Grass to Grace & more Grace is the story of rapper Olamide,Barely 2 weeks ago,Olamide Adedeji, aka Badoo, signed a multimillion naira endorsement deal with alcoholic drink Ciroc Ultra Premium vodka. This made him the first Nigerian ambassador for the alcoholic beverage.Before the success, Olamide said:“I hardly got invited to perform at shows. When invited, I was rarely respected because of my background. Sometimes, I had to walk from my house to the venue of the show and back because it was obvious I wouldn’t get paid.”
Being in a season where entertainers are reaping the fruit of their labour big time through endorsements, it is a good thing that the young lad’s efforts finally paid off.
Although the worth of the deal was not disclosed, Punch’s Saturday Beats gathered that the money was so much that it had to be sent in three tranches. No wonder he recently acquired a brand new Range Rover SUV.
By signing Olamide as ambassador, Ciroc is adopting the similar marketing model practised in the US. The likes of French Montana, Rick Ross, DJ Khaled, Ray Jay, Funkmaster Flex are all ambassadors for the drink.
Badoo, as he is fondly referred to, Olamide has also been hobnobbing with some of the industry big names, especially D’banj. Pictures of the duo surfaced online and their instant closeness aroused the speculation that he had been signed to the Koko Masters record label.
The rumours were not farfetched as D’banj’s brother, Kayswitch’s tweet to Olamide, welcoming him to the family, propelled the rumours. Also, since his split with Don Jazzy, D’banj has not been so close to other Nigerian entertainers.
However, Olamide’s success did not happen overnight. He succeeded in filling the vacuum late Dagrin left and it was not an easy ride. He told Life and Beats that before his fame came his way, he hardly got invited for shows.
The light at the end of his tunnel came through a prominent producer, ID Cabassa, who helped nurture him. He stated that when he met Cabassa, he was advised to be patient and learn the ropes.
He said, “When I met Cabassa, he told me that I would not start work immediately, that I had to learn the ropes. I had to take my time. I was always going to the studio.”
He said it took hard work and God’s blessing before he succeeded. He stated that he had to come up with a strategy with his producer, Mr Pheelz, which worked for them.
“I had to give my producer some CDs to listen to; most of them were foreign hip-hop. I told him I wanted my album to sound different. Although I am doing ghetto music, the sound has to be appealing. The idea is that those who do not understand the language will listen to the music and love it. We had to take our time. We recorded over 40 songs for the album but had to select the best,” he told Saturday Beats.
