Why I’m quitting comedy – Basketmouth

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Popular comedian, Bright Okpocha, aka Basketmouth, has revealed why he wants to quit comedy.

DAILY POST recalls that the multi-talented entertainer last year made known his intention to resign from the crib-cracking industry in a few years time.

Featuring on the recent episode of The Honest Bunch podcast, hosted by media personality, Nedu, Basketmouth said he wants to resign from comedy to focus on his dream of creating his own industry.

He said: “When I started comedy, when I start my career na rap I start with. Then I started playing drums. From drums, music come dey improve small small. My first music wey I produced na like in 1995.

“That was the time I tried to blend hip-hop and afrobeats. But we no sabi do am so e no too work. But we tried.

“When I come discover say I dey do comedy na by chance. I no plan comedy because comedy just dey. But when I come dey see everything, I come say ‘okay Bright, you need to start designing how you want do this thing [comedy].

“My intention na to build my own industry. I no wan dey part of the industry per se. Which is why, if you notice over time, I don put head inside sitcoms. I don put head inside movies. I’m working on a movie right now. I don do music concerts. I dey do comedy shows. I see say I don dey touch everywhere. I don release album.”

Basketmouth said he stopped doing stand-up comedy and event anchoring six years ago but many didn’t notice.

He said he quit because he wasn’t enjoying the MC job and struggled with it a lot.

He said: “Then e reach one point, I tire. I say ‘this is not honest’ because e no sweet. What I was blessed with was the talent of being a stand-up comedian. I no be MC. Na IK dem, all those people, dem be MCs. We come force ourselves. E reach one point I say I no dey do again. Six years ago, I come dey run away from MC events.

“As I come resumed [MC], I resumed this year fully. I come say ‘Bright, you no go fit run five years, you no go fit run the rest of your life doing comedy so put your time frame to five years so you can have time to do it. E fit no even reach five years. So you go fit get time to focus on other things’.”

Basketmouth added: “To be honest, I feel say I don build the foundation for everything wey I want do. No be where I want dey be this o. There’s a plan but I need to do all these things.”


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Seven AFRIMA Diamonds begin journey to African music glory The stage was set, the lights dazzled and the future of African music took centre stage as the All Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA) and the African Union Commission (AUC) unveiled seven emerging artistes tipped to become the continent’s next generation of superstars. During the AFRIMA Diamond Party and Prize Presentation held on Wednesday, June 3, 2026, at Voyage Lagos, Nigeria, AFRIMA Awards, through its Talent Discovery and Promotion programme, formally launched Ellacentric, Black Astro, Yamayeh Vibez, Mayowa Afolabi, DELLFIRE, El Nayaan and Blinkz Baba into the African music space, declaring them the latest talents poised to take African music to greater heights. The seven artistes, collectively known as the AFRIMA Diamonds, emerged from a continent-wide talent search that attracted entries from aspiring musicians across Africa. Speaking at the event, the President and Executive Producer, AFRIMA, Mike Dada, delivered a stirring charge to the young talents, predicting that they could become dominant forces in African music within the next two to three years. Standing before an audience of entertainment executives, artistes, influencers and industry stakeholders at the prestigious Voyage Lagos, Dada said the Diamonds had been carefully selected because of their exceptional talent and potential to shape the future of African music. “You are not here by accident. You were chosen because we saw something special in you. We saw talent, passion, discipline and the potential to become stars not just in your countries, but across Africa and the world. “I am challenging you today to go out and dominate the music space in the next two to three years. The opportunity is here. The platform is here. The spotlight is on you. The next move belongs to you,” he said. Dada said AFRIMA’s vision extends beyond celebrating established stars, stressing that the awards platform was committed to building a pipeline of globally competitive African talents. He noted that Africa’s growing youth population presents a unique opportunity for governments and industry leaders to invest in the creative sector. “The world is moving towards a content creation economy. Content is the new currency. Young people are creating value every day through music, digital media, fashion and entertainment. Our culture is our competitive advantage. The question is how we can leverage it for economic benefit, job creation and sustainable development. That is the direction AFRIMA is focused on, and we will continue to invest in initiatives that empower young Africans through creativity,” he said. The seven Diamonds earned their place after a rigorous selection process conducted by AFRIMA’s International Jury before being introduced to a wider audience through performances at the AFRIMA Music Village during the ninth AFRIMA Awards. At the party in their honour, the Diamonds once again took centre stage, delivering electrifying performances that left guests cheering and offered a glimpse into what could become the next wave of African music stars. An emotional Black Astro described the initiative as a turning point in his career. “This opportunity has changed everything for me. AFRIMA has given us visibility, confidence and access to people who can help shape our future. We are ready to show the world what we can do,” he said. Mayowa Afolabi said, “Being named an AFRIMA Diamond is a dream come true. This platform has given us an opportunity that many young artistes spend years searching for.” Ellacentric also expressed gratitude for the journey, describing the experience as a powerful reminder that perseverance and hard work can eventually pay off. As part of their rewards, the seven artistes secured participation slots in the Showbiz 101 Workshop and Music Creation Camp organised by bridgeAFRIC, where they will receive mentorship and collaborate with some of Africa’s leading music producers and artistes. Speaking on behalf of New Media Technologies Nigeria, the national distributor of SE Electronics, Bolaji Onisiwo, while presenting the musical equipment, said, “You have been identified as some of Africa’s brightest emerging talents. With that comes the responsibility to keep learning, improving and representing the continent positively through your music. These are not just gifts but investments, and how you use them will determine how far your careers can go,” Onisiwo said. The event, which had hospitality and entertainment provided by Voyage Lagos, attracted some of renowned names in the creative and entertainment industry, including Radio personality and Hypeman extraordinaire, Do2dtun Energy Gahd; Head of International Jury of AFRIMA, Olisa Adibua; Principal Consultant, Equally Diverse Solutions, Bolaji Durojaiye; CEO Voyage Lagos, Nader Issa; UK Rapper, SneaKBO; Chief Brand, Communications & Programming Officer, Murphy Ben International, Mark Redgard and CEO, DNMT, Michael Igbelabo, among others. With the celebrations over, attention now shifts to the seven AFRIMA Diamonds. For them, the journey has only just begun, and if Dada’s prediction proves accurate, Africa may have witnessed the unveiling of its next music sensations

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Seven AFRIMA Diamonds begin journey to African music glory The stage was set, the lights dazzled and the future of African music took centre stage as the All Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA) and the African Union Commission (AUC) unveiled seven emerging artistes tipped to become the continent’s next generation of superstars. During the AFRIMA Diamond Party and Prize Presentation held on Wednesday, June 3, 2026, at Voyage Lagos, Nigeria, AFRIMA Awards, through its Talent Discovery and Promotion programme, formally launched Ellacentric, Black Astro, Yamayeh Vibez, Mayowa Afolabi, DELLFIRE, El Nayaan and Blinkz Baba into the African music space, declaring them the latest talents poised to take African music to greater heights. The seven artistes, collectively known as the AFRIMA Diamonds, emerged from a continent-wide talent search that attracted entries from aspiring musicians across Africa. Speaking at the event, the President and Executive Producer, AFRIMA, Mike Dada, delivered a stirring charge to the young talents, predicting that they could become dominant forces in African music within the next two to three years. Standing before an audience of entertainment executives, artistes, influencers and industry stakeholders at the prestigious Voyage Lagos, Dada said the Diamonds had been carefully selected because of their exceptional talent and potential to shape the future of African music. “You are not here by accident. You were chosen because we saw something special in you. We saw talent, passion, discipline and the potential to become stars not just in your countries, but across Africa and the world. “I am challenging you today to go out and dominate the music space in the next two to three years. The opportunity is here. The platform is here. The spotlight is on you. The next move belongs to you,” he said. Dada said AFRIMA’s vision extends beyond celebrating established stars, stressing that the awards platform was committed to building a pipeline of globally competitive African talents. He noted that Africa’s growing youth population presents a unique opportunity for governments and industry leaders to invest in the creative sector. “The world is moving towards a content creation economy. Content is the new currency. Young people are creating value every day through music, digital media, fashion and entertainment. Our culture is our competitive advantage. The question is how we can leverage it for economic benefit, job creation and sustainable development. That is the direction AFRIMA is focused on, and we will continue to invest in initiatives that empower young Africans through creativity,” he said. The seven Diamonds earned their place after a rigorous selection process conducted by AFRIMA’s International Jury before being introduced to a wider audience through performances at the AFRIMA Music Village during the ninth AFRIMA Awards. At the party in their honour, the Diamonds once again took centre stage, delivering electrifying performances that left guests cheering and offered a glimpse into what could become the next wave of African music stars. An emotional Black Astro described the initiative as a turning point in his career. “This opportunity has changed everything for me. AFRIMA has given us visibility, confidence and access to people who can help shape our future. We are ready to show the world what we can do,” he said. Mayowa Afolabi said, “Being named an AFRIMA Diamond is a dream come true. This platform has given us an opportunity that many young artistes spend years searching for.” Ellacentric also expressed gratitude for the journey, describing the experience as a powerful reminder that perseverance and hard work can eventually pay off. As part of their rewards, the seven artistes secured participation slots in the Showbiz 101 Workshop and Music Creation Camp organised by bridgeAFRIC, where they will receive mentorship and collaborate with some of Africa’s leading music producers and artistes. Speaking on behalf of New Media Technologies Nigeria, the national distributor of SE Electronics, Bolaji Onisiwo, while presenting the musical equipment, said, “You have been identified as some of Africa’s brightest emerging talents. With that comes the responsibility to keep learning, improving and representing the continent positively through your music. These are not just gifts but investments, and how you use them will determine how far your careers can go,” Onisiwo said. The event, which had hospitality and entertainment provided by Voyage Lagos, attracted some of renowned names in the creative and entertainment industry, including Radio personality and Hypeman extraordinaire, Do2dtun Energy Gahd; Head of International Jury of AFRIMA, Olisa Adibua; Principal Consultant, Equally Diverse Solutions, Bolaji Durojaiye; CEO Voyage Lagos, Nader Issa; UK Rapper, SneaKBO; Chief Brand, Communications & Programming Officer, Murphy Ben International, Mark Redgard and CEO, DNMT, Michael Igbelabo, among others. With the celebrations over, attention now shifts to the seven AFRIMA Diamonds. For them, the journey has only just begun, and if Dada’s prediction proves accurate, Africa may have witnessed the unveiling of its next music sensations

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