Sasha P

Sasha P
Birth name Anthonia Yetunde Alabi
Also known as First Lady of Nigerian Hip Hop[1]
Born (1983-06-21) 21 June 1983[2]
Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria
Origin Lagos, Nigeria
Genres Hip hop
Occupation(s)
  • Recording artist
  • entertainer
  • fashion designer
  • lawyer
Years active 1993–2012
Associated acts

Sasha P (born Anthonia Yetunde Alabi on 21 May 1983),[2] also known as the First Lady of Nigerian Hip Hop, is a Nigerian female rapper, musician, businesswoman, lawyer and motivational speaker.

Early life and education

The last of eight children, she was raised by her single mother, an educator, whom she fondly called Sisi Fadekemi, after her father died.[3] She began her musical career as a child in Ibadan.[4] She attended the International School Ibadan and the University of Lagos earning a bachelor's degree in Law.[5][6]

Music career

" I believe as an individual , I have a social responsibility to make a difference any way I can" "

“
”

-Sasha speaking about giving back to the community

Sasha came into the limelight at a time when there were very few Nigerian women in Hip Hop music. Subsequently, her success helped pave the way for other female rappers and musicians in Nigerian hip hop.[7] She began musical collaborations and was signed on to eLDee's Trybe records.[8][9] Sasha has remained one of the most prominent female artists in Nigeria since 2001, especially after the successful release of her debut album "First Lady" under her record label STORM. She has been nominated for various awards in Nigeria and abroad. She won the 2009 "Best Female Artist " award in the UK at the Women in Entertainment Awards for her first single titled Adara. She was also nominated in dual categories (Best Female Video and Best Cinematography) by the SoundCity Video Music Awards for her second single Only One in 2009.

She was the first ever Nigerian female artist to perform at the 20th anniversary of the World Music Awards in October 2008. She was also the first Nigerian female artiste to win the Best Female Award at MTV Africa Music Awards (MAMA).[10] Besides Adara, She released Gidi Babe on her birthday in 2009.[11] The promotional video of her album was released later, after returning from South Africa where the video for the song titled Making Money was shot.[10] She released a single in 2012 titled Bad Girl P.[12] As a result of her commitments and glittering performances, she has also shared stages with a host of International acts including Boyz II Men, Dru Hill, Rihanna, Shakira, P. Diddy, John Legend and R Kelly to name a few. In 2013, Sasha revealed that she was taking a break from the music scene to focus on her fashion business.[13]

Endorsements

Sasha along with Banky W were the first official ambassadors of Samsung electronics in Nigeria.[14][15][16] She was the National Ambassador of the First Nigerian Mobile phone company (Anabel) and has signed endorsement deals with Etisalat.[17] She is also a cultural ambassasor for her home state, Ekiti.[4]

Fashion business

Sasha pursued an interest in fashion as a bespoke designer in 2004, with an ever growing client base her dream to create Nigerian high street fashion was born in December 2011 at L'Espace. She established her fashion career as a designer of her own clothing label Eclectic by Sasha[18] launched in August 2012[19][20][21]

Humanitarian work

In regard to community service, Sasha P said, "I believe as an individual, I have a social responsibility to make a difference any way I can", and this she has done consistently over the years. She was part of the "Save a street child" campaign in Lagos (January 2009) and the "Maternal Mortality" project (May 2009)[22] which aims to educate and help cater to the needs of young mothers who seek adequate medical care. She is also a motivational speaker[23][24] and has worked with a campaign to end violence against women.[25] In 2012, Sasha was the Olympic torch bearer for Nigeria.[26]

Discography

Singles

Awards and nominations

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
Amen Awards
Year Recipient/Nominated work Award Result Ref
2004 Sasha for "Emi Le Gan" Best Upcoming Artiste Nominated [27]
Women in Entertainment Video Awards
Year Recipient/Nominated work Award Result Ref
2009 Sasha for "Adara" Best Female Artiste Won [28]
Channel O Music Video Awards
Year Recipient/Nominated work Award Result Ref
2009 "Only One' Best Female Video Won [11]
Kora Awards
Year Recipient/Nominated work Award Result Ref
2010 Herself Best Hip Hop Act in Africa Nominated [28]
MTV Africa Music Awards
Year Recipient/Nominated work Award Result Ref
2010 Herself Best Female Artiste Won [11]
Sound City Music Video Awards
Year Recipient/Nominated work Award Result Ref
2009 "Only One" Best Female Video Nominated [11][28]
Best Cinematography Nominated

References

  1. ↑ Demola Adeshina (13 December 2011). "Sasha: First Lady of Hip Hop". YNaija. Retrieved 28 March 2015.
  2. 1 2 Patience Bambalele (14 August 2012). "Nelson, Sasha join forces to fuse jazz and rap sounds". South Africa: Sowetan Live. Retrieved 28 March 2015.
  3. ↑ "Sasha P Remembers Her Dad 25 Years After". Information Nigeria. 19 August 2014. Retrieved 28 March 2015.
  4. 1 2 "I wrote my first song at 10 – Sasha". Newswatch Times. 1 December 2013. Retrieved 28 March 2015.
  5. ↑ "Young, Talented, Very Nigerian". Sahara Reporters. Retrieved 28 March 2015.
  6. ↑ "I have always encouraged the growth of women in music, says Sasha P". Encomium. Retrieved 28 March 2015.
  7. ↑ Kehinde Ajose. "Nigeria: Survival Tales of Top Music Divas". Allafrica. Retrieved 28 March 2015.
  8. ↑ "Saturday Celebrity Interview: The Rapper, The Fashionista, The Advocate – It’s the ‘First Lady of Nigerian Hip Hop’, Sasha P!". Bella Naija. Retrieved 28 March 2015.
  9. ↑ Samond Biobaku. "Sasha opens up on secret formula, journey so far". Newswatch Times. Retrieved 28 March 2015.
  10. 1 2 "Sasha P". Women of West Africa. Retrieved 28 March 2015.
  11. 1 2 3 4 Charles Mgbolu (17 September 2011). "Hip Hop or not, I'm a woman – Sasha". The Vanguard. Retrieved 28 March 2015.
  12. ↑ "Sasha P drops new single: Bad Girl P". Information Nigeria. Retrieved 28 March 2015.
  13. ↑ "Sasha P: I Studied Law Because I Have Always Been Very Opinionated". Aprokocity. 2 September 2013. Retrieved 28 March 2015.
  14. ↑ "Banky W & Sasha present "Me & My Samsung". 9 December 2011. Retrieved 28 March 2015.
  15. ↑ Osagie Alonge. "'Samsung did not dump me, I completed my deal with them' – Sasha P". Nigerian Entertainment Today. Retrieved 28 March 2015.
  16. ↑ Esho Wemimo (21 May 2013). "Check out Sasha P when she was 22 years old". The Pulse. Retrieved 28 March 2015.
  17. ↑ "Sasha P joins ice prince, Olamide Seyi Shay as Etisalat Ambassador". Nigerian Entertainment Today. 21 May 1983. Retrieved 28 March 2015.
  18. ↑ Christabel Abiodun (21 August 2012). "Sasha debuts fashion line". Premium Times. Retrieved 28 March 2015.
  19. ↑ "BN Exclusive: Nigerian Rap Star, Sasha P presents Eclectic By Sasha’s "Inception" Lookbok". Bella Naija. 10 May 2012. Retrieved 28 March 2015.
  20. ↑ "Interview: First Lady Of Storm Records Sasha P Branches Into Fashion- Talks About Her Label "Eclectic by Sasha" & New Collection "Inception"". Onobello. Onobello. Retrieved 28 March 2015.
  21. ↑ "Advertisement Nigerian Music Star Sasha debuts Eclectic by Sasha – The "Inception" Collection at L'Espace This Sunday: Exclusive Details Only on BN". Bella Naija. Retrieved 28 March 2015.
  22. ↑ "Hopelessly Romantic -Sasha says". The Nigerian Voice. Retrieved 28 March 2015.
  23. ↑ Batholomew Maduke (31 May 2013). "Sasha P turns motivational speaker". The Vanguard. Retrieved 28 March 2015.
  24. ↑ Kemi Omololu-Olunloyo (23 August 2014). "First lady of calm, Sasha P: Musicians provide therapy with music". Nigerian Tribune. Retrieved 28 March 2015.
  25. ↑ "Violence Against Women and the 16-Day Campaign". Thisday. 3 December 2013. Retrieved 28 March 2015.
  26. ↑ "Sasha joins Funke Akindele, Yaw, others as 2012 Olympic torch bearer". Nigerian Entertainment Today. Retrieved 28 March 2015.
  27. ↑ "Sasha". My rhythm. Retrieved 28 March 2015.
  28. 1 2 3 "SASHA". MTV Base. 9 July 2009. Retrieved 28 March 2015.

External links

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