| Pepenazi | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Opeyemi Gbenga Kayode |
| Also known as | PepeIllegal |
| Born | (1988-04-16)16 April 1988 |
| Origin | Odigbo, Ondo State, Nigeria |
| Genres | Hip hop, AfroPop, dance hall |
| Occupation(s) | Rapper, songwriter |
| Years active | 2012 – present |
| Labels | Ecleftic Entertainment |
| Website | www.pepenazi.com |
Opeyemi Gbenga Kayode (born April 16, 1988), known by his stage name Pepenazi, is a Nigerian singer and songwriter.
Early life and education
Gbenga was born in Lagos and grew up listening to Ebenezer Obey, King Sunny Adé, The Beatles, I. K. Dairo, and Fela Kuti. He received his primary education at Kemeesther Nursery and Primary School in Aguda, Surulere, Lagos. Pepenazi had his secondary-school education at Mayflower School in Ikenne, Ogun State, where his growing interest in rap emerged as he listened to Wyclef Jean, the Notorious B.I.G, P. Diddy, Fat Joe and others. He graduated with a Bachelor of Technology degree in Estate Management from the Federal University of Technology, Akure, Ondo State, where he recorded his first single. Pepenazi won a student election to become the Student Union's Director of Socials and participated in an album, Futa's Finest.
Career
2012–2014
Pepenazi debuted in the Nigerian music business in 2012 with the release of his rap hit "Arose." It was produced by Bam Toons and was accompanied by a music video. Pepenazi, however, took a hiatus from the entertainment scene as a final-year student and joined the National Youth Service Corps, where he won the 2013 Airtel NYSC Lagos Camp Freestyle Competition. He made appearances on two Olamide albums: Baddest Guy Ever Liveth (on "Motivation," alongside Ice Prince and Endia) and Street OT (on "Usain Bolt P," alongside Lil Kesh and Chinko Ekun). In October 2014, he released two tracks ("Born You" and "Low") that gained some attention.
2015–2016
He released "Adam," a hardcore rap single with Olamide, on February 8, 2015. On May 22 of the same year, Pepenazi released an alternative single "Fifemayo" followed by a music video a week later. His "Low" video included Iyanya, Sound Sultan, Lil Kesh, Samklef, DJ Spinall, and Viktoh in cameo appearances.
Pepenazi then featured Olamide on "Illegal," a pop single which became his major hit. Although Pepenazi's featuring of Olamide triggered speculations that he was signed to YBNL Nation (Olamide's label), he said in a Green News that his label (Ecleftic Entertainment) was only affiliated with YBNL Nation. "Illegal" was ranked as a top five dance-stimulating Nigerian song.
According to Jim Donnett of tooxclusive.com, Pepenazi was a performer to watch. He performed at the Ibadan edition of Star Trek on August 30, 2015, and was nominated for Rookie of the Year during the 2015 Headies Awards.
Pepenazi was nominated and won the Most Promising Artist of the Year award at the 2015 Scream Awards and Revelation/Industry's Cynosure of the year at the 2015 MoreKlue All Youths Awards (MAYA). He released "One For The Road" (produced by Pheelz) in 2016, followed by a video and the dance-hall single "Iwo Na (Your Wishes)" with YBNL Nation's Lil Kesh.
In addition to his solo work, Pepenazi was featured on "Gone are the Days" (with DJ Exclusive and Olamide), "Obi Remix" (with Skales and Reminisce), "Motivation" (with Olamide, Ice Prince and Endia), "In Da Mix" (with DJ Snoop), "Dishanku" (with Slay Velli), "Shut Down" (with DJ CLASSIC), "Eran" (with Pjay and Indomix), "Usain Bolt P" (with Olamide, Lil Kesh and Chinko Ekun), and "Designer Remix" (with Tipsy Araga, Xino, and Chinko Ekun). He has worked with several producers, including Pheelz, Dapiano, Young John, T Mode, Drey Beatz, Oga Jojo and Htee.
2017
Pepenazi traveled to South Africa and performed at the Harem and Moloko clubs. He then released videos for "I Ain't Gat No Time (Male Remix)" (featuring Reminisce and Falz) and the song's female remix, featuring Lucy Q, Phlow, and Mz Kiss. Pepenazi released "Ase," featuring Tiwa Savage and Masterkraft, on May 15, which was followed by a video and the launch of his website on June 5. Pepenazi released another dance-hall single, "Jabo", on August 2.
Notable performances
He appeared at the 2014 and 2015 editions of Copa Lagos. In 2015, Pepenazi performed at the 2015 Star Trek grand finale in Lagos. He appeared in season two of Olamide Live in Concert (OLIC 2), and performed at the December 2015 One Lagos Fiesta.
Discography
| Lead artist | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Title | Album |
| 2019 | "Necessary" (featuring Shizzo) | |
| 2017 | "Jabo" | |
| "Ase" (featuring Tiwa Savage, Masterkraft) | ||
| "I Ain't Gat No Time Remix" (featuring Mz Kiss, Lucy Q, Phlow) | ||
| 2016 | "High Go" | |
| "I Ain't Gat No Time Remix" (featuring Reminisce, Falz) | ||
| "I Ain't Gat No Time" | ||
| "Iwo Na" (featuring Lil Kesh) | ||
| "One For The Road" | ||
| 2015 | "Illegal" (Featuring Olamide) | |
| "Fifemayo" | ||
| "Adam" (featuring Olamide) | ||
| 2014 | "Low" | |
| "Born You" | ||
| 2012 | "Arose" | |
| Featured artist | ||
| 2013 | "Motivation" (Olamide, featuring Iceprince, Pepenazi and Endia) | Baddest Guy Ever Liveth |
| 2014 | "Usain Bolt" (Olamide, featuring Lil Kesh, Pepenazi and Chinko Ekun) | Street OT |
| "Sisi Eko" (Konga) | ||
| "In Da Mix" (DJ Snoop da Damaja) | ||
| 2015 | "Obi Remix" (Skales, also featuring Reminisce) | Man of The Year |
| "Gone Are The Days" (DJ Xclusive, also featuring Olamide) | According to X | |
| "Igboro" (Samklef, also featuring K Switch) | Sound of Muzic | |
| 2016 | "Eran" (Pjay, also featuring Indomix) | |
| "Dishanku" (Slay Velli) | ||
| "Shut Down" (DJ CLASSIC) | ||
| "Designer Remix" (Tipsy Araga, also featuring Xino and Chinko Ekun) | ||
| 2017 | "Chineye Remix" (SoJay, also featuring Aramide) | |
Awards
| Year | Event | Award | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Scream Awards | Most Promising Artist of the Year | Won | |
| MoreKlue All Youths Awards (MAYA) | Revelation / Industry's Cynosure of the Year | Won | ||
| The Headies | Rookie of the Year | Nominated |
References
- Kusaa. "Listen to Afropop music by PEPENAZI at kusaa.com". Kusaa. Retrieved 2022-10-25.
- ^ elibawa (2016-03-19). "Junior and Pretty made me become a singer –Pepenazi | Punch Newspapers". Retrieved 2016-07-04.
- "Download". tube.wapdoze.co. Retrieved 2016-07-04.
- Reserved, Naijaloaded © 2016 All Rights (2013-12-31). "Olamide "Baddest Guy Ever Liveth" Full Album Download". Naijaloaded | Nigeria No. 1 Online Portal. Retrieved 2016-07-04.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - "Olamide - Street OT ( Album TrackList)". tooxclusive.com. Retrieved 2016-07-04.
- Akan, Joey. "Pepenazi: Emerging singer shoots video with Iyanya, Baci, lil Kesh, Samklef, DJ Spinall, more". Retrieved 2016-07-04.
- "10 Nigerian Dance Songs That Instantly Makes You Wanna Turn Up". tooxclusive.com. 25 May 2016. Retrieved 2016-07-04.
- "Pepenazi - An "Illegal" Dream Come True". tooxclusive.com. 20 April 2016. Retrieved 2016-07-05.
- "Wacky moments from Star Music Trek in Ibadan - Vanguard News". 2015-08-28. Retrieved 2016-07-05.
- ^ "Scream All Youths Awards 2015 Nominees List". 7 October 2015. Retrieved 2016-07-05.
- ^ "FULL List Of Winners From 2016 MAYA Awards | Nigerian Entertainment Today - Nigeria's Number 1 Entertainment Daily". 2016-02-04. Retrieved 2016-07-05.
- LHX, TRANSSION. "Pepenazi Songs MP3 Download, New Songs & Albums | Boomplay". Boomplay Music - WebPlayer. Retrieved 2024-10-23.
- Odumade, Omotolani. "Pepenazi: 5 photos of singer in South Africa". Retrieved 2017-07-11.
- "Pepenazi launches His Website as He releases New Video "Ase" featuring Tiwa Savage & Masterkraft | Watch - BellaNaija". www.bellanaija.com. 5 June 2017. Retrieved 2017-07-11.
- Oyibu, Elijah (6 January 2015). "Pulse TV News: Wach all the exciting moments from COPA Lagos". Retrieved 2016-07-05.
- "Star Music Trek 2015 Comes To An End In Lagos - HF Magazine". 2015-08-30. Archived from the original on 2016-05-11. Retrieved 2016-07-05.
- "Olamide, Burna Boy, Phyno, Others Thrill Fans At Olamide Live In Concert 2 - HF Magazine". 2015-12-28. Archived from the original on 2016-03-05. Retrieved 2016-07-05.
- "Oritsefemi, YQ, Big Sheff, CDQ, others thrill Ikorodu fans at One Lagos fiesta | Nigerian News Headlines Today | Breaking Newspapers News". 2015-12-29. Retrieved 2016-07-05.
- "Pepenazi Ft. Shizzo - Necessary". Nagornet.com. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
- "Headies Awards 2015: Full List Of Winners". Channels Television. 2016-01-02. Retrieved 2016-07-04.