Bright Okpocha (born 14th September
1978) better known by his stage name
Basketmouth, is a Nigerian stand-up
comedian and rapper.
Although it wasn’t categorized to be
standup comedy; it was called wording in
other words yabbing, which he did all
through his secondary years. In 1991
Bright discovered his skills in drumming,
which he did for over 5 years after
wards. During his days of being an
instrumentalist for his church and a
band at that point, he also discovered
his skills in rap music and later diverted
into that path in 1994. In 1995, he, his
friends and brother formed a group
called da psychopaths. It had 7 members
but they split before they could even
release an album or single.
Bright and his brother Godwin
immediately formed a group called d
oddz and later added a third member
(muyiwa osunrobi). Together, they did a
couple of shows but couldn’t break
through the music industry as their
brand of rap wasn’t accepted then. In
the year 1996/1997, they got admitted
into the University of Benin where
basketmouth studied sociology while his
brother studied anthropology. They
performed at a concert and got booed
off the stage, Bright decided to drop
the mic as a rap artist and grab the mic
as a standup comedian.
His 1st standup comedy was a disaster
because the crowd got irritated and
booed him off the stage. Later that year
(1999), he came back after a series of
research on what brand of comedy could
sell in UNIBEN; that was the beginning
of Basket mouth’s inception and
acceptation into the world of standup
comedy. His professional stand up act
came into existence in the year 2000 and
his big break came when he met Ali
Baba.
That same year, Basketmouth was billed
to perform at Lagbaja’s monthly concert
at Motherland, in October 1st 2000. He
made his 1st appearance at the
renowned Nite of a 1000 laughs. After
then, it was one gig to another.
In 1999, Basket mouth got involved in
events management alongside his
comedy acts. He and his friend (Bayo
Adekeye) promoted and packaged shows
that featured the likes of plantation
boiz, remedies, and a host of other
artists. It was during that period that
Laff n Jamz was conceptualized.
On the 1st of November 2000, the
concept came to reality featuring Ali
Baba, Paul Play, Teju babyface, mandy,
Mr. Patrick and a host of others.
Immediately after Laff n Jamz in
UNIBEN, Ali Baba told Bright to come
down to Lagos to expose his skills. It was
hard to combine studies and standup
comedy but it was done.
After Basket mouth featured Plantation
Boiz in 2000, they asked him to anchor a
monthly show that was held at the den
in Ikeja. It was during that period that
Bright impacted the entertainment
industry in Lagos.Things got bigger and
better when Bright was invited by Tequila
events to perform alongside Julius Agwu
on a tour that hit over 30 higher
institutions around Nigeria. Basket’s
emergence in Lagos can be traced back
to the year in 2000 when he performed
at a concert called hanging with the
home boys; his performance wowed the
audience and he won their acceptance.
He extended his act to the monthly
motherland concert hosted by Lagbaja.
Afterwards, Ali Baba introduced him to
Opa Williams who then featured him in
the now most popular comedy show in
Nigeria and beyond (Nite of a 1000
laughs).
The name BASKET MOUTH hit the big
screen when he featured in
international concerts that witnessed
the likes of Joe, Boys 2 Men, Sean Paul,
Beyonce, Wyclef Jean, Dru Hill, Akon,
Snoop Dogg, Ciara, Chris Brown and
many others. His international gig was
in Europe (2003) after which he stayed
off the foreign scene until his debut
performance in Atlanta at the Nigerian
Reunion in 2006. This performance led to
series of performances and bookings in
the United States and other countries
including South Africa.
Back to back through the last 4 years,
Bright has won the National Comedy
Award for Best Comedian of the year,
Best Standup Comedian on the year
(2005/6). As a follow upto the growth,
he formed a company called humor
unlimited (2004), (stage play) -Devils
kiss (2004), and in 2006 took it higher
by forming a one man standup comedy
show which made history in Nigeria
[Basket Mouth Uncensored 1,2,&3]. He
later established a consulting/event &
Artist management company (Barons
World Entertainnment) in 2006.
Basket Mouth is currently one of the
brand ambassadors of one of the
leading telecommunications companies
in Africa (Globacom) till date, Basket
Mouth stands out as one of the names to
reackon with in the entertainment
industry.
1978) better known by his stage name
Basketmouth, is a Nigerian stand-up
comedian and rapper.
Although it wasn’t categorized to be
standup comedy; it was called wording in
other words yabbing, which he did all
through his secondary years. In 1991
Bright discovered his skills in drumming,
which he did for over 5 years after
wards. During his days of being an
instrumentalist for his church and a
band at that point, he also discovered
his skills in rap music and later diverted
into that path in 1994. In 1995, he, his
friends and brother formed a group
called da psychopaths. It had 7 members
but they split before they could even
release an album or single.
Bright and his brother Godwin
immediately formed a group called d
oddz and later added a third member
(muyiwa osunrobi). Together, they did a
couple of shows but couldn’t break
through the music industry as their
brand of rap wasn’t accepted then. In
the year 1996/1997, they got admitted
into the University of Benin where
basketmouth studied sociology while his
brother studied anthropology. They
performed at a concert and got booed
off the stage, Bright decided to drop
the mic as a rap artist and grab the mic
as a standup comedian.
His 1st standup comedy was a disaster
because the crowd got irritated and
booed him off the stage. Later that year
(1999), he came back after a series of
research on what brand of comedy could
sell in UNIBEN; that was the beginning
of Basket mouth’s inception and
acceptation into the world of standup
comedy. His professional stand up act
came into existence in the year 2000 and
his big break came when he met Ali
Baba.
That same year, Basketmouth was billed
to perform at Lagbaja’s monthly concert
at Motherland, in October 1st 2000. He
made his 1st appearance at the
renowned Nite of a 1000 laughs. After
then, it was one gig to another.
In 1999, Basket mouth got involved in
events management alongside his
comedy acts. He and his friend (Bayo
Adekeye) promoted and packaged shows
that featured the likes of plantation
boiz, remedies, and a host of other
artists. It was during that period that
Laff n Jamz was conceptualized.
On the 1st of November 2000, the
concept came to reality featuring Ali
Baba, Paul Play, Teju babyface, mandy,
Mr. Patrick and a host of others.
Immediately after Laff n Jamz in
UNIBEN, Ali Baba told Bright to come
down to Lagos to expose his skills. It was
hard to combine studies and standup
comedy but it was done.
After Basket mouth featured Plantation
Boiz in 2000, they asked him to anchor a
monthly show that was held at the den
in Ikeja. It was during that period that
Bright impacted the entertainment
industry in Lagos.Things got bigger and
better when Bright was invited by Tequila
events to perform alongside Julius Agwu
on a tour that hit over 30 higher
institutions around Nigeria. Basket’s
emergence in Lagos can be traced back
to the year in 2000 when he performed
at a concert called hanging with the
home boys; his performance wowed the
audience and he won their acceptance.
He extended his act to the monthly
motherland concert hosted by Lagbaja.
Afterwards, Ali Baba introduced him to
Opa Williams who then featured him in
the now most popular comedy show in
Nigeria and beyond (Nite of a 1000
laughs).
The name BASKET MOUTH hit the big
screen when he featured in
international concerts that witnessed
the likes of Joe, Boys 2 Men, Sean Paul,
Beyonce, Wyclef Jean, Dru Hill, Akon,
Snoop Dogg, Ciara, Chris Brown and
many others. His international gig was
in Europe (2003) after which he stayed
off the foreign scene until his debut
performance in Atlanta at the Nigerian
Reunion in 2006. This performance led to
series of performances and bookings in
the United States and other countries
including South Africa.
Back to back through the last 4 years,
Bright has won the National Comedy
Award for Best Comedian of the year,
Best Standup Comedian on the year
(2005/6). As a follow upto the growth,
he formed a company called humor
unlimited (2004), (stage play) -Devils
kiss (2004), and in 2006 took it higher
by forming a one man standup comedy
show which made history in Nigeria
[Basket Mouth Uncensored 1,2,&3]. He
later established a consulting/event &
Artist management company (Barons
World Entertainnment) in 2006.
Basket Mouth is currently one of the
brand ambassadors of one of the
leading telecommunications companies
in Africa (Globacom) till date, Basket
Mouth stands out as one of the names to
reackon with in the entertainment
industry.
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