By Rita Okoye, Lagos
2020 has been a year of losses, especially for those in the entertainment industry. However, for Habeeb Ademola Uthman popularly known as Obama DMW, there are high hopes for the forthcoming year, 2021.
He says ‘there are a couple of projects in line for Ayanfe, an artiste under my record label that will be surfacing one after the other. No rush! 2021 is a promising year for all creatives. We have beaten the worst in 2020, 2021 can only be better. Aside from that, I am looking forward to different levels of fulfilment for myself and brand come next 5 years. It is a long shot and I am ascending each phase per time. Slowly but surely.’
Obama DMW, an alumnus of Lagos State University where he studied Mechanical Engineering before relocating to Canada to grab another degree in Artist Management revealed what inspired him to go into Showbiz.
He states: ‘I fell in love with entertainment in my pursuit for greener pastures in Canada, I realized how valuable our indigenous Afrobeats sound is, that was where I got the inspiration to co-found “Holla At Your Boy” records with my partner (who is late now). Then I later founded, Obama Music Worldwide; an affiliate brand to Davido Music Worldwide. Our mission is to uplift upcoming artists, showcase talents and spread African music all over the diaspora. Ayanfe is the first talent signed officially to OMW.’
On those he considers role models in the industry, Obama DMW says he has much respect for late Fela Kuti, Sunny Ade, Shina Peters, Ebenezer Obey and Lagbaja.
‘I hold them dear to my heart because they all put in hard work to bring Afrobeat to where it is today,’ he added.
