They have got fame and fortune Thousands of adoring fans worship their social media updates. The one major thing the following celebrities are yet to do is turn 30.
- Wizkid
Age: 25
Born Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun, Wizkid shot into limelight in 2010 after he released the hit single ‘Holla at your Boy’ under the EME imprint. At age 25, Wizkid has been nominated 64 times and has won 18 awards including 2012 BET Awards for Best African Act and 2013 Channel O Music Awards for Most Gifted Video of the Year. In 2015, Wizkid’s single ‘Ojuelegba’ earned him international recognition and got him a feature on international magazine FADER. The father of one is brand ambassador to companies like Pepsi and Globacom.
- Davido
Age: 23
Davido whose real name is David Adedeji Adeleke is an American-born Nigerian recording artiste, performer and record producer. After the release of the single ‘Omo Baba Olowo’, Davido made sure to feed his fans with hit singles that produced two successful studio albums. His success story became an envy of others in January 2016 when he became the first African musician to be signed by Sony Music Group. Since his entry into the music industry in 2011, the HKN act has won a BET Award, a Kora Award, a Channel O Music Video Award, a Ghana Music Award, a Nigeria Music Video Award, two MTV Africa Music Awards, two African Muzik Magazine Awards, five Headies, seven Nigeria Entertainment Awards and two Dynamix All Youth Awards.
- Olamide
Age: 26
Indigenous rapper, Olamide, has prided himself as one who came from nothing to something. The Bariga born artiste made a statement of intent with his 2011 single ‘Eni Duro’. By 2015, Olamide had released five studio albums in five years. On 17 July 2013, Olamide became the first Nigerian to sign an endorsement deal with Cîroc. His OLIC 2 concert held in December 2015 was a huge success. The YBNL soldier as he calls himself has won several awards including 2012 Headies for Album of the Year and Nigeria Entertainment Awards for Best Indigenous artiste.
- Yemi Alade
Age: 26
Even though Afro pop singer, Yemi Alade, made a name for herself in 2009 after she won the Peak Talent Hunt Show, it was not until 2013 that she became a well-known figure courtesy her hit single ‘Johnny’. In December of 2015, Yemi Alade became the first Female Nigerian artiste to hit over 30 million views on YouTube with the video of that song. Yemi also beat out South Africa’s Bucie and Busiswa, Tanzania’s Vanessa Mdee as well as Nigeria’s Seyi Shay to clinch the title of the 2015 MTV Africa Music Awards Best Female Act.
- Ice Prince
Age: 29
Rapper, Panshak Zamani, popularly known as Ice Prince rose to fame after releasing ‘Oleku’, one of Nigeria’s most remixed songs of all time. MTV Base once named him among the 10 Hottest Rappers on the African Continent. The Chocolate City act has won one BET Award, one Ghana Music Award, three The Headies Awards, two Nigeria Entertainment Awards and two Channel O Music Video Awards.
- Iyanya
Age: 29
After winning the 2008 MTN Project Fame West Africa singing competition, Iyanya went on to release the monster hit ‘Kukere’ in 2011. Kukere achieved wide success, particularly in Nigeria, Ghana and the United Kingdom. The song was succeeded by his second single titled ‘Ur Waist’. Iyanya is currently the co-owner of Made Men Music Group, an outfit that houses, Selebobo and Tekno.
- Burna Boy
Age: 24
Reggae-dancehall singer, Burna Boy, rose to prominence in 2013 after he released the single ‘Like to Party’. Although Burna is not an artiste with several plaques, he has made his mark and garnered fans in Nigeria and across Africa. Like Wizkid, he also got featured in the International magazine Fader. The Spaceship entertainment artiste has featured with A-list starts like 2face Idibia, D’banj and AKA.
- Phyno
Age: 29
Azubuike Chibuzo Nelson popularly known as Phyno is renowned for rapping in Igbo language. After the release of Ghost Mode in 2012, Phyno became a household name. The single won Best Collabo at both the 2012 Headies and 2013 Nigeria Entertainment Awards. In November 2015, Phyno hosted a sold out concert tagged Phynofest in Onitsha, Anambra, Nigeria.
