Entertainment

Balloranking Renews Multi-Year Deal With Dapper Music & Entertainment

Published

2 weeks ago

May 28, 2026

Dapper Music & Entertainment has announced that Nigerian artist Balloranking has officially re-signed with the company, renewing a partnership that has developed steadily over the last four years and reaffirming both parties’ commitment to long-term growth, consistency, and artist development.

The renewed agreement was formalised during a signing ceremony held at the Dapper Group headquarters in Lagos, marking a continuation of a relationship that has evolved alongside Balloranking’s rise within Nigeria’s contemporary street-pop and Afrobeats landscape.

The new deal reflects updated terms shaped by the progress achieved throughout the partnership and signals the beginning of a new phase for the artist, with a forthcoming project already in development and further details expected in the coming weeks.

Since first partnering with Dapper Music & Entertainment in 2022, Balloranking has emerged as one of the most consistent voices within Nigeria’s evolving street-pop movement.

Across multiple releases, collaborations, and live appearances, the partnership has been defined by steady development rather than short-term visibility, allowing the artist to grow organically while maintaining the emotional honesty and street-rooted perspective that shaped his early appeal.

Through Dapper Music & Entertainment’s infrastructure spanning label services, strategic rollout planning, branding, distribution, media positioning, and live performance support, Balloranking has expanded from an emerging act with grassroots momentum into a recognised artist with national reach and growing international visibility. Distribution for releases under the partnership has continued through Dvpper Digital, supporting consistent audience growth across streaming platforms and digital markets.

Over the course of the partnership, Balloranking has delivered projects and records that strengthened his identity as an artist capable of balancing melodic accessibility with introspective storytelling.

From Trench Kid Deluxe to Ghetto Gospel and subsequent releases, his catalogue has resonated strongly with audiences drawn to emotionally grounded music shaped by real-life experience, helping establish him as one of the defining voices within a new generation of Nigerian street-pop artists.

The re-signing also reinforces Dapper Music & Entertainment’s broader approach to artist relationships, one centred on continuity, trust, and scalable long-term development rather than transactional momentum. As the Nigerian music industry continues to expand globally, sustained partnerships between artists and management structures have increasingly become an important indicator of stability and shared vision.

Speaking on the renewed agreement, Damilola “Dapper” Akinwunmi, CEO of Dapper Group, described the re-signing as a continuation of a partnership built on mutual trust and shared growth.

“Re-signing Balloranking means more to us than adding a name to the roster; it’s a renewal of trust between an artist and a label that has grown together. Four years in, we’re not starting over; we’re building on everything we’ve already proven. The best of this partnership is still ahead.”

Afrobeats star Balloranking

Balloranking also reflected on the relationship and the decision to continue building within the Dapper ecosystem.

“Dapper Music has been home from day one. We’ve grown together, won together, and there was never any question about staying. This isn’t just a new deal. It’s a promise to keep going harder. The streets haven’t seen the best of me yet.”

The announcement arrives at a time when Dapper Group continues to strengthen its position within Nigeria’s music business infrastructure. Through its combined operations across artist development, distribution, live entertainment, branding, and media execution, the company currently accounts for an estimated eight per cent of Nigeria’s streaming market and generates more than one billion streams annually across its ecosystem.

For Balloranking, the renewed deal represents both continuity and evolution. Rather than revisiting past milestones, the partnership now shifts focus toward what comes next, with a new body of work expected to mark the next stage in his artistic growth. As anticipation builds around the forthcoming project, the re-signing stands as a clear indication that both artist and label remain aligned in vision, ambition, and long-term direction.

Entertainment

Why Nollywood Star Adunni Ade kept Her Daughter Hidden For Two Years

Published

1 day ago

June 8, 2026

Uthman Abdulganiyu

Popular Nollywood actress Adunni Ade has revealed that she welcomed a daughter with her longtime partner, sharing the news publicly for the first time on her birthday.

A Birthday Surprise: Popular Nollywood actress Adunni Ade marked her birthday by revealing, for the first time, that she had welcomed a daughter, affectionately named Baby Sal, with her long-term partner.

A Guarded Sanctuary: The couple intentionally kept their daughter out of the public eye for over two years, with Adunni citing a desire to protect her family’s peace, celebrate an answered prayer, and navigate private struggles away from the glare of social media.

Dispelling the Rumours: Adunni used the announcement to firmly shut down online speculation and single-mother stereotypes, clarifying that her decade-long relationship did not involve breaking up anyone else’s home for the sake of digital “clicks.”

In a heartfelt post shared on social media, the actress disclosed that she and her partner had kept the child away from the public eye for over two years, choosing to deliberately protect their family’s privacy. \According to Adunni, the journey was marked by personal challenges and silent battles that tested her strength, but she remained entirely focused on enjoying the blessing away from public scrutiny.

She wrote: “We chose privacy. Not because we owed anyone secrecy but because peace is priceless, and not everything good needs an audience. We wanted to enjoy our blessing.”

The actress also directly addressed ongoing speculation regarding her personal life, stressing that her relationship did not involve breaking up any home.

“Not every single mother fits your assumptions. Not every story is a scandal. Not every blessing comes with drama attached. God gave me mine. Fully. Peacefully. Intentionally. Not ‘another woman’s man’ all in the name of clicks,” she stated.

Adunni described the birth of their daughter as an answered prayer, revealing that the couple’s quiet journey together has spanned almost a decade.

“Almighty blessed us with our first child together. Our baby girl, our answered prayer, my evidence that God still writes beautiful stories in His own time,” she added.

Expressing deep gratitude to her supporters, the actress thanked those who had offered genuine love and prayers over the years, whilst praying for others to receive their own distinct blessings.

Prior to the announcement, Adunni was publicly known only as the mother of two sons, D’marion and Ayden, whom she frequently features across her social media pages. She has often spoken openly about raising them as a single mother and maintaining an incredibly close relationship with them.

Born in Queens, New York, to a Nigerian father and a German-Irish mother, Adunni relocated to Nigeria in 2011 and subsequently built a highly successful acting career in Nollywood. She has starred in several prominent English and Yoruba-language films, including It’s Her Day, Soólè, and Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti.

This latest revelation means Adunni is now publicly recognised as a mother of three, with Baby Sal serving as the newest addition to a family she has largely kept out of the celebrity spotlight.

Entertainment

Qing Madi’s Label War Deepens As Both Sides Claim Victory In Court Dispute

Published

3 days ago

June 6, 2026

Uthman Abdulganiyu

Qing Madi’s former label JTON and current representatives KFMD have issued conflicting statements over a Lagos court ruling as the singer’s Spotify dispute continues.

JTON says a Lagos court granted an injunction restricting Qing Madi’s use of music tied to disputed contracts.

KFMD argues the court affirmed the singer’s right to choose her own management and release new music.

Both sides are publicly disputing the meaning of the ruling while the main case awaits trial.

What started as a TikTok live has become a full legal and public relations battle, with two formal statements now on record and both sides telling very different stories about the same court ruling.

To recap: Qing Madi, the 19-year-old singer behind the recently released EP Barely Legal, went live on TikTok this week to address the disappearance of her music from Spotify, pointing directly at Joy Tongo and JTON Music, the label she had been signed to, as the party responsible.

She alleged that Tongo had stolen from her, forged her signature, and systematically targeted her releases. She also claimed she had won a court case against the label, noting that because she was a minor at the time proceedings began, her mother had to appear in court alongside her.

JTON responded with a formal press release, framing the dispute strictly as a commercial and contractual matter.

The label denied any harassment or intimidation, pushed back on the characterisation of the court outcome, and pointed to an interlocutory injunction it said the High Court of Lagos State had granted in its favour, restraining Qing Madi from releasing, performing, or commercially exploiting music produced under JTON, and from entering new deals using the brand and platform it developed, pending the full determination of the suit.

JTON also disclosed recording and distribution agreements with Sony Music and Bu Vision, which it said remain binding.

KFMD Label, which now represents Qing Madi, issued its own counter-statement on June 5, and it reads as a direct, point-by-point dismantling of JTON’s position. On the question of who initiated the case, KFMD was unambiguous: JTON filed the suit, not the artist.

Entertainment

Ooni Of Ife Holds Colourful Naming Ceremony For Twin Sons

Published

1 week ago

May 31, 2026

Uthman Abdulganiyu

The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi Ojaja II, and his wife, Olori Mariam, held a naming ceremony for their newborn twins at the Ile-Ife Palace in Osun State.

The Ooni of Ife and Olori Mariam held a naming ceremony for their newborn twin boys at the Ile-Ife Palace in Osun State.

Traditional naming rites were performed, and the twins were given the names Prince Adelowo Adelanaire Adejare Adedunmininu Ademola Taiwo and Prince Adeleye Adelanaola Adejuwon Adedoyim Adebola Kehinde.

The Ooni thanked the public for their prayers and confirmed that both Olori Mariam and the twins are in good health.

Members of the royal household, traditional chiefs, family, and some of the monarch’s wives, including Olori Aderonke, Olori Temitope, and Olori Ashley, attended the event.

Traditional rites for naming newborns were observed during the ceremony. Bananas, beans, kola nuts, bitter kola, sugarcane, gin, water, cash, and dried fish were offered in prayer and for the children’s blessings.

An elder announced the names of the twins during the ceremony, starting with the first child, Taiwo, and then Kehinde.

The first prince received the names Adelowo, Adelanaire, Adejare, Adedunmininu, Ademola, and Taiwo Omo Ooni Adeyeye Ojaja II.

The second prince was given the names Adeleye, Adelanaola, Adejuwon, Adedoyim, Adebola, and Kehinde Omo Ooni Adeyeye Ojaja II.

Traditional music groups performed at the ceremony, and guests congratulated the monarch and his family. The celebration continued with a reception inside the palace, where guests were served food and drinks.

The Ooni recently announced the birth of the twin boys and said that both Olori Mariam and the children are in good health.

The birth comes four years after the Ooni’s marriage to Queen Mariam in 2022.

The Queen, an indigene of Kogi State with a professional background in the oil and gas industry, was integrated into the palace after her separation from her previous wife, Naomi Silekunola.

Her entry into the royal court was marked by traditional rites reflecting the deep-seated customs of the House of Oduduwa.

Recall that the Palace’s Director of Media and Public Affairs, Otunba Moses Olafare, in an official statement released by the Ooni, extended his profound gratitude to Olodumare (God) for the safe delivery of the princes.

He confirmed that both the newborns and the Queen are in excellent health, describing the double addition to the family as a “special blessing.”

The Ooni further expressed his appreciation to the public for their sustained prayers and goodwill. He prayed that the young princes would grow in strength and wisdom, eventually serving as distinguished custodians of the Yoruba people’s ancient cultural heritage.

“I appreciated everyone who has continued to support the palace with prayers, love, and goodwill. This moment calls for thanksgiving and celebration”, he said.