Bright Okpocha (born 14 September 1978 in

Lagos State Lagos State ( yo, Ìpínlẹ̀ Èkó) is a States of Nigeria, state in South West (Nigeria), southwestern Nigeria. Of the 36 States of Nigeria, states, it is both the List of Nigerian states by population, most populous and List of Nigerian state ...

), better known by his

stage name A stage name is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. Such professional aliases are adopted for a wide variety of reasons and they may be similar, or nearly identical, to an individu ...

Basketmouth, is a Nigerian

comedian A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing Amusement is the state of experiencing humorous and entertaining events or situations while the person or a ...

and actor. He has organized popular

stand-up Stand-up comedy is a comedic performance to a live audience in which the performer addresses the audience directly from the stage. The performer is known as a comedian, a comic or a stand-up. Stand-up comedy consists of one-liners, stories, ...

comedy concerts like ''Basketmouth Uncensored'' across the globe. Basketmouth hosted a comedy challenge on

Instagram Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...

, called the #TwoThingsChallenge which sparked an uproar from fans, after a young fan posted a video of him saying obscene things relating to sex, with a child in close view in the video. He was a producer of "''Ghana Jollof''".

Biography

Early life

Bright Okpocha was born in Lagos State but hails from

Abia State Abia State ( ig, Ȯha Abia) is a state in the South-East geopolitical zone of Nigeria, it is bordered to the north and northeast by the states of Enugu, and Ebonyi, Imo State to the west, Cross River State to the east, Akwa Ibom State to the ...

, Nigeria. He completed his primary and secondary school in

Apapa Apapa is a Local Government Area in Lagos, located to the west of Lagos Island. Apapa contains a number of ports and terminals operated by the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), including the major port of Lagos State and Lagos Port Complex (LPC ...

, Lagos and moved on to the University of Benin,

Edo State Edo, commonly known as Edo State, is a state located in the South-South geopolitical zone of Nigeria. As of 2006 National population census, the state was ranked as the 24th populated state (3,233,366) in Nigeria, However there was controversy ...

to study for a degree in Sociology and Anthropology. He discovered his skill in drumming in 1991 followed by taking up rapping in 1994. He then formed a group called "''Da'' ''Psychophats"'' which had 7 members and they started going for shows and rapping in 1995, however they broke up before releasing any material. He went on to form another rap group known as "''Da Oddz"'' with his brother Godwin and Muyiwa Ola-Phillips: they performed a couple of shows but didn't break through as their brand of rap was not accepted in

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

Education

Bright completed his primary and secondary school education in Apapa (Lagos, Nigeria) and then moved on to pursue a degree at the University of Benin where he studied sociology and anthropology with his brother Godwin.

Appearances

In 2000, Basketmouth appeared in

Lagbaja Bisade Ologunde (in Lagos, 1960) is a Nigerian afrobeat musician, singer-songwriter and percussionist. Widely known as Lágbájá for his signature use of mask which covers his identity. He believes in social reform through music. Early life and ...

music video titled Gra Gra. In 2005 and 2006, Basketmouth won the National Comedy Award and the awards for Best Stand-up Comedian of the Year. He was nominated in the 2021 maiden edition of The Humour Awards Academy alongside fellow comedian

Mr Funny Emmanuel Chukwuemeka Ejekwu, known as Mr Funny or Oga Sabinus, is a Nigerian comedian, actor and skit maker. Born in Port Harcourt Early life Born in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Mr Funny had his early education in Port Harcourt and went o ...

. Basketmouth appears in the Africa Magic show ''"My Flatmates"'' (2016). Basketmouth recently hosted Nigerian Billionaire

Femi Otedola Femi Otedola (born 4 November 1962) is a Nigerian businessman, philanthropist, and former chairman of Forte Oil PLC, an importer of fuel products. Otedola is the founder of Zenon Petroleum and Gas Ltd, and the owner of a number of other busine ...

in his home. In December 2020, he started his comedy

web series A web series (also known as a web show) is a series of scripted or non-scripted online videos, generally in episodic form, released on the Internet, which first emerged in the late 1990s and became more prominent in the early 2000s. A single i ...

titled "''

Papa Benji Papa Benji is a comedy web series that follows the life of its eponymous character, Papa Benji, a pepper soup joint owner and everyone surrounding him. Plot Papa Benji is a story about the Egwuowun family, their pepper soup joint and their son ...

''".

Music

He launched a

record label A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the produ ...

Barons World Entertainment in 2014. He released a

highlife Highlife is a music genre that started in present-day Ghana in the 19th century, during its Gold Coast (British colony), history as a colony of the British Empire and through its trade routes in coastal areas. It describes multiple local fusions ...

album titled Yabasi''' as a soundtrack for the movie '''Papa Benji''' in November 2020. The album featured artists like

Ladipoe Ladipo Eso popularly known as Ladipoe or Poe is a Nigerian Rapper & musician. On 28 February 2017, Ladipoe signed a record deal with Mavin Records. He rose to prominence with the song "Feel Alright" where he got featured by SDC "Show Dem Camp". H ...

, BOJ, The Cavemen, Bez,

Waje Aituaje Iruobe, known professionally as Waje, which is the first letter from each word from the phrase "Words Aren't Just enough" is a Nigerian singer. She first gained recognition after being featured on the remake of P-Square’s "Omoge Mi". Wa ...

Duncan Mighty Duncan Wene Mighty Okechukwu (born 28 October 1983), simply known as Duncan Mighty, is a Nigerian musician, singer, and music producer from Obio-Akpor, Rivers State. Though his musical style demonstrates a high-level of genre versatility, it is ...

, Flavour and

Phyno Chibuzor Nelson Azubuike (born 9 October 1986), populary known as Phyno Fino, is a Nigerian rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer. He started his music career as a producer in 2003, and is renowned for rapping in the Igbo language. His ...

. In 2022, he released the album titled Horoscope, which features guests artiste,

Johnny Drille John Ighodaro (born July 5, 1990), professionally known as Johnny Drille, is a Nigerian singer and songwriter. His career came into the spotlight when he released a cover of "Awww" by Di'Ja. He is currently signed to Mavin Records. Early life ...

, Simi,

M.I Abaga Jude Lemfani Abaga (born 4 October 1981), better known as M.I Abaga, is a Nigerian rapper and record producer. He rose to prominence in 2006 when his song "Crowd Mentality" became popular in Jos, Nigeria. His debut studio album ''Talk About It ...

, Buju,

Peruzzi The Peruzzi were bankers of Florence, among the leading families of the city in the 14th century, before the rise to prominence of the Medici. Their modest antecedents stretched back to the mid 11th century, according to the family's genealogist ...

, Oxlade,

Reekado Banks Ayoleyi Hanniel Solomon (born 6 December 1993), better known by his stage name Reekado Banks, is a Nigerian singer and songwriter. He signed with Mavin Records in 2014 and left the label in 2018. He went by the stage name Spicy before his recor ...

, Flaz, Magnito,

Illbliss Tobechukwu Ejiofor known as iLLBLISS, is a Nigerian rapper, businessman and the owner of the talent managing outfit known as 'The Goretti Company', company responsible for launching the careers of Chidinma and Phyno, among others. Also popu ...

Dremo Aboriomoh Femi Raymond, known by his stage name Dremo, is a Nigerian songwriter, singer, record producer, recording artist, and stage performer. He is currently signed to Davido Music Worldwide (DMW). Early life Dremo is from Edo State, Nige ...

, and Flavour. In May and December 2022, he produced concerts for Nigerian singers,

Aṣa Bukola Elemide (born 17 September 1982"There's 'Fire O ...

and

Adekunle Gold Adekunle Almoruf Kosoko (born 28 January 1987), known professionally as Adekunle Gold and AG Baby, is a Nigerian Afrobeats singer and songwriter. He gained widespread attention after releasing the 2015 hit single "Sade", a highlife cover of One ...

respectively, under his Barons World Entertainment imprint.

Filmography

Basketmouth has made plans and been reported to have made a short film ''Confession of a Bandit'' and has acted in the short movie as Agent Gburugburu with his mates taking on the other parts in order to make the movie complete. In 2022, he featured in the hugely successful, Nollywood cinematic movie, ''The Brotherhood'' alongside

Falz Folarin Falana (born 27 October 1990), better known by his stage name Falz, is a Nigerian rapper, songwriter and actor who began his career while in secondary school after forming a group called The School Boys with his friend before his profe ...

OC Ukeje Okechukwu Ukeje, known as OC Ukeje is Nigerian actor,model and musician. He came into prominence after winning the Amstel Malta Box Office (AMBO) reality show. He has received several awards including Africa Movie Academy Awards, Africa Magic Vi ...

and

Tobi Bakre Tobi Bakre (born 1 June 1994) is a Nigerian actor, model, host, compere, and photographer. Tobi rose to fame after finishing up as a finalist in the Big Brother Naija (season 3) reality TV show in 2018. Early life and education Tobi was born ...

Discography

Studio albums

* Yabasi (Onions) (2020) * Horoscopes (2022)

Personal life

In November 2010, Basketmouth married his longtime girlfriend Elsie in Lagos, Nigeria. They share three children together. In December 2022, Basketmouth announced via his official

account that he and his wife were getting a divorce after twelve years of being married.

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* *
Exclusive Features on Basketmouth and other Nigerian comedians

1978 births Living people Male actors from Lagos Nigerian male film actors Nigerian male comedians University of Benin (Nigeria) alumni Igbo comedians Nigerian stand-up comedians Nigerian film producers Nigerian television personalities Nigerian media personalities Nigerian film directors Nigerian male musicians 21st-century Nigerian male actors Actors from Abia State Nigerian television actors {{Nigerian-film-actor-stub