Olamide performing at the first edition of his OLIC concert.

                 

Olamide was born in Bariga, Lagos State. In 2000, he decided to pursue a career in music. When asked why music, he said: "I found out I was gifted in it so I had to explore it, it's my life, my hustle, my world". In 2010, Olamide performed at The Hip Hop World Awards.^[1] He studied at Tai Solarin University of Education. In 2011, he released his debut studio album titled Rapsodi.

Music career

Olamide performing at the first edition of his OLIC concert.

He was signed to ID Cabasa's Coded Tunes record label and was managed by Toni Payne.^[1] In 2012, he left Coded Tunes and started his own record label YBNL Nation.^[3]

2011:Rapsodi

Olamide's debut album, Rapsodi, was released in 2011. The album's lead single "Eni Duro" charted on several radio stations in Lagos. Olamide's debut offering led to collaborations with numerous artists, including Wizkid, ID Cabasa, 9ice, Reminisce and D'banj.^{[citation needed]}

2012:YBNL

Olamide's second studio album, YBNL, was released in November 2012. The album's production was handled by Tyrone, Samklef, 2 Kriss, Pheelz and ID Cabasa. It features guest appearances from Davido, Tiwa Savage, Kayswitch, Dammy Krane, Reminisce, Samklef, Buckwylla, Minus 2 and Base One. The album was supported by the singles "Ilefo Illuminati", "First of All", "Stupid Love" and "Voice of the Street".^[4]

Improbable record deal with DB records

In May 2013, it was reported that Olamide signed a record deal with DB Records. Olamide took to twitter to debunk the reports.^[5] In an interview with Toolz on NdaniTV's The Juice, he said that it is too late for anyone to sign him.^[6]

Endorsements

On 17 July 2013, Olamide became the first Nigerian to sign an endorsement deal with Cîroc.^[7] On 24 October 2013, he signed a multi-million Naira deal with Guinness. In November 2013, he became an ambassador for Etisalat alongside Ice Prince.^[8][9][10]

Discography

Main article: Olamide discography

Studio albums

• Rapsodi (2011)
• YBNL (2012)
• Baddest Guy Ever Liveth (2013)
• Street OT (2014)
• Eyan Mayweather (2015)

Compilation albums

• 2 Kings (2015) (with Phyno)

Awards and nominations

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Year	Event	Prize	Recipient	Result	Ref
2015	City People Entertainment Awards	Rap Artist of the Year	Himself	Won
	The Headies 2015	Best Street-Hop Artiste		Won
		Artiste of The Year		Won
		Best Pop Single	"Bobo"	Nominated
	TooXclusive Awards 2015	Certified Banger of The Year	Shakiti Bobo	Won
		Video Wonder of The Year	Melo Melo	Won
		Artiste of The Year	Himself	Won
		Male Artiste of The Year	Himself	Won
		Best Street Hop Track	Shakiti Bobo	Nominated
			'Reggae Blues' (HarrySong featuring Olamide, KCee, Iyanya & Orezi)	Nominated
			'Ladi' (Olamide & Phyno featuring Lil Kesh)	Nominated
		Best Hip-Hop Track	'Local Rappers' (Reminisce featuring Olamide & Phyno)	Won
		Mixtape of The Year	'2 Kings' (Olamide & Phyno)	Won
		Album of The Year	Street OT	Won
2014	The Headies 2014	Artiste of the Year	Himself	Nominated
		Best Rap Album	Baddest Guy Ever Liveth	Won
		Album of the Year		Won
		Best Rap Single	"Dope Money" (featuring Phyno)	Nominated
	2014 Channel O Music Video Awards	Most Gifted West	"Turn Up"	Won	[11]
	2014 Nigeria Entertainment Awards	Best Rap Act of the Year	Himself	Nominated	[12]
	MTV Africa Music Awards 2014	Best Hip Hop		Nominated	[13]
	City People Entertainment Awards	Musician of the Year (Male)		Nominated	[14]
		Rap Artiste of the Year		Nominated
		Most Popular Song of the Year	"Eleda Mi"	Nominated
		Rap Album of the Year	Baddest Guy Ever Liveth	Nominated
	World Music Awards	World's Best Male Artist	Himself	Nominated	[15]
		World's Best Live Act		Nominated
		World's Best Entertainer of the Year		Nominated
2013	Nigeria Music Video Awards	Video of the Year	"Durosoke"	Nominated	[16]
		Best Afro Hip Hop Video		Won
	The Headies 2013	Song of the Year		Nominated	[17]
		Best Street Hip-Hop Artiste		Won
		Best Rap Single		Nominated
			"Ghost Mode" (Phyno featuring Olamide)	Nominated
		Artiste of the Year	Himself	Nominated
		Lyricist on the Roll	"Voice of the Streets"	Nominated
		Best Rap Album	YBNL	Won
		Album of the Year		Won
	2013 Nigeria Entertainment Awards	Best Album of the Year		Won	[18]
		Best Rap Act of the Year	Himself	Nominated	[19]
		Music Video of the Year	"Voice of the Street"	Nominated
		Best Indigenous Artiste	Himself	Won	[18]
		Best Collabo	"Ghost Mode" (Phyno featuring Olamide)	Won
2012	The Headies 2012	Hip Hop World Revelation of the Year	Himself	Nominated	[20]
		Best Rap Single	"Young Erikina"	Nominated
		Best Rap Album	Rapsodi	Nominated
2011	The Headies 2011	Next Rated	Himself