Young Teddy Nigeria Adeyanju Oluwafemi Sheriff Folarin, a.k.a. SMOOF which stands for (Skills of Music and Originality of Olumafemi) was born on 25th 0f october 1985 in Kano, in the Northern region on Nigeria. Smoof was born with the music gene as his mother was once a dancer and also loved music. He started exploring his music talent early as a member of his Church’s choir in the early 90s. Growing up, he was a huge fan of Three T, LL Cool Jay, Naughty by Nature, MC Hammer and Micheal Jackson.

Smoof’s first performance was in 1998 when he was 13 years old, during a family Christmas gathering. He performed alongside two of his cousins, miming to songs by Heavy D and Boys II Men. He also performed at school functions throughout high school, and was nicknamed Femolashyne.

Smoof lost his mother in 2004 a year after he finished high school. This tragedy forced him to take life more seriously. He started writing more often, writing mostly rap at first because of his love for Hip Hop. With encouragement from his cousin, he began to sing as well. He was introduced to Xone at PK studio in Ifako Gbagada. PK was catered to top notch artistes like Modenine, Asa, Trybes, and Thorough Breds.

Not long after, Smoof met Effect’s Tha Face, and recorded his first rap piece, featuring on a track by another artiste called Emperor. Smoof went on to record his first single, Get Down, and after getting positive feedback, recorded more songs and eventually made his first album which was produced by Effect. The album never got released due to lack of funds. But Smoof to performed some of his tracks in several shows. Under pressure from his family, Smoof went back to school. But as soon as he was done, he began to chase his dream of being a musician. He is now signed to TOP NOTCH.

I started loving music at a very tender age with (DMX) as my favorite rapper. I have expectations of great achievement and will stop at nothing but achieving it and need nothing but love from my fans as i promise never to let em down.

Often times, emerging artists emulate their favorite performers instead of using them as inspirations. There is one up and coming artist that can not be accused of being an imitation of any established artist. Jae Baz bring a unique style and originality to the new African Hip Life genre. Born Osayomore Obaruyi-Edo Ehigie in Benin City Nigeria, Jae Baz grew up in Benin City and was raised by his maternal grand mother who aroused in him, his love for music. According to Jae Baz “There was always music around me when I was growing up”. “My grand mother was always humming one song or another whenever she was cooking, cleaning or doing any other household chores. I grew up with plenty of kids in the same neighborhood, and we use to compete with one another to see who could sing best. We use to sing Sir Victor Uwaifo, Sunny Okosun, Chris Okotie songs”. “ At age 10, I would sing and perform for my family and friends during various social events like birthday parties and other ceremonies”. Jae Baz who also plays drums as a musical instrument, was to later realize his deep passion for music when he graduated from Greater Tomorrow Secondary Scholl in Benin City in 2005. After graduating from high school, he decided to take music very serious. Since then, he has consistently guided himself in his chosen career until he came to Canada where he teamed up with his new record label OddRuff Inc. Jae Baz says “ I like to do music that stick! My music is a blend of R&B, High Life and Hip Hop. Sometimes, there is some reggae and Soca mix with Hife Life. The combination of these various mix of black music is what is today known as the new African Hip Life music. If the songs Jae Baz has recorded so far for his upcoming album are any indication of his passion for music, watch out for the best is yet to come. Jae Baz has a lot of soul in his music, because anyone listening to his music can’t help but be swayed to the rhythms and melodies in them. Jae Baz writes his own lyrics, sometimes stepping into the role as a social commentator by writing about the real world; i.e the good, the bad and every other thing in between them. I write about personal experiences and things that I see and hear about life in general. Jae Baz may be an up and coming artist, but he is not new to the stage. He has performed alongside some big names in the African Hip Life scene including Tu Face, VIP and Sauce Kid. He has also been featured in some songs that are now being considered radio station and DJ delight across Nigeria and South Africa. According to Jae Baz “ I’m bringing my own unique style of Hip Life to the rest of the world. This style which was originated and perfected by me has never been heard before. I’m versatile and can come from any angle, be it Hip Hop, Reggae, R&B, mainstream or whatever” ily in digital music and audio solutions - partnering with some of the best businesses in the field.