On April 2, 2020, renowned global magazine, Forbes, published a list of 30 young Africans under the age of 30 pushing the continent to greater heights in their various fields of life. This year marks the sixth year, Forbes Africa is publishing the annual list to celebrate Africa’s finest and brightest talents. In 2019, the list comprised 120 individuals in total with 30 finalists in each categories of arts, business, technology, and sports, but this time, Forbes decided to trim the list to just 30 spanning all industries despite getting over 3,000 nominations. Fortunately, Nigeria proved to be the African nation with the brightest and outstanding youth population with a total of 9 Nigerians making the list. Today, we present you with the list of Nigerians in the top 30.
Read more about Forbes Africa 30 Under 30
DJ Cuppy
Nigerian Disc Jockey, Founder and Director of Red Velvet Music Group, Florence Otedola, 27, popular with the stage name DJ Cuppy has over the years worked really hard to become a household name in the Nigerian entertainment industry. Daughter to Nigerian business mogul, Femi Otedola, her life was set from the day she was born as she went on to pursue a degree in economics and management.
I was convinced my plan was to make lots of money and be the next Femi Otedola!
DJ Cuppy
However, DJ Cuppy’s love for music meant she pursued her dreams instead. With performances at local parties, events, and crowd filled with youthful energy while still a teenager, she horned her skills to what will make her become famous in Nigeria and the world at large. Popular with her trademark pink hair style, DJ Cuppy’s talent saw her perform at the inauguration of President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015, and have moved on since then to perform in different countries from Senegal and Ghana, to the UK. DJ Cuppy’s love for the society saw her establish The Cuppy Foundation in 2015, a non-governmental organization with the major aim of uplifting women, children, and citizens living with disabilities and finding solutions to problems related to education, malnourishment, and poverty. Aside holding a masters’ degree in Music Business from York University, Florence Otedola has equally won a number of awards such as emerging the Best Female DJ at the Beatz Awards in 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019. DJ Cuppy has also been nominated for a Nickelodeon’s Kids’ Choice Award this year.
Mr Eazi
28-year-old Oluwatosin Ajibade popularly known by his stage name, Mr Eazi, was born in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. Listening to old records played by his father while having breakfast formed the inspiration for the Nigerian musician and Founder of emPawa Africa. Promoting concerts and running a concierge service shuttling wealthy kids to parties while attending college in Ghana, saw the African musician work his way gradually to stardom.
I began my career with a small cash gift from friends, which enabled me to pay for my first professional-quality video for Skintight
Mr Eazi
Sign up to the Connect Nigeria daily newsletter
He would go on to produce more African hits in 2017 such as Leg Over and Pour Me Water, with both songs sitting on 7 million views on YouTube. The Nigerian music star who has performed on global stages such as being one of the two African artists to perform at the world’s most prestigious music festival in 2019,- Coachella, has hit over 280 million YouTube views and over 4.1 streams on Spotify per month, making him one of the most sought after African artists globally.
Patoranking
Undoubtedly one of the best dancehall artists in Africa, Patoraking’s beats are a unique blend and combination of dancehall, reggae and Afrobeats, something that has made his art desirable within and outside Africa. A judge on the internationally-acclaimed reality singing competition, The Voice Nigeria, in 2016 and 2017, Pato as he is fondly called by fans saw his hit track MY Woman My Everything emerge MTV Africa’s Song of the Year in 2016. Patrick Nnaemeka Okorie, 28, has gotten nominations for over 40 awards since his rise to stardom, including Male Artist of the Year and Best Dancehall Artist.
Source:
Forbes Africa
Featured Image Sources: Naijaloaded
Got a suggestion? Contact us: editor@connectnigeria.com