Life and Times of an Afrobeats Star
The death of rising Afrobeats star, Ilerioluwa Oladimeji Aloba, aka MohBad came as a rude shock to many when it was reported on Tuesday 12th September on various social media platforms, with multiple reports citing an ear infection as the cause.
It was firstly thought to be a bad joke or a rumour, but when his management later confirmed the story via an official statement, it dawned on people that Imole have truly passed away.
Below is the except from the press statement:
“It is with great sadness that we confirm the passing of Promise Oladimeji Aloba PK/A Mohbad (Imole) today, the 12th of September, 2023.
“Mohbad was light until the very end, and as we mourn the loss of the brightness he carried, the family thanks you for your love and prayers, and asks that you continue to respect their privacy during this difficult time.
Imole is finally at Peace”.
The former Marlian Music signee left the label acrimoniously in 2022, citing a number of grievances, including unpaid royalties in his three-year stint at the label.
His friend and colleague, Bella Shmurda in an interview with Chude Jideonwo detailed how the late singer battled depression and almost committed suicide.
MohBad was reported to be having issues with the record label he was signed to, Marlian Records which resulted into him constantly living in fear because of the harassment he was constantly getting from the label and those associated with the label. This resulted in depression and his been diagnosed to have hypertension at 27.
Controversies and Allegations
After two years, he announced his departure from Marlian Records. On 5 October 2022, MohBad accused his manager, singer Naira Marley, of assault and stated that his former boss ordered people to beat him up after he announced his intention to employ a different manager to handle his music and business affairs.
Multiple sources and social media videos showed that the musician was beaten by the same people who always threatened and harangued him, after a show he had in Ikorodu.
He was said to have sustained injuries following the beating, leading him to seek the services of a nurse at home. It was learnt that Mohbad started convulsing after being given injections, one of which was said to be an anti-tetanus shot.
A tetanus shot is a toxoid vaccine that prevents tetanus, a life-threatening bacterial infection.
Following his death, there have been allegations of assault on Mohbad by Naira Marley and his crew. Fans have accused Naira Marley, a British Nigerian arrested for cyber-fraud in Nigeria in 2019 and multiple times for gang violence in the United Kingdom, of being behind the ordeal.
Based on this incessant threats and assaults, Mohbad wrote a petition to the Nigeria Police Force reporting multiple threats to his life from controversial socialite, Samson Balogun, aka Sam Larry, amongst others.
Mohbad, on June 27, 2023, filed the petition captioned “Petition of threat to life, malicious damage of properties valued the sum of five-million-naira, assault occasioning harm, oppression and conduct likely to cause breach of peace” against Sam Larry and Oba Elegushi of Eti-Osa, Lagos State.
Recall that the late musician, who passed away on September 12, 2023, was buried a day later.
There have been calls for investigations to unravel the circumstances behind the musician’s death.
Amid the clamour and exhumation of his corpse, the Lagos State Police Command had confirmed carrying out an autopsy on the singer’s corpse and investigation into his death was ongoing.
Lagos State Police Command had inaugurated a 13-man special investigation panel to unravel what caused the death of the singer.
The ways and manners he was hurriedly buried within hours of his death with his neck bent unnaturally to fit into the coffin sparked another row of controversies.
Protests and Tributes
Mohbad’s death led to series of protests among his fans and youth in general across the country who believed the rising star died due to bullying and assaults by his former record label, Marlian Records and the label’s associates. This led to the creation of the hashtag #JusticeForMohbad that trended and still trending on all social media platforms.
On Thursday, September 21, 2023, a sea of Nigerians united in a memorial procession to honour the late Afrobeats sensation “Mohbad”, who tragically departed under puzzling circumstances.
Fans and loyal followers of the departed singer who were still dazed by his death converged at the Muri Okunola Park in Lagos State, Nigeria, to pay their heartfelt tributes to the late Mohbad.
Among the attendees were top celebrities in the Nigerian entertainment industry who took the stage to share their fond memories of the departed artist.
In addition, media personalities and social media influencers were also in attendance, offering heartfelt eulogies and joining the chorus urging authorities to delve into the mysterious circumstances surrounding his demise.
There were also candlelight processions for him in the London, Toronto, Atlanta, Berlin and Dubai.
Topping Charts
Since his demise, the streaming of his songs witnessed a big surge with numbers rising daily.
Barely two weeks after his demise, his extended play (EP), ‘Blessed’ has set a new record as the first EP to reach number one on Spotify Nigeria’s weekly albums chart.
Six of his songs currently occupy the top 10 spots on Apple Music Top 100 chart in Nigeria. ‘Ask About Me’ holds the top spot, followed by ‘Beast & Peace’ at number 2, ‘Peace’ at number 3, ‘Sabi’ at number 5, ‘Feel Good’ at number 6, and ‘Pariwo’ featuring Bella Shumurda’ at number 8.
Mohbad also topped the Spotify Nigeria singles chart with ‘Ask About Me.’
His EP, ‘Blessed’ recently entered the top 20 on UK Apple music albums chart.
His song claimed the number two position, only trailing behind CRAVITY’s track ‘Ready Or Not’ and surpassing American rapper Nicki Minaj’s ‘Big Difference.’ In addition to this achievement, Mohbad has dominated this week’s top 10 chart with two other songs. His tracks ‘Feel Good’ and ‘Ask About Me’ have also secured the 5th and 8th positions, respectively.
On 23 September he became the 46th best-selling digital artist, surpassing international artists such as Nicki Minaj, Eminem, 21 Savage, Lady Gaga, and Chris Brown.
Who Is MohBad
Born Ilerioluwa Oladimeji Aloba on 8 June 1996 in Ketu, Lagos State, The rapper, singer, and songwriter was known professionally as MohBad, a name he later changed to Imole, meaning “light” in Yoruba, the name was inspired by Mohbad’s many visits to church as a child.
MohBad managed to complete secondary school education and gained admission into a polytechnic but he would eventually drop out to pursue his passion, Music. He also has a stint at carpentry, a trade he learnt from his dad. He once revealed that he usually saved money he made from carpentry for studio time and recordings.
He was formerly signed to Naira Marley’s Marlian Records and left the label in 2022. He was best known for his hit songs “Ponmo,” “Peace,” “Beast and Peace,” “Feel Good,” and “KPK (Ko Por Ke)” (You Will Always Be Remembered) with Rexxie, which was nominated three times for The Headies awards 2022.
MohBad released his debut album, Light, in the fourth quarter of 2020 as a follow-up to his viral song “Ponmo,” which featured Naira Marley and Lil Kesh. MohBad was nominated five times for The Beatz Awards 2021.
MohBad was listed in Audiomack’s top 21 Afrobeat artists of 2021. In 2022, he released “Peace”, produced by Rexxie. It peaked on the TurnTable top 50 in 2021 and top 100 in 2022. After the announcement of his death, “Peace” became a major hit, reaching number one on Apple Music in Nigeria and was accompanied by his single “Ask About Me,” at number two. As of September 15, “Beast & Peace,” the opening track on Blessed was at number four and “Feel Good” at number five. Between 12-14 September, his streams increased by 702%, from 990,000 to 8.02 million. For the week of 23 September 2023, “Peace” debuted on Billboard’s Hot Trending Songs chart at number two.
On 18 September 2023, Blessed reached a new peak at number four, and Light made its first chart entry at number 20 on the Nigerian Official Top 50 Albums chart. On 21 September, streams of Blessed increased by over 530%.
MohBad and his wife, Omawunmi, had a 5 months son Liam, born in April 2023.
Over N40 million (in cash and Scholarships) have been raised for his five-month old son with many people calling for the fund to be secured in a trust fund for the future of the child.
On 12 September 2023, MohBad died at the age of 27 after being treated for an infection by an unlicensed nurse, who was later arrested.
