The wave of Nigerian music is slowly but surely taking over the music industry. We have our well-known artists such as Davido and Burna Boy, but then we have artists who are steadily rising to make it to the top of the chart. Today, we look at one of those rising Nigerian artist, Rotimi.
Olurotimi Akinosho, also known by his stage name Rotimi, is an Nigerian-American actor, singer, and model. Akinosho was born on November 30, 1988 in Maplewood, New Jersey. He is widely known for his role as Darius Morrison on the Starz series “Boss” and starred as Andre Coleman on “Power”.
However, most people are not aware that he makes music and also sings. In a interview he did with “The Undefeated”, he explains that his music career took off at the age of 5, by singing at weddings. Rotimi constantly states that his mother drove him to become an artist. Rotimi and his mother continued to nurture his natural talent, and by the age of 15, Rotimi placed first in an amateur night competition at the Apollo Theater in Harlem.
Rotimi eventually took his talents to Chicago, where he attended Northwestern University and majored in theater. After graduating in 2010, Rotimi remained in Chicago as he figured out his next steps. Singing and songwriting remained his top priorities, but he was struggling financially.
That moment is when he began acting and starring on shows and Netflix series. However, his heart was still in music. He went back to writing and singing music with his mother right by his side the entire time. He created his first album “Love Riddim” which became a classic hit. He went on to produce other hit songs like “In My Bed” which featured Nigerian-American rapper Wale.
With Rotimi’s career on an constant upswing, he has no plans of slowing down. But greatness, in whatever career path Rotimi has chosen, is what he strives to attain the most. “I strive for it. I want it”, Rotimi said. “I want thousands of people to feel like they have to speak at my funeral. I expect of the world that much. I know what I’m doing is so powerful, and I want people to say he made me feel this way and he did it with a smile”. You can see more of his music here.