“This guy is coming to lockdown the music industry. Kaibo kaibo kaibo.”
These were the exact words of Media Influencer and Celebrity MaziIbe_ via his Twitter account on March 15, 2019. His sentiment was not born out of a selfish reason. It was the exact sentiment Nigerians shared after watching him blow our minds with witty Yoruba punchlines in a freestyle video of him that had gone viral.
We had immediately flooded his social media pages to look for similar videos and we weren’t disappointed. The more videos we saw, the more convinced we were that he was a diamond in the rough and with a proper management team, surplus funding and guidance, he would become a mega superstar. Many had even suggested he’d get signed on to Olamide’s YBNL label, due to the similarities in their music styles. However, in October 2019, he was snatched up by Aloma Music Worldwide (AMW), a sub-record label under the Davido Music Worldwide (DMW) owned by global superstar, Davido.
He had gone on to release some tracks that featured DMW Superstars in the audio and videos which received massive airplay. However, in September 2020, he officially ditched the AMW and got signed officially to the DMW, the Parent label directly. Now that he was directly under the guidance of Davido, who has a gift for making superstars out of artists and sharing his global platforms with them, we knew that whatever level of success and national acclaim he had previously was infinitesimal to the new grounds he was going to conquer.
Nonetheless, in October 2020, barely a month after this major move, he was accused by his girlfriend Okeoghene Iyomaterie (also known as Gift Camille) and her manager Micheal of physically abusing her. We thought it was false until screenshots of messages between him and his girlfriend were released to the general public. He admitted to hitting her in one of these messages.
She said the abuse had begun in January 2020 when their relationship started and he always resorted to violence whenever they argued. He had slapped, punched, kicked and pushed her many times. She ended up with a swollen face, bruised and injured. She even claimed to have partially lost her sight which was visible from the photos we saw of her online.
Like any story that concerns a scandal involving a public figure, the news went viral. And since this particular scandal involved physical abuse of the female gender, it caused an outrage on social media. He was heavily criticized by his fans and foes alike, who gave him no room to respond since the screenshots were evidence enough. It further led to the termination of his recording contract by Davido Music Worldwide (DMW) who in their press release stated that their decision was reached after carrying out internal investigations as a label. They further stated that they do not condone domestic violence in any form whatsoever.
Although there was initial silence from the Lil Frosh, he eventually denied the allegations weeks after, claiming he had never done all he was accused of and the photos we had seen of his girlfriend’s battered face was as a result of a skin allergy. He even said he still loved her, irrespective of all that had happened. We all took his story with a pinch of salt. However, the allegations levelled against him had caught the eyes of several notable figures and organizations in the Society who strongly stand against female oppression and domestic violence.
One of such was the International Association of Women Lawyers (Lagos State branch who had filed a suit against him before the Lagos State Magistrates’ Court in Yaba. He was afterwards summoned at the Federal Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, Alagbon, for questioning by the policemen. The artist was arraigned on one count of assault. Though he pleaded not guilty, with no legal representative in court, Magistrate Adeola Olatunbosun ordered he was to be remanded in the Ikoyi Correctional Facility until March 9, 2021, when his case was adjourned to.
In the space of two (2) years, we’ve seen the rise and fall of an up and coming superstar over his inability to control his anger and emotions. His case should serve as a lesson to others like him and those who look up to him — Domestic Violence is wrong. Very wrong. For a career that had not even taken off, it crashed while taxiing on the runway. For his girlfriend, I hope she finds healing and justice at the end of this. And as for Lil Frosh, I can only hope and pray he comes out of this stronger after facing the consequences of his actions and learning his lessons. His talent is undeniable and we hope he can make some more “Kaibo Kaibo” music to set the streets ablaze once again.
