King of Nigerian comedy, Ali Baba in a recent mentoring session with young artistes tagged ‘Stage1Project Bootcamp’, has revealed how he earned his first N1.6 million which was higher than what late iconic Afrobeat maestro, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti earned back in 1995.
It is reported by Expressng that during the mentoring session organized by Nuffnoiz Entertainment, Ali Baba disclosed that Fela Kuti earned a lower sum of N500,000 while the likes of veteran Raggae singer, Ras Kimono was paid just N150,000 from Satzenbrau, a beer brand that was brewed in Nigeria by Guinness Nigeria Limited.
He said; “Let me give you one instance that could have made me ‘proud and arrogant, “In 1995, I got N1.6 million as my first cheque while Fela was paid N500,000 then, by the time I got that money everybody around me was earning far less than I do. Ras Kimono earned N150,000 while the biggest musicians at the time were paid around N300,000.”
Ali Baba continued, “I did not show off because of this. Infact, I was still buying second hand jeans from Yaba at that time. I was already living in Lekki in 1998.”
He also disclosed that comedians earned much more than actors or musicians. “Take Seyi Law for instance, what he earns per show is more than what his peers in the movie industry earns. Ironically, the actor gets more hype and publicity than he does. By the time an actor do a movie, a comedian must have done eight shows,” he explained.
“One thing that helped me get to where I am today in my career is that, I studied my business thoroughly and I understood it,” he further revealed.
Ali Baba is regarded not only as one of the pioneers of stand-up comedy in Nigeria but also as one of those who raised the standards to elevate the act into a very lucrative venture for the new generation.
It is reported by Expressng that during the mentoring session organized by Nuffnoiz Entertainment, Ali Baba disclosed that Fela Kuti earned a lower sum of N500,000 while the likes of veteran Raggae singer, Ras Kimono was paid just N150,000 from Satzenbrau, a beer brand that was brewed in Nigeria by Guinness Nigeria Limited.
He said; “Let me give you one instance that could have made me ‘proud and arrogant, “In 1995, I got N1.6 million as my first cheque while Fela was paid N500,000 then, by the time I got that money everybody around me was earning far less than I do. Ras Kimono earned N150,000 while the biggest musicians at the time were paid around N300,000.”
Ali Baba continued, “I did not show off because of this. Infact, I was still buying second hand jeans from Yaba at that time. I was already living in Lekki in 1998.”
He also disclosed that comedians earned much more than actors or musicians. “Take Seyi Law for instance, what he earns per show is more than what his peers in the movie industry earns. Ironically, the actor gets more hype and publicity than he does. By the time an actor do a movie, a comedian must have done eight shows,” he explained.
“One thing that helped me get to where I am today in my career is that, I studied my business thoroughly and I understood it,” he further revealed.
Ali Baba is regarded not only as one of the pioneers of stand-up comedy in Nigeria but also as one of those who raised the standards to elevate the act into a very lucrative venture for the new generation.