#WithChude

I did something I try never to do and I asked AbimBola Craig directly: Why are you not married?She had done a video a while ago saying ‘marriage is a scam’, amd as we talked about that video I knew that this was a question she was going to tackle with flair. Of course, she delivered. Right moment. Right person. bold question. Perfect answer. We talk about marriage, and we talk about the beautiful relationship she had with her father, who was also her role model, and whose passing shook her to her core. Then she told me exclusively about the moment when she thought her whole world was going to come crashing down - she was diagnosed with a tumor on her brain. She paused her career, and went to America for the surgery. She says it was “war”. She thought she was going to die. She began to prepare for death. How did that change her? Who is she now? In this rare interview - the actor, producer and YouTuber tells her story.

This was such an emotional interview.Ashmusy has seen hell from the media and the comment section - they have questioned her talent, questioned her source of income, questioned her wealth, questioned her morals… and just thinking about all of the attacks she has had to endure, she broke down in tears on our set. She had to consciously change her dress sense, she tells me, because that was one of the reasons she was being stereotyped. Yet Amarachi Amusi is one strong woman - and she continues to conquer. Yes, her father didn’t provide for them when she was a child. Yes, her mother had to endure loan sharks to take care of her children. Yes, Ashmusy had to borrow hair to pretend to be one of the ‘big girls’ in school, and yes she had to borrow hair to start her own business. Yes, she went for over 100 (!) auditions - including Big Brother - and was not successful in any.But, she says, she built everything by herself. There was no sugar daddy, there was no ‘runs’, no there was no cutting corners. She pulled herself up from nothing to the multiple successful businesses she owns - and, she tells me… she is just getting started. A boss lady, #WithChude today.

Kemz Mama, or Mummy Wa as many know her, may be buzzing because of her first movie - Nigeria’s first Korean drama - but her journey here was an almost impossible one. First, her father didn’t support her, calling her career ‘irrelevant irrelevancies’. Then Mr Macaroni didn’t call her back after her first appearance as ‘Mummy Wa’ on his channel. THEN, when she finally got a small role on Tinsel, her character was killed off, without the producers even informing her! In between all of this, she was robbed violently of the phone she was using to create content on YouTube - after entering a one-chance bus. And then she struggled to get roles because on the one hand she was being sexually harassed and on the other hand she was insecure about the size of her breasts. Then one day, everything changed. Mr Macaroni called her back, her role became constant, her social media pages grew into the millions, and this year she produced her first movie. She tells me the full story. Also, for the first time ever, she speaks about the viral issue on the blogs about a past relationship, and why she has refused to talk about it until now. This was a hilarious interview through and through - but it was also incredibly inspiring. You will fall in love with this young woman.

They own perhaps the biggest web series in Nigeria and Africa - and the biggest Gen Z series ever. Without making any noise about it and with no media campaigns, their videos rack up millions of views. One of them has over 11 million views! Jesi, Jemima and Jeiel Damina are YouTube OGs, and the youngest is barely out of her 20s. They are also fantastic singers. First I was their fan, and THEN I discovered that they are the daughters of Abel Damina, a man whose teachings in 2017 saved my faith, and changed my life. I was extremely excited to discover this. As they release their first feature film, ‘Guli’ this weekend, we release this exclusive conversation that discusses how they grew their platform to over one million followers from their base in Uyo-Akwa Ibom, how they converted mops into boom mics, and what it’s like to grow up as Pastors daughters. We talk about that time Jeiel was kidnapped, and how her father challenged God, and why she blamed her father for a long time. And we talk about the big, big BIG visions they have for the now and the future - while they focus on the work and only the work. Now, these ones are true inspirations for their generation.

First, she lost her younger brother to chronic kidney disease.Then last year, Ufuoma McDermott was also diagnosed of Stage 3 kidney disease - after battling with it for 12 years. She was told to slow down at work and rest. But she thought she had more time and negotiated with her doctors. That delay turned out to be costly. She was shortly diagnosed of Stage 4 kidney disease. Stage 4. That’s the final stage. And she says it was a result of drug abuse - ingesting too many painkillers. Thus began a battle for her life, where there was zero room for error. For 6 months, she couldn’t move. She couldn’t work. She couldn’t add weight. She actually thought the end had come. In this exclusive interview, the actor and producer shares how she found her way back from Stage 4 kidney disease, how it changed how she lived her life, how she managed her public career while dealing with this in private, and why this life-changing experience has transformed the way she lives her life today. Also for the first time, she confirms that over the past few years she has lived with her family abroad while acting and producing in Nigeria - and how a very private life has served her very well. This was one hell of a conversation. 

For 6 months last year, Oluwadolarz suffered from depression - and no one knew about it. He couldn’t function. He couldn’t create. He couldn’t even leave his room. He finally opens up about this in this exclusive interview. What caused the depression? He suddenly saw his career crater and felt he was ‘un-blowing’ while watching his colleagues grow in leaps and bounds. It’s a familiar story, isn’t it?One day his mother finally had enough, and he tells me what she did that finally made him find a way out of depression. It’s also the reason his mother started making skits. It’s such a beautiful story, to hear him tell it. Then he tells me about that time an anonymous person came online to accuse him of abuse and then disappeared, leaving him panicked and having to defend himself. He also learnt that not everyone who likes his posts wishes him well. Then we talk about having his first child with his wife while navigating the #EndSARs protests - and for the first time, he opens up on what exactly he apologised to his wife last year. He says he was “tested as a man and he failed the test woefully.”What did we not talk about? I think I now have a mind-crush on Oluwadolarz - because this conversation was so honest, so real, vulnerable, inspiring and magical all at once. I try never to stereotype, but I honestly was not ready for this level of depth. This conversation WILL bless you. 

For speaking up against what he considered injustice in school, Mr Macaroni was expelled just before convocation. It was the fight of his life.How did that transform his life?Why did that radicalize him? What did his journalist father say about all of it?How did that prepare him for that time when the Nigerian Police stripped him naked?And how long can he keep fighting while still remaining a pop culture brand?“Any brand that is not happy with my activism - bye bye!” he says. This interview goes deep into the heart of what makes this young man special.