At the beginning of the year, we saw YBNL Records owner and artist-preneur Olamide Adedeji pka Olamide throw a terrible tantrum at the Headies Awards. The outburst was because he believed a particular award given by the organizers to an artist signed to Don Jazzy’s Mavin Records, belonged to his artist. Olamide did not limit his outburst to national television, as embarrassing as it already was. Instead, he extended it to social media and continued with his very juvenile comments and tantrum.
When the incident happened, one of the things I said was that Olamide was a Yoruba boy, meaning he is from a culture that deeply values respect. Respect is such a huge factor in the Yoruba culture that the younger men prostrate to greet their elders, while the women kneel. Further, even an age gap of one year is a big deal, so much so that younger siblings in many Yoruba households are expected to and do call their older siblings “aunty” or “brother” to show respect. In this instance, not only did Olamide throw a tantrum, he threw one against a fellow Yoruba man, Ayo Animashaun, who is the organizer of the Headies Awards and is older than Olamide.
Six months later, Olamide has now apologized, on camera. I don’t think he had much of a choice to tender an apology. Within and especially outside the industry, he will always be seen among his own people as a very rude boy/man with “no home training.” The common statement “omo yen no respect,” would be all he hears wherever he goes. Worse, older Yoruba affluent men in Lagos are responsible for hiring acts like him and his artists to perform at events, not his young fans. So, for that and many other reasons, he needed to apologize.
The terrible tantrum and insults (he insulted the mothers of the organizers as well)
The apology