Monday 6 August 2012

Meet The MTN Project Fame Finalists


MTN Project Fame West Africa now in its Season 5... Meet the Final 15 for this year's competition and Tell us which contestant(s) you will be voting for this year.

ADETOUN
The ever-smiley Adetoun Adekoya is a bubbly 26 year-old woman whose confidence exudes in leaps and bounds. She is a studio-rat as far as she’s concerned, and has done a lot of back-up work for established artistes. Adetoun is a graduate of Mass-Communication from Olabisi Onabanjo University and is a caterer for a living. She’s got a very outgoing personality and confesses that even though she is friendly, and a people-person, she is highly competitive in nature.
AYOBAMI
Ayobami Ayoola Ayolola is the 25 year old personal assistant to a renowned saxophonist. Apart from his involvement in this saxophonist’s band, Ayo’s father is also a pastor and was a choir director for many years. In Ayo’s own words, ‘my father discovered the music in me’ – and for this he is grateful to his dad who he speaks of with pride. Ayo is also a thespian and has had a few stints on television. He says he cannot run away from acting but music is his first love and seeing as this is fifth stab at Project fame West Africa, he intends to milk the opportunity for all it is worth.
BRENDA
Brenda Adigwe is a 16 year old go-getter. She is a third-year mass communication undergraduate of the Littoral University, Porto-Novo, Benin Republic. Brenda tends to come across as older than her age and even though the competition is open to only people eighteen years and above, she returned for another season of auditions to give it another shot and convinced the academy to let her in. Brenda is very close to her mother and hopes to make her proud by going far in the competition and possibly emerging as the winner.
CHINYERE
She’s 23 years old, studies Linguistics and African Languages at University of Benin, Edo State – Nigeria, and is in love with a young man who she calls her best friend. He’s a base guitarist and her number one fan apart from her family. Chinyere is the last-born child and she receives a lot of support from her older siblings who are all married and living in their own homes. Chinyere is a bit shy and taciturn but she does express herself well enough and her biggest asset is her crystal-clear cutting-edge voice.

CHRISTIAN
The dark-skinned and very expressive Christian is of mixed Nigerian heritage. His father is Yoruba and his mother is from Benue state. Christian has lived in Markudi for most of his life and is a fourth year Computer-Science student of the Federal University of Agriculture, Markudi, in Benue state, Nigeria. Even though he has lived in the middle belt for most of his life, Christian emphasises that he is a Yoruba boy through and through and nothing can change that. Christian loves television, movies, and travelling. A very jovial sort, Christian does not fail to point out that he is only jovial and happy-go-lucky when he wants to be. He takes his music seriously and intends to win this competition, bringing the first prize back to Benue like Monica Ogah did in Season four.
DIMIPRE
Dimipre Kosu likes to be known as ‘Diddy’. He is 20 years old and an Engineering fourth-year undergrad at Niger Delta University. Diddy Kosu is playful and has his own style which he believes tends to stand him out from the crowd. He loves rock jazz and soul music and really loves to dance. At the slightest opportunity, Diddy is likely to break into ‘Azonto’ – the now famous dance of Ghanaian origin which the young man seems to have mastered and given his own unique twist.
EDWARD
Edward is a 26 year-old college who’s being doing music and song-writing for a living ever since then. He has a little daughter and a girlfriend both of whom he loves very much. He says he’s a good guy but doesn’t smile much because his eyes have seen ‘too many things’ i.e. gory sights from the war that besieged Sierra-Leone several years ago. Edward says he  isn't religious but is quite spiritual and is very connected to God. He certainly doesn’t see himself as a ladies’ man but is not averse to making new friends along the way, if they can accept him for who he is.
GRACE
Grace Mark is a smallish twenty-four year old. Pretty-faced and with a chirpy speaking voice, she comes alive when she’s singing. Grace is from a large family – she has nine siblings and apparently, almost everyone in her home has a flair for music.
JOSHUA
Joshua Owusu Effriyie is 20 years old, dark skinned, quite charming, and has a personality that draws you in. The young Ghanaian singer says he loves to eat, and therefore, loves to cook. He spends a lot of time in the kitchen but when he isn’t cooking up a storm, he is really into his video games and his music. Joshua plays the saxophone, the guitar and the keyboard and is a staunch Arsenal Football Club fan.

KEMI
Kemi is a 20 year-old ND-1 student of Federal Polytechnic, Offa – Kwara State. She grew up with her mother who is a fashion designer. Kemi is also a talented seamstress but unlike her mother, is yet to master the art of cutting design-patterns. Kemi loves singing and wants to take it to the highest height. She believes she picked up the talent from her father who used to sing and play several instruments during his lifetime.
MARVELLOUS
Marvellous Odiete is 33 years old. He is a graduate of the University of Ibadan. His father is a pastor and Marvellous sometimes works in the church’s music department. Marvellous has a very strong voice which he seems to know how to use well. Having done some studio gigs to earn a living, he believes it is time for him to take the bold step and do something really big with his talent, hence his participation in the competition. Marvellous says that despite his desire to win, he only sees himself as a competitive person, but not a desperate one and so he intends to do the best he can, take advantage of the platform which MTN Project Fame West Africa presents, and see where this takes him.

MUSULYN
Musulyn Myers is a 19 year-old Liberian girl who likes to laugh a lot. Bubbly-spirited and sweet, Musulyn says she is kind-hearted and likes to put a smile on people’s faces. Musulyn is best friends with her mother but points out that it hasn’t always been that way. As a result of the war, she and her mum had to move to the United States of America when the young Musulyn was two years old and only returned three years ago in Musulyn’s mid-teens. Musulyn says that having grown into a young adult, she finds that she and her mother understand each other a lot more and so their relationship is tighter now than it ever was. She loves singing and dancing and also plays the keyboard. 
OYINKANSADE
Oyinkansade Akande, is a dark-skinned handsome young man with a calm demeanour and an air of wisdom around him. Oyinkansade knows what he wants and this isn’t a new trait of his. Always hoping to have formal knowledge of music, Oyinkansade felt that the stars shined on him when he finally got the opportunity to study music in Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State. He now has a diploma in the subject and is happy to have made the choice to go for it when he did. He however feels that he doesn’t know enough about music to make a successful career of it and for this reason he hopes to go far in the Project Fame West Africa competition. Oyinkansade is south-pawed and plays the left-handed guitar. 
SONIA
Sonia Obi is a 22 year old student of Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution at the National Open University. She is social and likes to talk. She however tends to be pretty sensitive and emotional especially concerning her late mother whose ring she still wears as a keepsake. 
TEGA
Tega Apochie is a 22 year-old Delta State babe who has a non-identical twin brother Tejiri. Tega loves singing but if she wasn’t following the path of music, she would like to try her hands at fish-farming. She has her own style fashion-wise and readily admits to liking attention.

Log on to http://www.projectfamewestafrica.com/  for updates and cool pix

MTN Project Fame unveils contestants


After weeks of auditioning and a hectic selection processes, the contestants for the MTN Project Fame Season 5 have finally been selected and ushered into the Project Fame Academy.
The unveiling took place on August 4, after a sensational opening gala ceremony, which, according to the organisers, was a sneak preview to the 10 week musical competition which is bound to keep the audience glued to their television screens.
The season 5 contestants are set to show their musical prowess and mastery in front of the faculty, judges and anticipated audience as they battle for the top prize.
This year's contestants, selected from Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Ghana, are; Adetoun Adekoya, Brenda Adigwe, Ayobami Ayoola Ayolola, Chinyere Ahwueh, Christian Adeyafa, Didi Kosu, Edward Wright, Grace Mark, Joshua Owusu Effriyie, Kemi Ajayi, Marvellous Odiete, Musulyn Myers, Oyinkansade Akande, Sonia Obi and Tega Apochie.
Speaking on the 5th season of the show, MTN General Manager, Consumer Marketing, Kola Oyeyemi said, "The time has come once again to empower another set of West African youths, in line with our brand philosophy of enriching lives."
Season 5 promises to be interesting, with the addition of Ade Bantu to the panel of judges formerly comprised of Femi Aderibigbe, popularly known as 'Kwame'; Ghanaian international singer and songwriter, Bibie Brew; musician, Nomoreloss; and A-list producer, Tayo Ibitoye (TY Mix).
The faculty members remain: Principal, Joke Silva; Music Director, Ben Ogbeiwi; Dance Instructor, Kaffy; and Voice Coach, Dupe Ige.

Keagan wins Big Brother Stargame


AFTER 91 days, 35 housemates, 14 partners and seven celebrities, the Big Brother StarGame 2012 came to an end with South African Keagan, 22, emerging the winner of the $300,000 star prize money following the eviction of his five fellow housemates.

The presentation of the $300,000 USD prize at the grand finale was the climax of the BBA reality show,which saw housemates from different parts of africa spending 91 days in the same house.

Kenyan rapper Prezzo was the fifth Housemate to go home, leaving Keagan as the winning StarMate of the Big Brother Africa show.

Lady May's eviction left Keagan and Kenya's Prezzo for the final two. Days before the winner of the BBA was announced, there was anxiety as no one was sure who would win among the last six finalists, comprising Kyle (Uganda) Talia (Zambia), Prezzo (Kenya), Wati (Malawi), Keagan (South Africa) and Lady May (Namibia).

Superstar Nigerian performer D' Banj, fresh from the success of his sensational global hit, Oliver Twist, was joined by East African hip hop powerhouse Navio (Uganda), sizzling South African MC Khuli Chana and award-winning Ghanaian hip-life king Sarkodie while Nigeria's phenomenal Afro-pop star Naeto C gave the audience some to cheer.

Kyle, Prezzo and Keagan did exceptionally throughout their 91 day stay in the Big Brother House. They were the resident Don Juan's of the house. Prezzo let a little love into his heart by hooking up for the most epic and arguably the most tumultuous of the StarGame season.

Kyle had initially told his fellow Housemates he would share his prize with Jannette if he won. Keagan on the other hand, started off in Downville and made his way to the top of the pile in Upville.

The 28 participants were from Uganda (Kyle and Janette), Kenya (Alex and Malonza), Tanzania (Hilda and Julio), South Africa (Keagan and Lee), Zambia (Tamara and Talia), Malawi (Nafe and Wati), Namibia (Junia and Jesica), Liberia (Yadel and Luke), Ghana (Mildred and Keitta), Nigeria (Ola and Chris), Angola (Seydou and Esperanca), Botswana (Edith and Eve), Zimbabwe (Maneta and Teclar) and Sierra Leone (Dalphin and Zainab).

Then, another seven celebrity participants from Kenya (Prezzo), Ghana (DKB), South Africa (Barbz), Nigeria (Goldie), Zambia (Mampi), Zimbabwe (Roki) and Namibia (Lady May) were tucked away in another house called Upville. Week by week, Africa saw their representatives knocked out of arguably the most popular and longest reality TV game show on the continent.

 

Thursday 2 August 2012

EXCLUSIVE: Ice Prince, Brymo, Dencia's Twitter Account Verified: Omotola, Don Jazzy, 2Face, P-Square, Others Left OutBRYMO

BRYMO 
Dencia and members of Choc Boys; Ice Prince, Brymo, Jesse Jagz excluding MI had their Twitter accounts verified some hours ago. These four Nigerian singers have now joined the likes of Asa, D'Banj, Osaze Odemwinge, Genevieve Nnaji, Oluchi and Nneka who already have their twitter accounts verified.
Funnily, the twitter account of MI was not among the Choc Boys' accounts verified by twitter.
Also, top stars like 2Face, P-Square, Don Jazzy, Omotola and many other Nigerian celebrities were left out in the twitter verification exercise. This has left many to question twitter's criteria for account verification of its users.
A brief findings made by Nigeriafilms.com revealed that a twitter account is verified when a user, who is a public figure is being subjected to activities of impostors, who create 'fake' accounts in the name of the original user. This causes problems faced by some celebs when some of their fans find it difficult to identify their true twitter accounts.
With respect to the above criteria, some have questioned the rationale behind Dencia's twitter account being verified when top stars Omotola, 2Face, P-Square, Don Jazzy and others have not had their twitter accounts verified by social networking site.

STAR OF THE WEEK: HipHop Star - Eminem



Birth Name
Marshall Bruce Mathers III
Nickname
Slim Shady
Height
5' 8" (1.73 m)
Mini Biography
Born Marshall Bruce Mathers III in Missouri. Spent childhood moving back and forth between Kansas City and Metro Detroit. Attended Lincoln High School in Warren 1986-89. Hustled self-made cassettes of his work to places like Record Time in Roseville. His girlfriend (now wife) Kimberly gave birth to daughter Hailie Jade on Dec. 25, 1995. He worked at Gilbert's Lodge (a family restaurant) in St. Clair Shores from 1996-1998. Full-length debut, Infinite, released in 1996. The Slim Shady EP was released in 1998. Later that year, Dr. Dre signed Eminem to his Aftermath label after hearing the rapper free styling on a Los Angeles radio station. The Slim Shady LP was released on Feb. 23, 1999 and hit No. 2 on the Billboard charts within weeks. The Slim Shady LP was 3 times platinum. Eminem has now put out his second full length CD, entitled The Marshall Mathers LP.

Mini Biography
Marshall Bruce Mathers III was born on the 17th October 1972, Kansas City, Missouri, USA. Son of a fifteen-year-old mother at the time of his birth and a father who left six month later never to return, Marshall spent his early childhood being shoved back and forth from Kansas City and Detroit. He settled on the Eastside of Detroit when he was 12. Switching schools every two to three months made it difficult to make friends, graduate and to stay out of trouble. Being a rap fan for most of his life, Marshall began rapping at the early age of 4. Rhyming words together, battling schoolmates in the lunchroom brought joy to what was otherwise a painful existence.

At the age of 14, he began to get very serious about his rapping but it wasn't until he was 17 that he actually made a name for himself, becoming M& M, which he would later respell as "Eminem". Being rejected by most fellow rappers because of his race, Marshall grew an anger that flows through his music to this day. After failing the 9th grade for three times in a row, he quit school, but remarks that he doesn't consider himself stupid and doesn't advise that people should follow his example. He says that it just wasn't for him. Forcing himself on radio shows, freestyle battles, Marshall threw himself head first into the rap game, where he was swallowed up most of the time. His very first album was titled "Infinite" and, while the album sold less than a thousand copies, it was the gearing up stages for the rapper who became a millionaire. It was then that his daughter, Hailie Jade Scott, was born on December 25th of 1995 with long time girlfriend Kim Scott. Having nothing to lose at all, flat broke and not knowing where he would be living the next week, Marshall set out to rant about life in general, the set quickly caught the ear of hip-hop's difficult-to-please underground. What came out of this was the Slim Shady EP, the early work for the later
Dr. Dre revised Slim Shady LP. Down to nearly his last dime, he went into the 1997 Rap Olympics in Los Angeles, basically hoping to win the $1,500 cash price which he badly needed. After battling for an hour and throwing back every race diss thrown at him, Marshall made it to second place losing in a slip up. Furious that he had lost, Marshall didn't even notice that he had been spotted. In the crowd were a few producers from Interscope, and they were handed a copy of the "Infinite" tape by way of a demo. Dr. Dre got to hear it and eventually tracked him down. The two instantly hit it off, recording four songs in the their first six hours of working - three which made it to his first LP. After the album was finished, Dr. Dre asked Marshall to come work with him on his new album. He helped produce several tracks and was on the best songs of the album.

Now officially making it, Marshall and Dre set to make his second LP. The album became the Marshall Mathers LP and won 3 Grammies and was the first rap album ever to be nominated "Album of the Year", selling more than 8 million records in the United States alone. He also stunned critics when he shot down all homophobic remarks by performing "Stan" with
Elton John. Currently working on his third LP, Em has made a movie, 8 Mile (2002), and has gone back and brought his friend with him; D-12. Though 2001 was a rough year for the rapper, being charged with weapon offenses, divorcing his wife, and almost going to prison, Marshall explains his life today in one word. "Claimer".
Spouse
Kimberly Anne Scott
(14 January 2006 - 19 December 2006) (divorced)
Kimberly Anne Scott
(14 June 1999 - 11 October 2001) (divorced) 1 child

Trade Mark
Spells "Eminem" with the second "e" backwards

Trivia
His 2000 album, "The Marshall Mathers LP", sold 1.76 million copies in the first week of release in the U.S., a record for a solo artist.
His wife Kimberly Mathers was granted physical custody of their 5-year-old daughter, continued financial support, a personal driver, and reinstatement of her credit cards. [29 August 2000]
2000 Album "The Marshall Mathers LP" sold a reported 7 million copies. [January 2001]
3rd January 2001: Album "The Marshall Mathers LP" nominated for 4 Grammy awards at The 43rd Annual Grammy Awards (2001) (TV), including: Album of the Year, Best Rap Album, Best Rap Solo Performance and Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group for the track "Forget About Dre" with Dr Dre.
Featured in "Entertainment Weekly" magazine (December 22/29, 2000) and was voted #3 for Entertainer of the Year.
Dr. Dre is Eminem's mentor.
Father of Hailie Jade (b. Christmas Day, 1995)
Raised in Detroit, Michigan.
Got joint custody of daughter Hailie Jade. [2001]
With the band D12, Eminem has had a number 10 hit with S**t on you, and a number 2 hit with Purple Hills (originally titled Purple Pills).
The name 'Eminem' came from his initials M(arshall) M(athers).
He has had an operation on his knee, which led to his awkward stance at numerous performances.
Wanted to be a comic book artist
Cuts his own hair.
Parodied on "Saturday Night Live" (1975) by Chris Parnell.
Has said that he would like his daughter, Haile Jade, to become an actress.
Has a younger half-brother called Nathan (his mother's son from a later marriage), born in 1986.
Made $29,000,000 in 2002 with The Eminem Show LP, as the CEO of Shady Records, and the Anger Managment Tour '02.
On March 23, 2003 his song "Lose Yourself" from the film 8 Mile (2002) became the first rap song to win an Academy Award. He was not in attendance, and one of the song's co-writers, Luis Resto, accepted the Oscar on his behalf.
Won a Juno Award (Canada's Grammy Awards) for International Album of the Year.
The only white person to ever be on the cover of "The Source" and "XXL" magazines.
Adopted niece, Alaina, giving her his last name.
Was the only guest artist appearing on Jay-Z's album, "The Blueprint."
Has a tattoo of his daughter on his right lower shoulder
In his 2004 song, "Like Toy Soldiers", he stated he no longer wants to argue with Ja Rule and other members of Murder Inc.
Failed the 9th grade three times until finally dropping out. He said that he was not stupid [which is evident from interviews and his obvious success], but said that he lacked an interest in school. All he wanted to do was rap.
Favorite movie of all time is Scarface (1983).
Has a half sister and a half brother on his dad's side; Sarah and Michael Mathers.
He was voted the 82nd Greatest Rock 'n' Roll Artist of all time by Rolling Stone.
In May 2003, a minor media stir came about when Eminem refused to allow rock parodist 'Weird Al' Yankovic to produce a video for his "Lose Yourself" parody "Couch Potato". Although semi-official statements from Eminem's camp stated that the rapper wasn't being malicious and simply did not want a parody to detract from his image as a serious hip-hop artist, most of the press that covered the story sided with Yankovic. Despite the lack of the music video, the album featuring the parody, "Poodle Hat", earned Yankovic his highest chart debut in "Billboard" (#17) and, in February 2004, his third Grammy Award.
Has custody of his niece Lainie (short for Alaina). Lainie and his daughter Hailie have been brought up together and are considered sisters and he refers to both as his daughters. Lainie was mentioned in the song Mockingbird on the "Encore" album.
Spoofs his character from 8 Mile (2002) in his music video "Just lose it"
Is a Detroit Pistons fan
Has his own record company called Shady Records
The Eminem Show has sold more than eight million albums
To help support his mother, young Marshall worked as a short-order cook at a Michigan family restaurant called Gilbert's Lodge
At the 1997 Rap Olympics in Los Angeles, he came in second.
He has sold over 65 million records worldwide (February 2006).
Created his own fashion line called Shady Limited.
Filed for divorce less than 3 months after re-marrying his ex-wife.
Hired young actress Karli Filips twice to portray his daughter, Hailie Jade in his music videos for "Lose Yourself" and "Like Toy Soldiers". When they shot the Toy Soldiers video, Eminem had to be reminded Karli had played his daughter once before.
Adopted his ex-wife's, Kim, other daughter with another man. Her name is Whitney.
His "D 12" band mate Proof was best man at his second wedding to Kim Matters.
His "D 12" band mate Proof was killed in a night club shooting at 5 am. [11th April 2006]
Eddie Guzelian, a producer on the hit Disney Channel show American Dragon: Jake Long, wrote in his blog for the show that the character of Jake's little sister was named after Hailie, Eminems daughter. Eddie is a big Eminem fan and was actually listening to one of his albums while creating the character.
Biography/bibliography in: "Contemporary Authors". Volume 245, pages 121- 122. Farmington Hills, MI: Thomson Gale, 2006.
Monday 26th Feb 2001: Winner of Best International Male at the 2001 Brit Awards.
His ancestry is partly German and Swiss-German.
Son of Marshall Bruce Mathers Jr. and wife Deborah R. Nelson (later remarried).
His maternal grandmother Betty Hixson was married five times. He is her grandson from her first marriage.
Ranked #6 on VH1's 50 Greatest Hip Hop Artists.
Is good friends with Jay-Z.
January 2008 - Released from a Detroit hospital after being rushed there during Christmas 2007. His publicist attributed this to a bout with pneumonia.
Lives in Rochester Hills, Michigan.
His album "Recovery" was the best-selling album in the US in 2010.
Admitted on 60 Minutes that he would never have imagined writing lyrics about helping others before he became sober (based on his song Not Afraid on Recovery).
In his interview with Anderson Cooper on 60 Minutes, he admitted he does not allow the same amount of profanity he uses in his songs in his house.

Eminem - Not Afraid

WARNING!!! Charly Boy Goes "CRAZY", Reveal Nude Picture

Nude picture of Showbiz Man , Charly Boy