Entertainment
YouTube announces grant to support African creators

YouTube on Tuesday announced its expansion efforts to support creators and the creative economy in Africa with $20,000 and $50,000 respectively through the 2023 #YouTubeBlack Voices creators and artist cohorts.
The Managing Director, Emerging Markets, YouTube EMEA, Alex Okosi, said in a statement that the initiative from YouTube was a follow-up to a global, multi-year commitment made in 2020.
Okosi said the grant was intended to uplift and grow Black creators, artists, songwriters, and producers on the platform.
According to him, YouTube is seriously interested in the growth of the creative community in Africa.
He said that for the creators, artists, songwriters and producers that would be joining this third cohort, it would go beyond the initial training to measure success with them over a long-term period.
Okosi also stated that it would ensure that the creators achieved sustained success.
He said 40 creators from Sub-Saharan Africa would be part of the 135 #YouTubeBlack Voices creators selected globally that enrolled into the cohort.
He said that among the 23 #YouTubeBlack Voices Artists selected for the programme were African fast-rising musical artists, Gyakie from Ghana, Kamo Mphela from South Africa, Asake from Nigeria, and BNXN from Nigeria.
He said, “As support from YouTube, grantees will receive $20,000 and $50,000 as seed funding.”
Okosi added that the creators would receive dedicated partner support for six months and have the opportunity to participate in programmes including bespoke training, workshops and networking programmes spread out across the year.
“We are excited about the creators, musical artists and producers from Africa joining others from across the world in the 2023 #YouTubeBlack Voices Fund.
“The initiative is dedicated to equipping up-and-coming Black creators and artists with the resources to succeed on our platform,” he said
According to him, the cohort will also include Hip Hop producer MashBeatz from South Africa and Nairobi-based producer, Ukweli, who will be joining 17 #YouTubeBlack Voices songwriters and producers globally.
Okosi said the artists, songwriters, and producers joining the #YouTubeBlack Voices Music Class of 2023 would be required to set goals, develop content strategy, and engage with their fans on YouTube, with the assistance of a YouTube partner manager.
According to him, there would be networking opportunities with other artists, songwriters, and producers included in the #YouTubeBlack Voices Fund.
Okosi said that there would also be a chance to maximise the impact of their channels as they provide catalogue-development opportunities.
He said over the next few years, YouTube would be directly investing in more than 500 creators and artists from across the world.
“It is to support, grow, and fund their channels and content development through the #YouTubeBlack Voices Fund.”
Entertainment
Spotify: Davido’s Timeless ranks most streamed album in sub-Saharan Africa

Famous Nigerian Afrobeat singer, Davido’s latest song ‘Timeless’ has been ranked as the most streamed album in sub-Saharan Africa.
The Spotify Wrapped 2023 is the annual data-led review of how people listened to music and podcasts on the platform.
The singer’s album, ‘Timeless’ was recently nominated for Best Global Album at the 2024 Grammy Nominations.
On the list of Spotify’s most streamed albums in sub-Saharan Africa in 2023, Davido’s ‘Timeless’ finished top ahead of Asake’s ‘Work of Art’ and Burna Boy’s ‘I Told Them’.
Entertainment
Skepta dismisses comparison between his neck tattoo, Wizkid’s

British-Nigerian rapper, Skepta has rebuked a social media user who tried to mock Grammy-winning singer, Wizkid’s new neck tattoo by comparing it with his own.
Wizkid recently debuted his new neck tattoo on social media and has been trending on the internet.
An X user with the handle @yemioftheworld shared photos of Skepta and Wizkid flaunting their neck tattoos with a caption that taunts the Starboy singer.
Reacting, Skepta quoted the tweet, berating the poster for comparing their tattoos. He said the post obviously made the post out of boredom.
“So because I get tattoo for neck, nobody else should catch am? You people should gerrout forreal, you are bored and it’s showing,”
he wrote.
Entertainment
ICPC, Police clear D’banj of fraud, rape allegations

Nigerian singer, Dapo Oyebanjo popularly known as D’banj, has been cleared of rape and fraud allegations by the Nigeria Police Force and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), respectively.
The police and the anti-graft agency gave the ‘Fall-In-Love’ crooner a clean slate in separate clearance reports upon completion of investigations with incontrovertible outcomes on the innocence of the Kokomaster singer.
In an affidavit deposed by Toheeb Lawal of Abuja-based law firm, Law Corridor, before the District Court of Abuja, wherein the reports of the Nigeria Police Investigation and Clearance from the anti-corruption agency were exhibited and marked exhibit A and B, the legal practitioner averred that the police and ICPC cleared the singer of rape and fraud allegations.
In 2020, the singer was accused of rape and the Inspector General of Police ordered an investigation into the allegation.
In a report dated November 14, 2023, with case number CR:3000/X/FHQ/ABJ/SEB/T.1/VOL 18/284, and signed by ACP YY Abubakar of the Special Enquiry Bureau at the Force Criminal Investigations Department at the Force Headquarters in Abuja, the police said the matter was investigated but there was no evidence to substantiate the claim.
“The allegation was investigated,” the report partly read. “The complainant, witnesses and suspects made their statements. The investigation was expanded across board but there was no prima-facie evidence, adduced facts or corroborative evidence to establish the offence of rape and sexual assault against the singer.”
Also, sometime in late 2022, D’banj was wrongly accused of diversion of funds associated with the N-Power Programme of the Federal Government.
However, in a separate outcome after its investigation, the ICPC said that D’banj was not guilty of any fraud allegation.
In response to an inquiry, the Commission cleared D’banj of any infraction on the matter.
The clarification was dated November 29, 2023, with document number ICPC/OPS/SDD/SPT.LG/31/23.
“The commission investigated issues of fraud in the administration of the N-POWER Scheme where Mr Daniel Oladapo Oyebanjo’s name came up. However, there was no prima facie case of fraud against hm.
“Kindly be advised that Mr Daniel Oladapo Oyebanjo is not under investigation with the Commission for any fraud-related offence,” the statement partly read.
The lawyer, in his deposition filed before the Chief District Court of the Federal Capital Territory at Wuse Zone 2, Abuja, also averred that the singer was never a government official and never had any access to government funds and that the N-power campaign he supported was free and was never paid a penny by anyone or the government.
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