Ali Baba, Opa Williams commend MTN’s Comedy Plus (Comedy+)

Penultimate Friday, at the Rumours Nightclub, Victoria Island, telecoms giant MTN Nigeria  launched an innovative digital comedy platform tagged Comedy+. According to the company, Comedy+, which is the first digital platform to aggregate indigenous comedy content, will serve as a source of income for comedians as well as ensure on-demand access to comedy content for subscribers.

L-R: General Manager, Brands and Communications, MTN Nigeria, Richard Iweanoge; veteran comedian, Ali Baba; ace producer, Opa Williams and Sales and Distribution Executive, MTN Nigeria, Adekunle Adebiyi share a joke
Speaking during the launch of the unique platform, the General Manager, Brands and Communications, MTN Nigeria, Richard Iweanoge said that the introduction of the app aligns with MTN’s mandate of providing life-enriching products and services for subscribers.

He said: “The launch of this unique platform is borne out of the need to fill the yawning gap in the comedy sector. Comedy in Nigeria is fast assuming a critical position given its exponential growth and there is a need for us to harness the potentials of the sector and ensure that there is mutual benefit for all the key stakeholders.

While reeling out the benefits of the unique app, Iweanoge stressed that comedy+ subscribers will have access to tons of comedy contents by simply downloading the app on their mobile phones from the respective app stores or by simply sending COMEDY to 2100. He added that a 1 month free access period is available upon first time download and log-in while subsequent access is subscription based.

Also speaking on the initiative, veteran comedian, Ali Baba, described it as a very welcome development that is coming a time when the comedy industry is in dire need of re-organization.

According to him, “We are very happy to welcome this platform. MTN has done well by introducing this platform at a time when Nigerian comedians are feeling short changed. The value proposition is exciting and Nigerian comedians will benefit immensely from it. It will provide an avenue for upcoming talents to also showcase themselves but the ultimate beneficiaries are the Nigerian fans who always want to hear their comedians perform.

Also commenting on the app, ace producer and pioneer of the successful comedy show, Night of a Thousand Laughs, Opa Williams said: “It’s really heartwarming to see this happen. MTN has done an amazing thing for comedy. It is evidence that comedy is growing and getting the right recognition.”

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Latest release by Akinno (SHOPE)

Akinno gives his thanks to God Almighty in his new single titled (SHOPE) for his support in his life and work

Kindly download HERE

Below is the details of the song

Artist - AKINNO
Song title - SHOPE
Producer - MR. ROBIN
Studio - ROBIN BEAT
Date - 01/03/2017

Download HERE

Thanks

More by Akinno

Download FIRE DAB

Download Akinno ft ID Paro (SHAYE)

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WizKid signs multi-album deal with RCA Records/Sony Music International

Nigerian music star, Wizkid, has signed a multi-album worldwide deal with RCA Records/Sony Music International.
This is according to American entertainment site, billboard.com.
WizKid told Billboard in a statement, “What’s important to me is for music to be real, authentic, raw and timeless. I don’t wanna be boxed in to any one genre. It’s hard for me to describe what I do, since I work with rhythms from Afro-Beat, reggae, hip-hop, dance hall and others.”
RCA Records chairman and CEO, Peter Edge, added: “We are thrilled to welcome WizKid to the RCA Records family. He has become a superstar in the African music scene and will be a game-changer in bringing African music to the world. .
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We are extremely excited to have him as a part of RCA and are eager for the journey ahead.”
Sony Music International president of Northern & Eastern Europe and Africa Adam Granite in a statement said; “We couldn’t be more excited to welcome WizKid to the Sony Music family. This is an incredibly important signing as we look to make Africa a major source of repertoire for the world. Wiz is a key ambassador for this movement and we look forward to helping him conquer the globe.”
Clearly Nigeria’s biggest male Afro-Pop artiste, the musician who began his music career at age 11, is no doubt having a beautiful career.
Aside from winning the “Artiste of the Year” and Best Collaboration Act of Africa at the 2016 MTV MAMAs, he also emerged the “Best African Act” award at the 2016 MOBO awards in London. He was also crowned the ‘Artiste of the Year’ award at the third edition of AFRIMA.
The icing on the cake was his Grammy nomination courtesy of Drake‘s 2016 album, Views, which was nominated for Best Album.

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Banky W reveals woman he will marry

Popular RnB singer, Bankole Wellington also known as Banky W, has revealed the qualities his wife to be must possess.

Featuring on Channels Television, the entertainer said he would rather have a wife who is skilled in the “other room” than the one who knows how to cook.

The popular singer who recently escaped a fire incident at his Lekki residence revealed that his wife must be ambitions, have the fear of God among others.

According to Banky W, “She must have some ambition. Whatever it is that you choose to do, be ambitious in that. Have something that you are going after.

“I don’t want a stay at home woman. A woman that has something going on. Whatever it is, you don’t need to be a billionaire, you don’t need to be making a lot of money, just have something you are working on.

“A love for family and a love for God are very important to me because I am a very family oriented guy. I’m very into my family time and I want a woman who’s about that as well.

“Friendly… because I have friends from all walks of life. I don’t only relate with one sort of person. So I don’t want somebody who is only comfortable in ratchet places or boujee (high class) places. You have to be able to cross the divide.

“I like to cook, so my wife doesn’t really need to know how to cook. I’m cool with that. It is more important to me that you are skilled in the other room than in the kitchen.

“Personal development. Education might not be necessary but personal development is. You never stop learning even if it is not in a classroom. So have that drive to develop yourself.”

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Samsung Galaxy S8 price, specs, release date & features: first Galaxy S8 pics leaked

Samsung's smartphone launches are always highly anticipated events, but this year's Galaxy S8 launch is set to be even more interesting. The company has a lot to prove with its newest product, as it's the first device to be launched since the exploding Galaxy Note 7 grabbed headlines last year.

Still, we're expecting big things from the Korean giant. Its last few phones have been best-in-class devices - in fact, until it started exploding, the Note 7 was one of the best phones ever made. The company looks set to continue this trend and recent leaks look very promising indeed.

The leaked image confirms several longstanding suspicions about the forthcoming flagship, including the loss of a home button to make way for a virtually edgeless display.

Also present is Samsung's signature curved screen, which rumours indicate will be the only option for the new device as the traditional 'flat' model is abandoned.

Eagle-eyed observers will also spot an iris scanner on the top edge of the handset - this biometric authentication feature was first introduced in the short-lived Note 7, but it's no surprise that it's been integrated into the company's main product line.

The date on the phone's clock is 29 March - which just so happens to be the Galaxy S8's launch date. It also bears a lightning bolt-shaped wallpaper, which looks to be the official banding of the S8 family.

These leaks are not confirmed, and this image could simply be a very well-made hoax. However, Blass has a reputation for being highly accurate with his leaks, so we would be very surprised if this doesn't turn out to be the finished article.

Release date
Although Samsug has announced previous devices at the same time as Mobile World Congress in February, it's switched things up this year and will instead be launching the device on 29 March, as announced in this teaser video, at 4.00pm BST.

As for when the device will actually hit shelves, it's likely to show up around 21 April. That's based on previous launches like the Galaxy S7 and Note 7, which took about two to three weeks to go from announcement to retail release.

Price
Samsung generally prices its flagship Galaxy phones at around £550 inc VAT, with the fancier 'Edge' variants costing a little bit more. Ordinarily, we'd use this as a basis for predicting the Galaxy S8's launch price, but rumours that Samsung may be ditching the vanilla, non-Edge versions of its devices altogether complicates this slightly.

If Samsung chooses to make the Galaxy S8 Edge the default option for its new device, we could see the entry-level price rise to between £600 and £650. If the company continues its current trend of releasing both curved and non-curved models, however, expect pricing to be broadly in line with previous years.

Specs & hardware
Unsurprisingly, Samsung looks set to continue using its own Exynos CPUs in its smartphones, and reports indicate that the Galaxy S8's processor will be the Exynos 8895 - octa-core chips built with the company's 10nm FinFET architecture.

Elsewhere, it's likely to have a minimum of 6GB of RAM, a figure that's rapidly becoming the standard for this year's crop of flagship devices. There's also been talk of the Galaxy S8 having an 8GB memory chip; we'd dismiss this, were it not for the fact that the company manufactures 8GB mobile DRAM modules itself. Still, we're putting our money on 6GB for now.

Screen size
Rumours suggest that Samsung will return to a release strategy previously seen with the Galaxy S6, releasing both a Galaxy S8 and a larger Galaxy S8 Plus. The two models are rumoured to have 5.7in and 6.2in screens respectively, but Samsung has supposedly managed to achieve this without making the device footprint any larger than the S7's.

It's apparently done this by abandoning the physical home button, opting instead to slash the S8's screen bezels down to the bone and use software buttons instead. Judging by the extensive leaks that have come courtesy of various case manufacturers, the S8 will be seriously eye-catching, with a front panel that's virtually all screen.

4K display
As with every new phone, there have also been suggestions that the Galaxy S8 will see Samsung make the jump to a 4K display. However, there's no practical reason to move beyond the current QHD standard.

Not only is a 4K panel excessively power-hungry, there's very little practical difference in terms of visual fidelity on a screen that size. Considering that Samsung already opted not to make that jump when developing the Note 7, we'd be surprised to see the company do it now.

Battery & safety issues
Speaking of which, all eyes will be on the Galaxy S8's battery, following the unfortunate debacle which saw Samsung's last device explode in people's hands. Power management and safety are certain to be highlighted by Samsung, which will surely be eager to shake the stigma of having had to do a full product recall of all Note 7 units.

This could well result in the Galaxy S8 having a smaller and less powerful battery than previous Samsung devices in the name of safety. While that may disappoint consumers, the company could compensate with more power-efficient internal components, so how much battery life suffers - if at all - remains to be seen.

Fingerprint sensor & Iris scanner
If Samsung really has ditched the physical home button, the fingerprint sensor will have to be moved, as it currently lives in the home button as well. It will likely be moved to the rear of the device - the spot it occupies on most other phones.

In addition to the now-standard fingerprint scanner, Samsung will could also incorporate iris-scanning biometric authentication technology into its new device. It was first introduced in the ill-fated Note 7, where it worked well, so we'd be surprised if it wasn't brought over into the company's main flagship range.

USB Type-C
Another feature that looks set to return from the Note 7 is the use of a USB Type-C charging port, rather than MicroUSB. The improved connector standard is rapidly becoming the norm among the industry's big hitters, and it brings proven advantages over its predecessor.

There are rumblings that Samsung might use the inclusion of a USB C port as an opportunity to do away with the headphone jack, too. Other manufacturers – most recently Apple – have used this tactic in the past, and it could allow Samsung to shave a few precious millimeters off the phone's profile.

Bixby
Samsung is jumping on the AI bandwagon this year, and will be including its own Alexa-style digital assistant - named Bixby - into the Galaxy S8. How sophisticated Bixby is remains to be seen - machine learning is the cornerstone of a good AI helper, and we doubt Samsung has enough cloud power or raw data to get Bixby up to the standard of Alexa or the Google Assistant.

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Reminisce, Olamide, others thrill fans on the night for the streets

IT was a night of music and dance, weekend, when hip-hop act and Samsung brand ambassador, Remilekun Abdulkalid Safaru, popularly known as Reminisce thrilled fans at an event tagged, ‘Reminisce Street Concert.’

The concert which held at the Ikeja City Mall was in appreciation of his teeming fans that have stood by him since he hit the limelight in 2008, when he featured in 9ice’s “Bachelor’s Life.”

olamide
The rapper and his industry friends took turns on the night to give back to the streets. Expectedly, the ‘streets’ turned up in their tens of thousands and were not disappointed as they watched their favourite artistes perform on stage.

A couple of budding artistes set the tone for the night. But it was Reminisce and Olamide that stole the show. Though Reminisce’s first outing was uninspiring owing to the poor production output, yet he held the audience spell bound throughout the night with his energetic performance. The ‘Alaga Ibile’ later launched on stage a new model of the Samsung smartphone alongside some of the brand executives, including the company’s Director and Business Leader, Information Mobile and Technology, Mr. Emmanouil Revmatas.

Speaking on the new product offering,Reminisce said that the Galaxy Prime+ comes with really cool and exciting features that perfectly combine practicality and style. Other artistes who performed on the night were talented female singer, Eva Alordiah who put up a good performance of her songs, ‘Deaf’ and ‘Kanayo’, before going into a sober inspiring tone, advising the audience never to give up their dreams when challenges come their way.

New school Fuji Trap and hip-hop act, Terry Apala also came through and had a fairly good reception of his ‘Champagne showers’ performance. Reminisce came through with his second appearance on the night, shortly after Seriki dazzled the crowd with his street crafted lines. The ‘Asalamalekun’ rapper was joined on stage by Seriki and then YBNL baddo Olamide.

Baddo took over the floor, performing his hit songs back to back, to the admiration of the audience who would not stop cheering and singing along with him. Ckay, Mz Kiss, BaseOne, Wale Turner, Falz, ReakadoBanks, Mayorkun, Ycee, HarrySong, Dremo, Niniola, Orezi among others gave a very good account of themselves on stage.

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