Oladips stated that he would respond to all the questions from this development when he felt emotionally and mentally prepared.
Barely a week after reports of the supposed death of Nigerian up-and-coming hip-hop artist Oladips surfaced on social media, fans were shocked to learn that the singer had come forward on social media to declare that he was alive. On November 15, 2023, fans of the upcoming hip-hop artist Oladipupo Oladimeji, known by his stage name Oladips, came across a video on social media showing two friends grieving over his “dead body” and pleading for him to “come back.” His management subsequently issued a brief statement confirming the 28-year-old singer’s passing, but this has now been contradicted by the artist’s own announcement of his survival.
‘Live and direct’
”This is Oladips live and direct, not some filtered content,” he said in the video posted on his Instagram live held on Thursday evening.
He stated that he would respond to all the questions he anticipated would arise from this development when he felt emotionally and mentally prepared.
News of the supposed death triggered an outpouring of grief on social media, shortly after the death of another fast-rising artist, Mohbad, who died under controversial circumstances in September.
Now, news of Oladip’s ”resurrection” has brought immense relief but also angry reactions.
”Is this some kind of sick joke?” asked a fan, Caleb, on X.
”You have a lot of explaining to do,” added another, Oluwaseun, also on X.
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Staging deaths
The Nigerian music industry has seen upcoming artists use the tactic of faking their own deaths as a publicity stunt. In 2015, Nigerian musician Skibii gained attention after reports of his supposed death circulated on social media. Skibii later explained that he had merely passed out due to a medical condition, which led his friends to believe he had died. Fans believe such stunts are employed by emerging artists to make their names trend on social media, thereby boosting their popularity. Oladip’s debut album “Superhero Adugbo” was released a day after news of his death, and has since gained popularity and airplay. The obituary announcement and video of his grieving friends have now been removed from social media.
