Events That Shaped Entertainment Industry In 2023

LEADERSHIP Weekend Entertainment reviews events that shook Nigeria’s entertainment industry in 2023 both positively and negatively.

Death Of Singer Mohbad
The death of Afrobeats singer, Mohbad and the surfacing of evidence connecting singer and founder of Marlian Record Label, Naira Marley and his friend, Sam Larry, deserves the first position on this list.
Mohbad, born Ilerioluwa Oladimeji Aloba, died September 12, 2023 at age 27. Not long after his death, videos surfaced online indicating the singer’s life and property being threatened by Sam Larry (Samson Balogun), close friend of Naira Marley (Abdulazeez Fashola), whose record label Marlian, the deceased left the previous.
Online and street calls for investigations by his fans led to the remand of several suspects including Naira Marley, Sam Larry, Mohbad’s friend Prime Boy, and a nurse Feyisayo Ogedengbe.
Investigations revealed that Mohbad’s death was remotely the cause of injuries sustained during a violent fight with his friend Prime Boy on September 10, and the unprofessional and non-clinical administration of multiple and highly potent injections on the victim by nurse Ogedengbe.
Meantime, despite evidence showing that Marley and Larry were threatening the life and craft of the young artiste prior to his death, both were released in November after meeting the 20 million naira court requirement for bail.

Celebrity Rows Pre, During & Post 2023 General Elections
It won’t be out of place to say that the General Elections of 2023, brought the worst, and particularly tribalistic side of many Nigerians, celebrities included.
The nastiest celebrity rows over the elections include the posts of Afro music artiste, Brymo, on Twitter (now X) in which the singer and All Progressive Congress (APC) supporter said it is not prudent to elect Labour Party candidate, Peter Obi, noting that Obi “may have to vividly organize his home-front {south-east} to lead the rest of us … an Igbo Vice President first, maybe, to test the waters with the region is safer.”
The comment triggered Nigerians on social media who chided him for his tribalistic remarks. However, rather than display the maturity expected of a public figure, the singer made it a point to hit back with more offensive remarks against his dissenters including pro Labour Party artiste Paul Okoye aka Rude Boy.
Rude Boy got in the crossfire with Brymo for calling out his “F*ck The Ndigbo. To Hell With It” comment as bigotry. Rude Boy responded by cautioning the artiste against certain comments as elections ‘come and go’.
Brymo further got into a row with Peter Okoye, the other half of the P-Square for allegedly dragging Seun Kuti on Twitter, stating by belittling (Okoye’s own father) as nobody, who became somebody as a result of his children’s fame.

Nomination Of Nigerian Film Mami Water For 2023 Oscars Awards
On December 7, 2023, Nigeria made history when filmmaker and director, C.J Fiery Obasi’s film Mami Water made the 2024 Oscars International Feature Film longlist. The film was one of the 88 movies from across the globe in the list and arguably Nigeria’s first film on the running for the Oscars.
However, a second list published by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) last week saw the movie out of the Oscars race. Regardless, Nigerians will continue to root for other African movie still on the list like Morocco’s The Mother of All Lies, and Tunisia’s Four Daughters that are still in the running for the Oscars Award.

Nigerian Film Blood Vessel Trend No 1 On Netflix
Following its exclusive release on Netflix on December 8, 2023, Playnetwork Studios film Blood Vessel achieved an impressive milestone by placing the Top 10 list of most watched films on Netflix viewed in 22 countries.
The Moses Inwang-directed thriller became the most-watched film in the non-English Fil category, garnering 4.4 million views between 11 and 17, beating Jagun Jagun which earlier secured Netflix Top 10 in 17 countries in August.
Produced by Charles Okpaleke, Arafat Bello-Osagie, Roxanne Adekunle-Wright and Agozie Ugwu Blood Vessel revolves around six friends whose entanglement in a political conflict in the Niger-Delta seek to escape as stowaways to South America.

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Nigerian Singers, Musicians Win International Awards
Actually, there are quite of number of such achievements this year. They include:
Burna Boy, Tems Win 2023 BET Awards
Burna Boy won the Best International Act at the BET Awards while received the Best Collaboration Award for her contribution on the Grammy award-winning song Wait For U with Future and Drake.

Burna Boy, Davido, Wizkid, Asake Win @ AFRIMMA Awards
While there were major upsets like Nigerian heavyweights Asake, Adekunle Gold, and Omah Lay losing out to Ghanaian Highlife and Afrobeats singer-songwriter, King Promise, others as Rema and Davido won the Artiste of the Year, and Album of the Year awards respectively.

Burna Boy, Rema Win @ 2023 Billboard Awards:
Meantime, Burna Boy and Rema both won awards at the inaugural Afrobeats categories of the 2023 Billboard Music Awards held November 19, 2023. Burna Boy won the Top Afrobeats Artiste category, and Rema’s Calm Down remix with American singer, Selena Gomez, rustled the Top Afrobeats Song.

Rema, Davido, Burna Boy Bag Trace Awards:
Davido, Rema and Burna Boy also made big wins at the 2023 Trace Awards. Rema Calm Down snagged the Song of the Year, and he, the Best Global African Artiste. Davido swept up Best Male and Best Collaboration awards; while Burna Boy’s Love Damini won the Album of the Year Award.