Ilerioluwa Oladimeji Aloba (8 June 1996 – 12 September 2023), known professionally as MohBad, was a Nigerian rapper, singer, and songwriter from Lagos. He was formerly signed to Naira Marley's Marlian Records and left the label in 2022. He was best known for his hit singles "Ponmo, Feel Good", and "KPK (Ko Por Ke)" (You Will Always Be Remembered) with Rexxie which was nominated three times for The Headies awards 2022.
Early life
Ilerioluwa Oladimeji Aloba was born in Ketu, Lagos state, Nigeria.
Music career
MohBad released his debut album, Light, in the fourth quarter of 2020 as a follow-up to his viral song "Ponmo," which featured Naira Marley and Lil Kesh.MohBad was nominated five times for The Beatz Awards 2021. MohBad was listed in Audiomack's top 21 Afrobeat artists of 2021.[6] In 2022, he released Peace, produced by Rexxie.[7] He peaked on TurnTable charts top 50 in 2021 and top 100 in 2022.[8] Peace record also
peaked number on apple music chart Nigeria.
Blessed (EP)[edit]
Mohbad's EP Blessed, his first after leaving Marlian Records World, was released in June 2023 under his own label, Imolenization. The eight songs on the 20-minute EP featured Nigerian artists Zlatan and Bella Shmurda, and producers Nipheys and Timi Jay. The album charted at number one on Apple Music in Nigeria immediately after his death.
Light (EP)[edit]
MohBad issued his first EP, Light, after agreeing to a record deal with Marlian Records World in 2019. The eight songs on the EP feature Davido, Naira Marley, and Lil Kesh.[12]
Naira Marley served as executive producer for the eight-track EP, which also bears the production stamps of SB, Rexxie, P.Beat, and Austin Sinister.
NDLEA arrest[edit]
In February 2022, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) arrested MohBad, Zinoleesky, and four others at their home in Lekki, Lagos for possession of illegal substances that included MDMA and cannabis.[14][15][16]
Some viral videos on social media showed NDLEA operatives breaking into the musicians’ home in the Lekki district of Lagos State in the early hours of Thursday morning.[17] According to witnesses, the officials carried out the arrest without any search warrants and mistreated the Marlian singers. The NDLEA officers were seen hitting the musicians with clubs and shooting into the air, forcing them into waiting trucks.[18]
NDLEA confirmed the raid, stating "our men raided an area in Idado estate where Naira Marley’s boys stay."[19] According to a spokesperson for the NDLEA, cannabis and MDMA was found in their apartment and car.[20] MohBad, Zinoleesky, and four others were later released.
Allegations against Naira Marley and Sam Larry[edit]
After two years, he announced his departure from Marlian Records. On 5 October 2022, MohBad accused his manager, singer Naira Marley, of assault and stated that his former boss ordered people to beat him up after he announced his intention to employ a different manager to handle his music and business affairs.[22][23][24]
After MohBad's death, it was reported that he had filed a police report in June 2023 alleging that Samson Balogun, a music promoter nicknamed "Sam Larry" and a "known associate" of Marley's, had assaulted him and destroyed some of his property. In the report, MohBad said that Larry had interrupted a video shoot, leading a group of 15 men armed with firearms and cutlasses who claimed to work for monarch Oba Elegushi.[25] Police later said MohBad had not attended a subsequent meeting to address the allegations, and that Balogun and others accused of the assault had then filed a defamation complaint.[26] Elegushi released a statement distancing himself from Balogun and expressing condolences on MohBad's death.[
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