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.
Today’s Man Like subject is product manager and vibes master, @ThatPHCBoy. He talks about being a young adult desperate for romantic validation, how losing his mum changed him and why he rates friendships over romantic relationships.
“I can’t tell you how much I miss Lagos conductors.” When Tega got into Harvard in March, she didn’t anticipate how much of her life was bout to change. Now, it’s been a week since she moved to Cambridge and she shares how it feels navigating a new city with no family or friends.
This Independence Day, Zikoko got to sit down with Nigeria and figure out the cause of all his problems. Turns out, he’s single and looking for the bone of his bones.
Did your parents give you enough beans when you were growing up? If they did, then you’re probably around 6’0″ and above. Either way, we created a quiz that can guess your current height (pretty accurately, if we do say so ourselves). Take to see if we nailed it:
Most of us can probably sketch a pretty accurate outline of the Nigerian map, but how many of us can honestly claim to know where all the states are located? Well, this quiz is here to test just how well you know your own country. Try and get at least 18 states:
A new year is right around the corner. Before we go into 2022, enjoy some of our top quizzes from this year. 1. QUIZ: Only Nigerian Gen Z’ers Can Make It To The End Of This Musicians Quiz Forget about your age. If you can make it to the end of this quiz, you’re definitely […]
August is over, and here are some of our best quizzes from August. Enjoy: 1. QUIZ: Only Ajebutters Can Get 10/21 On This Quiz Some people like to form ajepako when they’re really ajebutter. Are you one of them? Let’s find out. 2. QUIZ: Sorry, If You’re Under 25 There’s No Way You Can Pass […]
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 […]
“I’d just watched this K-drama called Today’s Webtoon. The main character’s dad was helping her make big decisions in her life, unwilling to listen to what she wanted, and I could relate to that struggle.” @_sandychics
“I don’t review books for authors in Nigeria anymore because they don’t take criticism well. They also like to pay, and I don’t like getting paid so I don’t feel obligated to write a nice review.” – @creepyshelah
African creatives are finding a new audience among the youth, who according to the latest Africa No Filter report have grown their proclivity for local content.
“As a storyteller, the best way to tell stories is to become a safe space for those stories. You have to work on building trust, but you also need to create boundaries so you don’t get overwhelmed in the process.”
With the growing use of blockchain technology, African artists are harnessing its benefits to create communities of sellers and boost their creations in a global marketplace.
For this week’s creator spotlight, Elizabeth Adedeji spoke to us about how she fell in love with crocheting and the work that goes into making a crochet wedding dress.
“I want to get to a point where all my doubts are eliminated because I know I’m great at this, but I’ve also invested the time and effort to be better. In the meantime, I like having a plan B to fall back on.” — @ayosdoodles
“Any time I finish a tattoo, I have the biggest smile on my face. Sometimes, I’m so jealous of the clients because I wish I had their tattoo on my body.”
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.
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.
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