Lil Kesh (Real Name: Keshinro Ololade; born 17 March 1995) is a 29-year-old singer and rapper from Nigeria. He is best known for his hit single “Shoki”.
Nigerian music sensation, Lil Kesh, is among the fastest-rising superstars in the Nigerian music and entertainment industry. The award-winning songwriter and Afropop rapper is one of the youngest stars who came to the limelight after releasing his hit single Shoki. The popular track paved the way for him to achieve a huge milestone in his career at such a very young age. Lil Kesh has now grown to become a household name, and with his current pace, he has shown no signs of slowing down, with series of awards and nominations all to his name.
Profile Summary of Lil Kesh
- Full Name: Keshinro Ololade
- Stage Name: Lil Kesh
- Date of Birth: March 14, 1995
- Age: 29 years old
- Place of Birth: Lagos State
- State of Origin: Osun
- Education: University of Ibadan
- Occupation: Singer, Songwriter
- Genre: Afrobeats Hip hop, Afropop Hip hop, Afrobeats, R&B, Reggae
- Record Lable: YBNL (Former), YAGI
- Awards: Nigerian Teen Choice Awards Celebrity Award – Song Of The Year, City People Entertainment Awards Popular Song of the Year (Shoki)
Lil Kesh Hails From Osun State, Nigeria
Keshinro Ololade, fondly called Lil Kesh, was born on March 14, 1995. The singer hails from Osun State, though he was born and brought up in Lagos, particularly at Bariga, a suburb community in the State. Coming from such a humble Yoruba family, and growing up in the streets of Lagos, Lil Kesh, along with his siblings, had quite a rough childhood as surviving in the street was very hard. Despite that, he never ceases to appreciate and represent the streets in which the foundations of his musical career were formed.
This can be seen in most of his music, as he often tries to paint a vivid picture of how hard it was, rising from grass to grace on the streets. His early days were spent in Bariga, which saw him attending a primary and secondary school at Stockbridge College Bariga. Upon completing his secondary education, Lil Kesh advanced further to the University of Ibadan, where he majored in Linguistics.
He Has Very Supportive Parents
Like most celebrities, Lil Kesh has often maintained zipped lips regarding his personal life, as there has been very little information about his family. However, during one of his interviews, the singer revealed his dad is a pastor and owns a church. Lil Kesh has said this on several platforms, adding that his father’s religious stands did not affect his career.
According to the singer, his father has been supportive of his musical career. Apart from that, nothing much is known about his dad. Similarly, the singer has never disclosed anything about his mother. However, in June 2017, a video went viral online, showing the moment he bought a car for his mother.
From the photos, the looks of his mom’s face show that she is also proud and very supportive of her son. Apart from that, nothing much is known about his mother, including what she does for a living and what she is up to at the moment.
The ‘Shoki’ Crooner Isn’t The Only Child of His Parents
The singer once posted a picture of him with his siblings, who happened to be all girls. The image gave rise to speculations that Lil Kesh may be the only son of his parents. But little is known about his sisters. There was a post by the artist wishing a happy birthday to his big sister, Queen. At the moment, none of Lil Kesh’s siblings could be said to be as popular and wealthy as he is.
How The Name ‘Lil Kesh’ Came About
The singer decided to drop out of the university to concentrate fully on his musical career. Although this was a tough decision, he has harnessed the little knowledge he had garnered in the University to improve his career. Interestingly, his interest in music came into manifestation way back, before he gained admission into the university. It was a Yoruba scholar from Nigeria that defined the name Keshinro, which means “Gathered wealth,” though the Shoki master then added a little spice to the name, forming it to be Lil Kesh which became his official stage name.
The Talented Artist Started His Musical Journey At The Age Of 17
Lil Kesh’s musical career kicked off back in 2012. Initially, his niche was rap before he craftily incorporated Afrobeat hip hop and other genres. During that period, he released the single Lyrically, a song that went viral on most Nigerian campuses. The track Lyrically became his lucky charm, which made him gain the attention of the YBNL Nation record label boss Olamide, the iconic and most revered Nigerian Yoruba rapper.
Having discovered his unique talents and great potentials, the YBNL Nation’s Director signed Lil Kesh into the record label. While at the YBNL, he released one of his hit tracks, Shoki, which became an instant success. Later, Lil Kesh released a remix of “Shoki” featuring YBNL boss Olamide, and DMW boss, Davido.
The song became a club banger at topped many music charts across the country, as it also came along with a dance step, which became the most dominant dance routine among most Nigerian youths, which became a street anthem for a very long time. The hit song paved a great way for Lil Kesh and placed him in the media spotlight while his popularity soared in the music industry.
At 21, He Released His First Studio Album
The success of Shoki subsequently inspired him to release his first studio album, which he tagged YAGI (an acronym for Young And Getting It) in 2016. Meanwhile, before the release of this album, Lil Kesh had dropped several other hit singles back to back. Notwithstanding, Lil Kesh later left the YBNL records to establish his record label, with the same title as YAGI (Young And Getting It). Lil Kesh always displays a positive entertainment vibe wherever he goes, and he often stands tall among his peers. Many of his close associates have always testified, knowing him to be highly talented in rap and freestyle.
Discography
Lil Kesh’s first Studio album, titled Y.A.G.I was released on March 17, 2016, but under his former Lable YBNL Nation, some of his popular singles are as follows:
“Lyrically”
Non-album singles
- Shoki (Remix) (featuring Olamide & Davido) 2015
- Shoki (Female Version) (featuring Cynthia Morgan, Chidinma, Eva Alordiah)
- Gbese
- Efejoku
- Is It Because I Love You? (featuring Patoranking) 2016
- Ibile
- Bend Down Select
- Again O 2018
- Flenjor(featuring Duncan Mighty) 2019
- Undertaker 2020
- All The Way
Singles From His Album Y.A.G.I
- Cause Trouble ft. Ycee
- Cause Trouble Pt2 ft. Wale
- Problem Child ft. Olamide
- Life of a star ft. Adekunle Gold
- Igba Iponju
- Ibile
- Yaya Yoyo ft. Davido
- For You
- Jabo
- Ishe
- Semilore
- FSU
- Itunmo
- Abija Wara Ft Phyno & Chinko Ekun
Lil Kesh Has Recorded a Few Awards in His Name
The Shoki master has had his fair share of awards and recognition, despite his young age. His hard work and creativity have made him so popular and widely recognized within the Nigerian music and entertainment landscape and beyond.
Some of his awards and nominations include the following:
- He won the Nigerian Teen Choice Awards for ‘Song of the Year’ in 2015.
- He won the City People’s Entertainment Award for ‘Popular Song of the Year.’
- He was nominated as ‘Best New Act to Watch’ at the 2015 edition of Nigeria Entertainment Awards.
- He was nominated for the ‘Next Rated’ award at the 2015 edition of The Headies.
Lil Kesh has also signed interesting endorsements with some popular brands, though not so many like his counterparts. The artist in 2015 signed a million naira endorsement deal with popular sports betting company Surebet.