Our star profile for this week is Keshinro Ololade . aka. Lil Kesh
Keshinro Ololade (born March 14, 1995), popularly known by his stage name Lil Kesh, is a Nigerian singer, rapper and songwriter. He rose to fame after his chart-topping song titled “Shoki” rose to critical acclaim from music critics.
Lil Kesh was born and raised in Bariga, a suburb of Lagos State. His music career started in 2012 while rapping among his peers in Bariga until he released “Lyrically”, a single that quickly became popular in Nigerian Universities. In 2015, he was nominated in the Best New Act to Watch category at the 2015 Nigeria Entertainment Awards. He is currently signed to YBNL Nation, a record label founded by Olamide.
Early life and education
Lil Kesh was born to Yoruba parents in Bariga, Lagos State and went on to complete his primary and secondary school education there. Lil Kesh took interest in dancing before he delved into music after watching some of his peers rap
Career
2012–2014
Lil Kesh’s professional music career started in 2012 but he became popular in 2014 after he recorded his first single titled “Lyrically” which was positively accepted majorly by students in Nigerian universities. Through YBNL Nation, Lil Kesh released “Shoki”, a song which got him nominated in the Best Street-Hop Artiste category at The Headies 2014 while “Shoki Remix” which featured guest appearances from Olamide and Davido got nominated in the Hottest Single of the Year at the 2015 Nigeria Entertainment Awards. On 2 April 2014, he signed his first music contract with YBNL Nation.
2015–present
On 23 February 2015, Lil Kesh released a song titled “Gbese” which was produced by Young John with the music video featuring cameo appearances from Skuki. On 11 June 2015, he was nominated in the Best New Act to Watch category at the 2015 Nigeria Entertainment Awards and went on to be nominated at the 2015 Headies Award for Next Rated.
Style of music
Lil Kesh’s versatility and style of music has been similarized to that of Olamide who raps and sings in his local dialect. However, he has been criticised for using too much vulgar sentences and not finding the right balance in the lyrics of his songs. In an interview with Naij he said, “they are singles not an album, I know the kind of market I’m directing my songs to, I’m from the streets, I know what the people from the street want to listen to…they should wait for my album that is expected to drop towards the end of the year. I have very positive songs”.
Discography
Selected singles
“Lyrically” (2014)
“Shoki” (2014)
“Shoki (Remix)”(featuring Olamide & Davido) (2014)
“Shoki Remix (Female Version)”(featuring Cynthia Morgan, Chidinma & Eva Alordiah) (2015)
“Gbese” (2015)
“Efejoku” (2015)
“Is It Because I Love You?” (featuring Patoranking)
Awards and nominations
Year Award ceremony Award description Result
2015 2015 Nigeria Entertainment Awards Best New Act to Watch – Nominated
2015 The Headies 2015 Next Rated Pending
Personal life
Lil Kesh is currently based in Bariga, Lagos State. He is also a student of Linguistics at the University of Lagos.
