Way before Maraji made all of us want to ‘e go be’ our day jobs and start Instagram hustles. Or before Lasisi swiped left and found the perfect mouth filter, we had a couple of OG Instagram comedians who, in their own unique ways made all of us laugh and forget it was mobile data and not stole wi-fis we were using to view them.
Most of them started on Vine, the micro-video app and had quite the following before deciding to pivot to video. However, when the Dollar reached 360 naira to $1 and rice prices climbed and climbed to reach 12k a bad, and we needed them the most, some of them vanished. Admittedly, some of them are still very active in the game, but while a lot of wrapper-tying comedians and other stylized comedians have saturated the Instagram comic scene, let’s give respect to whom it is due and remember the very firsts to do it big:
SamTakesOff
At his peak on Vine, he had over a million followers. Currently on Instagram, despite taking a long break from comedy and trying his hands out on music, he still has a considerable following of 58.2k.
Most of his skits had him playing an atypical, disgruntled ass Nigerian dad, quick to light his son at the slightest misstep. A lot of the time, when I was in a bad mood or needed some cheering, his page was always there to cheer me up, one super slap at a time.
Sadly, he has taken a break from skits, even taking all of them from his Instagram page, to focus on school, to fulfill a promise he made to his mom before her sad passing. But don’t weep just yet, he might be making a comeback yet, as seen in this tweet from a couple of weeks ago:
Anyway, let’s thank the internet for keeping his videos for us. Enjoy this quick compilation video of some of SamTakesOff’s best work.
DontJealousMe
probably one of the very first internet comedians in Nigeria. He may be directly responsible for lighting the flames for e-comedy over here. He even had a whole animated comedy series on his YouTube page, we stan a trailblazing king. Still very active on social media, dropping hilarious videos on his Instagram page, our fave is a daddy and full-time actor now.
He is currently starring in a Netflix original show alongside Rupert Grint, from Harry Potter, so yes, he is fully blown blown now.
NaijaBoyz
if you didn’t know the words to their Single Ladies remix back in ‘09, what were you doing with your time please? Kings of making the most hilarious, out of pocket remixes to some of the biggest songs, Naija Boys were my favourite go to YouTube page back in the day. And to be honest, these guys put in the work. They rap, sing and shoot full videos for their remixes, we need to put a ton of respek on their names. They were still very active as at two years ago, trying their hands on original music of their own. They’ve been a little quiet since then, but we’re hoping to see more of their good stuff in the future.
Here’s their cover to Rihanna and Drake’s work in whom I am well pleased:
Dulo
Full name Abdulazeem Dulo- was another one of the pioneer stars on Instagram. Currently racking up 739k followers on the platform, he has been consistently cracking us up from way back till this year of our lord 2018. Recently, he made the move to the big screen, and brought his Nigerian dad talents along, starring as Tunde in the TV series- African Booty Scratcher.
Here’s a clip of him doing what he does best, cracking us the hell up.
No introductions necessary, Chief Obi has is one of the OGest, OGs in the Internet comedy game. Dominating Instagram with 307k followers, he’s really one of the biggest in the game. Other people seem to think so, he recently got a $1 million brand ambassadorship deal from Vomoz Flex brand and is currently working his way into the music industry.
Check out this very recent hilarious skit, that I still turn to when I need a good laugh, and appreciate the genius that is Chief Obi.
Done with the terrible rep tattoos and dreadlocks get in the Nigerian clime, #MorethanInkandlLocs is looking to change the narrative that usually comes with sporting either or both adornments. The project is created by Chidera Muoka and done in collaboration with Niyi Okeowo and Kayode Idowu . And it can’t be more timely. If you’re […]
There are few things that compare to our beloved Jollof rice in this life, and one of them is being a digital artist. *Pauses to inhale the scent of artistry* Before you try to argue, go through the 5 reasons we’ve listed out below. 1. More room for self-expression With digital art, there’s ample room […]
Every so often, Nigeria’s social media space takes a break from being a festering cesspit, churning out a never-ending deluge of tired comedians in poorly executed drag. Or media platforms with recycled content and commenters racing to out-stupid the other. Yes, sometimes, you stumble on accounts that make you pleasantly surprised and incredibly grateful to […]
If Bill and Melinda Gates‘ announcement has not already made you start rethinking this marriage thing, then at least come and find out just how long yours will last (or not). QUIZ: Are You Marriage Material?
Exclusive new SoundCloud playlist on Triller features standout independent artists direct from SoundCloud Lagos, 7th May 2021 – AI-powered social media experience Triller and next-generation music entertainment company SoundCloud, today, announced a new integration that will uniquely showcase and support emerging independent artists with the launch of a dedicated SoundCloud-curated playlist featured on Triller. For […]
Men might not be the most expressive people, especially when it comes to their friendships. Still, friends often go to great extents to help each other out, expressing their affection for each other in other ways without saying, “I love you bro.” I spoke to 5 men about the best things their friends have done […]
There are two types of people in Nigeria right now: those who are proud Marlians, and those who are still in denial about stanning the divisive star. So, for those who proudly wear the Marlian tag, we made a quiz to test how well you really know Naira Marley. If you get more than 6 […]
Running for over a decade, Who Wants To Be A Millionaire remains one of the most beloved shows in Nigerian history, with many of us fantasizing about appearing on it and winning the grand prize of ₦10 million. Well, we gathered 15 real questions from the show to test how you would have done. Go […]
For unknown reasons, we gathered very real Common Entrance past questions to see if you’re smarter than the average JSS 1 student. There are 10 English questions, 5 Science questions, 5 Social Studies questions and 10 Mathematics questions in this quiz. Show yourself:
Everyone has something to say about what kind of person they are. But how well do we truthfully evaluate these things? Not that much, I can assure you. The average person is always lying to themselves to make sure they look good. But you know what and who doesn’t lie? Zikoko quizzes that’s what. Take […]
We already guessed how many people you’ve slept with, and y’all were out here denying the truth. Anyway, we won’t hold that against you. This time, however, we’ve created a quiz that predicts who you’ll sleep with next — so you can either prepare or try (unsuccessfully) to prevent it. So, take and see:
For Creators Spotlight, we spoke to Bahati Imaan Beauvais, the name behind YungNollywood. She is a young Nigerian living in Toronto and Lagos, who is very passionate about the old and new Nollywood scene. With 51.9k followers on Instagram and 35.8k followers on Twitter, Imman has created content that has proven to be timeless and […]
Blackness is an identity that black people all over the world sometimes struggle with. The irony, however, is that even though we all share this identity, we experience it differently because of the countries we live in. Spurred by the many different experiences she has lived through as a black person in Nigeria, the UK, […]
You have probably heard of Queen Amina, but you may not know her story as much as you know about Wonder Woman, Black Widow, or even Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of beauty. And that’s a pity because Queen Amina was right there at the conference meeting when the guide for “Badass Female Hero” was written. […]
The only thing better than a success story is a success story in the making. That’s the feeling I got when I spent some time with Team Neptune, made up of the nine Nigerian teenagers who won InterswitchSPAK’s inaugural “Innovation Challenge.” InterswitchSPAK 1.0 Innovation challenge is just one segment of InterswitchSPAK’s National Science competition, organised […]
Nigerian entertainment is taking on entirely different forms from 90s evil stepmothers and ghosts wearing powder. One of such forms is digital art, most popularly in the form of animation, and we are so here for it. Ever since the Malika teaser video dropped, I have been fangirling at the amount of detail that went […]
What happens when a group of chatty young Nigerians talk about things they're passionate about? You get Nigerians talk. A show that discusses very familiar struggles for the average Nigerian. From relationship deal breakers to sex education with Nigerian parents to leaving Nigeria, be prepared for a ride.
What happens when a group of chatty young Nigerians talk about things they're passionate about? You get Nigerians talk. A show that discusses very familiar struggles for the average Nigerian. From relationship deal breakers to sex education with Nigerian parents to leaving Nigeria, be prepared for a ride.
Life is already hard. Deciding where to eat and get the best lifestyle experiences, isn't something you should stress about. Let VRSUS do that for you.
Z! Stacks
Here's a rabbit hole of stories to lose yourself in:
What happens when a group of chatty young Nigerians talk about things they're passionate about? You get Nigerians talk. A show that discusses very familiar struggles for the average Nigerian. From relationship deal breakers to sex education with Nigerian parents to leaving Nigeria, be prepared for a ride.
What happens when a group of chatty young Nigerians talk about things they're passionate about? You get Nigerians talk. A show that discusses very familiar struggles for the average Nigerian. From relationship deal breakers to sex education with Nigerian parents to leaving Nigeria, be prepared for a ride.
If Bill and Melinda Gates‘ announcement has not already made you start rethinking this marriage thing, then at least come and find out just how long yours will last (or not). QUIZ: Are You Marriage Material?
Join The Conversation
Bring a friend.