This comes after what has been a busy fortnight for the label who have had to engage in a restructuring process, designed to cut loose Lil Kesh and Viktoh after the expiration of their contract with the Olamide-led outfit.
Signed in 2014 to professional contracts, the duo of Lil Kesh and Viktoh have had divergent fortunes, with the former experiencing tremendous commercial growth, while the latter has just begun to get his recognition with his 'Skibi Dat' single. Lil Kesh has been on the rise, from his phenomenal 'Shoki' single, through various hit records, which led to the release of his debut album "Y.A.G.I". The rapper has been in the news of late, with his departure from under the wings of Olamide, and subsequent setup of his record label, named YAGI. Viktoh's fate on the other hand, was muted, with no one coming forward with information on the state of his career. There has been no announcements of any contract extension, neither did anyone make mention of him being cut loose.
But now, here's a new development. Olamide has quickly sought diversity in terms of gender and genre by adding a lady who from a limited first impression comes across as having her feet planted on the other side of radio. This diversification has been long coming. The crew at one point had a rowdy image which had a fierce group of boys –Olamide, Lil Kesh, Chinko Ekun, Viktoh, Xino, and by extension DJ Enimoney, Pheelz, Young Jonn, Zini Couture – all of them being a part of a movement leaning heavily towards indigenous rap music.
Adekunle Gold was the first step to breaking that stereotype. The urban Highlife singer was cut from a different cloth, with his reserved public image, lover-boy persona, and heartfelt songs. His success so far has reverberated across all their branding, adding a bit of 'soft' to it. The new songstress Temi will contribute a new angle to that.
But it all depends on how she is branded. Temi is currently undergoing rebranding, with her songs and a persona created to properly market her to the public, and garner acceptance. Perhaps she might be a soothing angel/everybody's kid sister, or she might be sold to us as a young sexy sprite, or just be infused with all the 'street' money can buy, and project her as one of new bearers of the 'Street ti take over' movement. No matter, the direction, the main point here is that YBNL crew now have a female in the house. Talk about gender diversity. This is the first lady to ever join the YBNL standard, and the onus will be on her to grow organically and fire away. She's young, she's talented, and she's pretty.
Olamide's restructuring of the label will be crucial in the coming months. His investment in his signed acts transcends the financial, into the emotional. That's why his crew refer to him as 'brother', not the highly prevalent and ego-driven 'boss'. His new 'Sister' Temi will benefit from his experience, contacts and network to grow.
