked for some of her time, I told her everything about how I sent someone to call her for me and all that. The next day we met again I knew I was going to marry her. Emma Ike is now my lawfully wedded wife. She is half Dutch, half Isoko from Delta State.

We got married three months after we met. We have got three boys and one girl.

Michael is nine, Nicholas is three, Kelly is seven and the baby girl’s name is Andrea Oluwakemi. She is some months old.

How was your growing up like?

I grew up in Lagos and it was so much fun. I learnt everything I needed to learn in Lagos.

You never travelled to the east?

No, we were born in Lagos here, my parents were like you know all these killing stuffs in Igbo villages, so my father never allowed the boys to go home but the girls were always going home. I spent all my Christmas holidays as a child at Odejaye street, in Ojuelegba, Lagos.

Which schools did you attend?

I did my primary at Ansar Ur Deen Primary School, Isolo. Then Ejigbo Community High School, School of Basic Studies Agidingbi opposite Cadbury, it’s now a technical College.

We were the first students; from there I went to Igbobi College for my A-levels, then to Yaba Tech for my OND and HND in Engineering.

Why the choice of Mechanical Engineering as a course?

While growing up, I loved arts but one of my teachers counseled me then that I should do science and they also advised my parents and they said ok! I would be a doctor.

Because being a graduate with a good job, car and apartment has always been my desire from secondary school.

Have you ever been blackmailed by ladies?

No! But yes, something close to it because somebody tried to and I dared her and she ran away because I knew I didn’t do it.

How did you come about the money you used to build this school?

When I was making my money, I was investing. I invested into shares then before the stock market crashed, again thank God for Emmalex. He advised me and I started buying, I bought plenty of those companies except Transcorp that ate my money.

As I bought them, in less than a year and half, I had times ten turn over. I had several of such shares. And I was approaching banks to give me loans then but they said they can’t take shares, imagine that, shares of several millions.

It was in three banks they turned me down with my shares and I became so angry that I had to call my brokers to sell off the shares and it paid off. A week after I sold my shares the stock market crashed and I said Jesus! You love me most. So that’s how I came about the money I used in building my school.

You won N7.5m prize money last year, in the Guilder Ultimate Search Celebrity Showdown; when you entered the set, did it ever occur to

you that you were going to win?

I knew I had a chance, but kept saying that I am not here to win but to have fun. It was a way of making people to remove witch eye on me. My only challenge there was Obesere Abass.

Aside the N7.5m was there other prizes like car and other goodies?

Did I even get the whole 7.5 million Naira complete?

So what happened to the money?

Ope Banwo said he was my agent that he needed a percentage of my money. I didn’t want to make an issue out of it, I did not want to give Gulder Ultimate Show a bad impression, so I kept quiet and paid him off.

He took one million naira out of my money. If I had won a car, maybe I would have sold the car and give him one tyre or split the money into two, because there was so many troubles coming my way. If I had said no to Banwo, they would say “Emeka Ike don go GUS go make trouble there again.”

The message would be everywhere, so I just told myself the money is nothing because it could have been anybody else. So, I just gave him the one million naira, maybe its part of what he used to shoot Dagrin’s “Ghetto Dream movie” and that would be my contribution to Dagrin.

How about the rumour between you and Muma Gee, did any romance happen between you people on set?

It was a planned deal, nothing happened. We never even pecked each other. We discussed it in the bus before we got down on the ground at the camp.

She called me and said “Bros, make we form this now and I said it made sense but we had to call my wife and she agreed that there is no reality show without a drama, so she knew everything that was happening, so when Chioma was raving hell my wife was laughing.

Chioma abused you heavily while the programme lasted: why the hatred?

You noticed, I never said anything back to her.

It made me feel so good at least I knew who she was. During the shoot of “Disguise” I and the producer were the ones that went to her father and her mother to beg them to release her, quote me, I begged her mother in her parlour. They said no, na church Chioma wan go, na church make she dey go, I said mama, my papa sef get church next to my compound, but this thing now don dey help my family.

Maybe na the way God don take answer your prayer be dis thing wey Chioma wan do now. And the father said “My son take Chioma, take am dey go” so I dragged Chioma, me and Kingsley, go do ‘Disguise.’ So na dat same Chioma dey for national TV dey call me names and you want me Emeka Ike to respond. No, now!

Has she apologised?

I don’t need it.

You and Jim are now on talking terms?

Yes, Jim Iyke is my boy I don’t have any problem with him from beginning but he just didn’t know it. I have not seen him in a while, if I see him I am going to say hey how are doing? It’s nothing it was the press that even made it too big. I don’t have issues with Jim.

But if you take my papa land, or my land or wife or kill my child, I would follow you die!

Let’s talk about close shaves?

I have had three close shaves. The first one was when I almost fell off the bridge; my car was half way in between Ogudu bridge. It was in the evening; I was trying to make a turn to the right if you are coming from Gbagada to Ogudu that was in 2005.

My second experience was in 2007, I had an accident with my Infinity car. I ran into a NEPA pole, it broke like into five places, the car ran into the fence of a building around; I was bringing down the building until I got to the gate pillar and that was what eventually stopped the car. If you see that car, you are going to say how many people died in that car?

I still came out again, staggered into the electricity, four wires were in my hands and till today, I am still asking myself who are you? That was my closest share with death.

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THE AFTERMATH OF UCHE JOMBO'S BREAKUP WITH IKECHUKWU;SHE FINALLY SPEAKS ON MARRIAGE PLAN

Some months back, the news about Uche Jombo and Ikechukwu Uche secret love affair hit the entertainment industry with people feasting on the news that instantly became a hot item for celebrity and entertainment journals, not leaving out the blogs and other news site on the internet.

In the midst of the speculation, It came as a terrible shock last week when news filtered out that the two lovebirds have parted ways.

In a recent interview,Uche jumbo opens up on relationship between her and Super Eagles big boy,Ikechukwu Uche and her wedding plans in this short interview.

Excerpts from the interview;

Do you still believe that all men are good?

I never believed that,so I would rather not talk about it.

Do you think men can be faithful?

I don’t know,everything in life is about the person you are involved with not about a group of people.

Would you forgive a man that cheats on you?

Laugh… I don’t know,that’s a cheap question.Let me tell you who I am a simple person,the things I do to you,you do them back to me.That is what I expect from you in a relationship.

Are you saying with all sense of modesty that your boyfriend can be faithful?

Why are we discussing this issue,please let’s put that aside,thank you

Is it true there is something between you and the Super Eagles big boy,Ikechukwu Uche,because so many things have been written about it?

And since they have been saying it,have you seen me replying or discussing it with anybody?

Yes,that is why I want to know the real position of the relationship?

Well,I don’t have a comment on that.

Please,at least for once,say something so that your fans could know your stand over the issue?

It’s not going to happen and it can never happen where I would discuss this issue on paper.

So,when would you discuss it,when you walk down the aisle?

Laughs… ehm very funny but even when I am getting married,I won’t discuss it

Then we would remind you on the day of your wedding?

I am sure you will be there or you will hear about my wedding.

Okay,when is Uche getting married?

I will get married when I am ready and I will come and tell you that I am married.

Are you saying you will get married secretly?

I am not saying anything to you concerning marriage.

Would your marriage be made public or secret?

Wait and see… when the marriage happens,you will surely know.

Would it be this year or next year?

Like I have said,wait for it to happen because you people have already given me wedding date and it’s only left for you to give me invitation for my own wedding.Laugh…

But aren’t you worried that you are getting old and people are asking when would you marry

I am not bothered because people’s opinion about how old I am or If I am not getting married is not my problem.So,they should rather worry about their own problems and let me worry about mine.

Does the age bother when they are saying that you are 32 years or thereabout?

How can it worry me when I know whom I am,just let them continue to be worried about me.

But your mum said something about that,didn’t she?

She was asked and she answered because she doesn’t know she didn’t have to,but we are already used to things like that.

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PAUL OKOYE OF P-SQUARE OPENS UP ABOUT HIS FIANCEE

Paul Okoye of P-Square otherwise known as Rude Boy bared his mind on the woman in his life.

My girlfriend name is Anita, she just graduated, she works in an oil company now.

I started dating her when I was nobody and today, she has become part of me. She is my best friend and I am not seeing her as my girlfriend because she is more than than.

If it were somebody I met when my career is blooming, I am sure we would have been having problems. But she is somebody who doesn’t bother about who I am. She has this believe of do your own thing and let me do mine.

She is a nice person even though every woman has her fault. She is in fact the best thing and the worst thing.

When I say best,she is the best thing that makes me happy but she is also the only thing that makes me sad.Whenever she does something that hurts,it will hurt me the more.If we both have a quarrel,the pain is worse.

Na she dey sweet pass and at the same time,na she dey pain pass.

Asked,why don’t you make her known to the public now to put an end to the speculations about your love status;he said No.I am not going to do that.Let me tell you the reason,relationship break-up for celebrities is because of much talk and it leads to another thing and before you know it,it gets into the media.Doing that will definitely destroy a lot of things in the relationship.That is why I can’t do that.

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THE SECRET PAIN OF OSITA IHEME A.K.A PAWPAW

Star actor Osita Iheme is arguably one of the best actors of his generation. He is widely known for playing the role of 'Pawpaw' in the film Aki na Ukwa alongside Chinedu Ikedieze.

In 2007 Osita received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the African Movie Academy Awards. He is considered to be one of Nigeria's most famous actors.

In a recent interview with Entertainment Express,Iheme opened up about deep pain in his heart, which has continued to stick out like a sore thumb.

He said;I lost my father in 1990 under a mysterious circumstance. I was very young then. I can’t really say much about him because I was still a baby when he passed on. From what I learnt, he was a trader who travels a lot and was into merchandising. He made sure that his children were well brought up. He raised us with a good moral upbringing and the fear of God. He was that kind of father. He was a tall man. I can’t say this was what killed him. He just went home and we were told that he was dead. Let me add that he was a chief in his community.

I took after him his composure and confidence. He has a mind of his own and he would tell anyone what is wrong to their face. I also took the ability to be independent and fend for myself from him.

There was no father-figure except my mother. Everything that shaped my personality, I got from my mother. She was also busy playing different roles in our lives at the same time; providing our daily bread and all that. I miss the man because I remember stories my elder ones told me about how he would discipline them. On her part my mother was not an iron lady.

I can’t recall much on how he died, but I asked them what was wrong. I just remember my mother wailing on that particular morning calling my father, Lawyer Ndigbo, a name my late father earned for being a mediator in the community. Interestingly, I had a foreboding of my father’s death in a dream. In my dream, I saw that I lost my dad. When I woke up I shared my dream with them not knowing that it had already happened the previous night. We were living in Aba but my father died in our village. I can’t say that I am a spiritualist but God has a way of communicating with me through dreams.

Asked about how he is managing his size,he said As for facing discrimination on account of my size, I have never allowed that to happen. I don’t allow what people say to dictate how I see myself. Like I said earlier, I am a strong-minded person and I don’t allow certain things to bug me or weigh me down. I also try to surround myself with positive people. I wouldn’t even give anybody the chance to kill my spirit anyway.

I am already thinking of marriage and it will happen very soon. I don’t know the person yet. I can only say that there a couple of them in the picture who I am considering. But as a young man, I have somebody whom I confide in. It is not about the size or shape but I believe that when I find that person I will know her. Yes, I am still searching. In fact, I am 100 percent still searching. The gist that somebody broke my heart sometime ago is untrue. Love has been kind to me.

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