Lil Kesh
Nigerian rapper and singer (born 1995)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Keshinro Ololadeⓘ (born 7 March 1999), known professionally as Lil Kesh, is a Nigerian rapper, singer and songwriter. He rose to the limelight after releasing the hit single "Shoki" in 2014.[1][2]
17 March 1995
- Rapper
- singer
- songwriter
Lil Kesh | |
|---|---|
| Born | Keshinro Ololade 17 March 1995 Bariga, Lagos State, Nigeria |
| Origin | Osun State, Nigeria |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 2013-present |
| Labels |
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Early life and education
Ololade was born and raised in Bariga, an area in Lagos State. He attended Stockbridge College for his primary and secondary education, and then proceeded to the University of Lagos, where he studied Linguistics. Later, he moved on to the National Open University and studied Mass Communication online.[3]
Career
He began, his musical career in 2012 which was when he started rapping among his colleagues in Bariga. Shortly after, on 2 January 2014, he released "Lyrically", his debut single which went viral within Nigerian universities. Viktoh, another Nigerian rapper, heard the song and played it to Olamide. Olamide liked the song and signed Kesh to his record label, YBNL Nation.[4] Under YBNL, Kesh dropped a series of hit singles like Shoki, Efejoku, Gbese, e.t.c and released his debut studio album, "YAGI". Subsequently in 2014, Lil Kesh released a hit single "Shoki". Shoki topped several musical charts and brought him to the limelight. As a result of this musical production, he was nominated for several awards and won two. In 2015, he was nominated for Best New Act at the 2015 Nigeria Entertainment Awards as a recording artist affiliated with YBNL Nation. In March 2016, Lil Kesh release his debut studio album Young And Getting It (Y.A.G.I) through YBNL Nation which was produced by Young John and Pheelz. Guest appearances were from Phyno, Ycee, Wale, Patoranking, Adekunle Gold, Davido, Viktoh, Olamide and Chinko Ekun. It incorporates hip hop and rap genre. It has four singles – Lyrically (2014), Efejoku (2015), Is it because I love You (2015), and Ibile (2016). Later that year, after the expiration of his contract with YBNL, Lil Kesh established his own record label YAGI Records (an acronym for "Young And Getting It") and is managed by Massive Management team, a marketing and event management company.
Artistry
The versatility and musical style of Lil Kesh is similar to that of Olamide, who raps and sings in his local dialect.[5][6] However, he was criticized for using too much profanity and for failing to find the right balance in his songs' lyrics.[7] In an interview with Naij, he said, "they are singles not an album, I know the kind of market am directing my songs to, I am from the streets, I know what the people from the street want to listen to...they should wait for my album that is expected to drop towards the end of the year. I have very positive songs".[8]
Discography
Studio albums
| Year | Title | Album details |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Y.A.G.I |
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Selected singles
| Year | Title | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | "Lyrically" | Y.A.G.I |
| "Shoki" | Non-album single | |
| "Shoki (Remix)" (featuring Olamide & Davido) | ||
| 2015 | "Shoki (Female Version)" (featuring Cynthia Morgan, Chidinma, Eva Alordiah) | |
| "Gbese" | ||
| "Efejoku" | Y.A.G.I | |
| "Is It Because I Love You?" (featuring Patoranking) | ||
| 2016 | "Ibile" | |
| "Bend Down Select" | Non-album single | |
| 2018 | "Again O" | |
| 2018 | "Flenjor"(featuring Duncan Mighty) | |
| 2019 | "Undertaker"[9] | |
| 2020 | "All The Way"[10] | |
| 2020 | "Too Sweet"[11] | |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award ceremony | Prize | Recipient | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | tooXclusive Awards | Earth Shaking Collaboration | "Shoki (Remix)" (featuring Davido and Olamide) | Won | [12] |
| Best Street-Hop Track | Won | ||||
| Certified Banger of the Year | Nominated | ||||
| The Headies | Best Street-Hop Artiste | Lil Kesh for "Shoki" | Nominated | [13] | |
| 2015 | Nigeria Entertainment Awards | Hottest Single of the Year | "Shoki (Remix)" (featuring Davido and Olamide) | Nominated | [14] |
| Best Collabo of the Year | Nominated | ||||
| Best New Act to Watch | Himself | Nominated | [15] | ||
| Nigerian Teens Choice Awards | Song of the Year | "Shoki" | Won | [16] | |
| MTV Africa Music Awards | Song of the Year | "Shoki (Remix)"(featuring Davido and Olamide) | Nominated | [17] | |
| City People Entertainment Awards | Most Popular Song of the Year | Won | [18] | ||
| Best Collabo of the Year | Nominated | [19] | |||
| African Muzik Magazine Awards | Best Dance in a Video | Nominated | [20] | ||
| Song of the Year | Nominated | ||||
| COSON Song Awards | Hottest Song on the Street | Won | [21] | ||
| Best Dance Song | Nominated | ||||
| The Headies | Next Rated | Himself | Nominated | [22] |