Sade Adu, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Chamillionaire, Wale, Tine Tempah and Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje are Nigerians, everyone knows that. This list has dug deeper and discovered 5 celebrities you never thought could be Nigerian. Get ready to be shocked…sorry Nas is not on the list. As at the last time we checked he was a full-blooded American. Enjoy
1) Hugo Weaving- Do you remember Agent Smith in Matrix? Yes! Neo’s arch-rival is Nigerian. How? Well the 53 year old actor was born in Nigeria at the University College Hospital in Ibadan. This makes him Nigerian by birth. His parents moved back to England a year after. Hugo Weaving has acted in several blockbusters such as V For Vendetta, The Matrix Trilogy and Lord of The Rings Trilogy, Transformers Trilogy, The Hobbit Trilogy and Captain America. Who said Ibadan boys don’t go far?
2) Taio Cruz- The 25 year old British singer is of Nigerian heritage. He was born to a Nigerian father and Brazilian mother. Taio Cruz who started penning songs at 12, began writing professionally 7 years later. He released his debut album Departure in 2008. The following year he released his sophomore Rokstarrwhich featured the hit song ‘Dynamite’. He dropped his 3rd album TY.O three years ago. Taio Cruz has won several awards including the BRIT Awards, Billboard Music Awards, ASCAP Awards and American Music Awards.
3) Tyler the Creator- Yes, do not be shocked. The ‘Black Eminem’ is Nigerian. Tyler the Creator’s actual names are Tyler Okonma. His father is Igbo. The leader of the music collective ‘Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All’ claims he never met his father. Maybe that is why he is not too fond of him. In 2009 Tyler released his first album Bastard. His buzz started growing from then on mainly backed by his offensive, homophobic and disgusting lyrics. He released his second album Goblin two years later and became a national sensation without the backing of any major record label in America. He released his third albumWolf this year.
4) Dizzie Rascal- Dizzie (Dylan Kwabena Mills) is one of the most respected rappers in the UK and also happens to be Nigerian. His Nigerian father died when he was young and he was raised by his Ghanaian mum. He had a rebellious childhood and that’s how he got the name Rascal. He was a friend of Nigerian footballer Danny Shittu when he was a kid. At 16 he produced his first single ‘I Luv U’ and in 2002 formed the collective Roll Deep Crew. Dizzie Rascal has released 5 solo albums till date making him one of the biggest rappers in the UK. He performed at the opening ceremony of the 2012 Olympics in London and won the Best International Act at the BET Awards in 2010.
5) Richard Ayoade- This is another Brit-Nigerian. Richard Ayoade was born to a Nigerian father and Norwegian mother. The 36 year old comedian, actor and writer has written several awards winning stage plays in the UK. He is also a known face on British TV having starred in the highly popular The IT Crowd. He made his Hollywood debut in 2012 after starring in the comedy The Watch alongside Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn and Jonah Hill.
