BasketMouth

Bright Okpocha .a.k.a. BasketMouth is a Nigerian comedian and actor who has organized popular stand-up comedy concerts like ‘BasketMouth Uncensored‘ across the globe.

HIS EARLY LIFE

Bright Okpocha was born on September 14, 1978 in Lagos, Nigeria but hails from Abia State. He completed his primary and secondary school education in Apapa, Lagos State and then moved on to pursue a degree at the University Of Benin, Benin City (UNIBEN) where he studied sociology and anthropology with his brother, Godwin Okpocha.

HIS CAREER

In 1991 BasketMouth discovered his skills in drumming, which he did for over 5 years afterwards. 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.

His 1st stand-up 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 into the world of stand-up comedy. His professional stand-up act came into existence in the year 2001 and his big break came when he met Ali Baba.

Basketmouth 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 artistes. 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 Basketmouth to come down to Lagos to expose his skills. It was hard to combine studies and stand-up comedy but it was done. After Basketmouth 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 Basketmouth impacted the entertainment industry in Lagos. Things got bigger and better when Basketmouth was invited by Tequila events to perform alongside Julius Agwu on a tour that hit over 30 higher institutions around Nigeria. Basketmouth’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, BASKETMOUTH hit the big screen when he featured in international concerts that witnessed the likes of Joe, Boys2Men, 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, BasketMouth has won the National Comedy Award for Best Comedian of the year, Best Stand-up Comedian on the year (2005/6). As a follow-up to the growth, he formed a company called Humor Unlimited (2004), Devils kiss (Stage play), 2004, and in 2006 took it higher by forming a one man stand-up comedy show which made history in Nigeria [BasketMouth Uncensored 1,2,&3]. He later established a consulting/event & Artist management company (Barons World Entertainment) in 2006. Basket Mouth is currently one of the brand ambassadors of one of the leading telecommunications companies in Africa (Globacom).

He got married in 2010 to Elsie Uzoma and has been blessed with two kids, a boy and a girl.

In an interview with City People, the crazy man claimed that deep down he is a shy person, and that BasketMouth is a personality he created to overcome his shyness. He said,

I am a very shy person, most people don’t know that. My son is extremely shy, and my friends are like how can your son be so shy and you are like this. I always tell them to forget about what they see. Basket Mouth is a character I created, the real me is a very shy person.
If you watch closely especially when I am with a new set of people, I am always timid then after a while, when I put myself together I function better.

BasketMouth is a force to be reckoned with in the Nigerian Entertainment Industry till date.

The post Naija Comedy Lord, BasketMouth appeared first on TalksFriendite.