Bayo Odusami: DJ and Talent Scout Who promoted P-Square to Stardom

He was a DJ and promising promoter, but he ended up a record label owner who used every resource in his reach to empower young talents at a time when getting traditional record deals and distraction was near impossible.

Bayo Odusami was born in April 1967. Although he identified more as a Lagos boy all his life, his parents were from Ijebu in Ogun State.

Howie T: DJ, promising promoter, and record label owner who used every resource in his reach to empower young talents. Photo: Instagram/Adebayoodusami Designer: Kume Akpubi

The history of many Nigerian artistes is incomplete without the mention of the role Howie T played in their careers. A ”passion for good music and promotion of talent,” led him into floating a record label.

The CEO of Storm 360, Obi Asika, says Odusami, who died on Friday August 8, 2020, after a long battle with stroke according to family sources, was foundational to the story and growth of Nigerian pop culture.

“Howie was a gentle giant with a booming laugh and an eye for talent, he discovered PSquare in an award show and called me incessantly and several others to tell us about these superstars he found at a talent show,”

Asika wrote.

The roll call of artists who were beneficiaries of Howie’s skills and experience in both the business and the art of showbiz is endless. He was the first to manage Paul and Peter Okoye under the group name P-Square from the moment the singing duo won the Benson and Hedges Talent Hunt in 2001. And he held them by the hands into stardom.

P-Square lived in his Ilupeju home, and he ended up establishing a record label Timbuktu music, when no label would sign them. “There are certain people in life that your story or journey is incomplete without, Howie T is one of such people,” Peter Okoye of the P-Square said in an Instagram post.

In a career spanning over three decades, Howie T promoted, discovered or managed dozens of other music artistes like Akon, Shank, Sound Sultan, Faze of the defunct Plantashun Boiz, Skuki (the music duo composed of two brothers), Black Solo, Skales, Aramide, Elizabeth Deega, and many more.

When he floated a new record label – Baseline Music in 2014, it was home to Seun Oni aka Saeon, Producer – Mr. Chido, Aramide and Skales. Baseline was a partnership with billionaire businessman Segun Adebutu (MD of Petrolex Oil and Gas and son of Kessington Adebutu, popularly called Baba Ijebu) and Howie’s long term partner Dipo Abdul with whom he also owned an experiential marketing agency KISS events.

“My Story has always been around up and coming and I think that’s my calling. It’s a great source of fulfillment for me,” he said in an interview in 2007.

Beyond scouting and nurturing talents, Howie also became the go-to guy for concerts and tours. From being the first music promoter to take a Hip Hop group to Togo on Tour in 1993, he took P-Square on a tour of different parts of the world during the time he managed the duo.

If there is one Nigerian music brand that benefited immensely from Howie’s endowment as an entertainment empresario, it definitely was P-Square He played a significant role in their music success from talent hunt participant to world class talents.

From managing the Benson and Hedges talent hunt where they emerged winners in 2001, Howie’s Timbuktu Music released their debut album ‘Last Nite’ in 2002 after their endless search for a record label yielded no result.

“Howie was extremely hard working and wanted the absolute best for the twins,” said the founder of Africa Movie Academy Awards, Peace Anyiam-Osigwe, who was on the management team of Timbuktu Records.

Anyiam-Osigwe told Neusroom that the relationship between Howie and P-Square was beyond record label boss and artiste level, he related with them like members of his family. Bearing testament to Anyiam-Osigwe’s words, Sound Sultan, who was also under the management of Howie T, said the late showbiz icon was a workaholic, always on the move, restless and a music enthusiast.

“He contributed a lot to the level at which show organising is done and transparency in talent hunt organisation, believe me. He opened up everything, every resource in his capacity to the artistes, he was a fan of the artistes,” Sultan told Neusroom.

Friends say Howie was extremely hard working and wanted the absolute best for his artistes. Photo: Facebook/Obiasika Designer: Kume Akpubi

Howie chose his career path quite early. As a teenager, entertainment was his calling. But success didn’t come easy. His first show was a flop, he told Nigerian Entertainment Today founder Ayeni Adekunle a few days to his 40th birthday in April 2007. But he grew into a formidable events promoter and manager with commanding leadership in running the best shows in the country.

“It was in 1985 when I was just 18. I had only seven people in attendance,” Howie recounted with nostalgia. “DJ Jimmy JATT was the DJ. But I kept going on because of the love of entertainment. I’m happy it paid off eventually.”

It definitely paid off looking at the list of stars he held by the hand to climb the ladder. Howie was known in the late 1980s and 90s, as one of the top DJs who rocked the top night clubs in Lagos. He was a full time DJ at Enter the Dragon (Western House, Lagos), Sunrise Nite Club, Victoria Island, Lagos; and Club Towers, V.I, Lagos. He later managed Pyramid Nite Club partly owned by Nollywood actress Ibinabo Fiberesima.

He was known, too, in the early 2000s, as the bulky talent manager who successfully managed Paul and Peter Okoye without leaving room for the kind of rancour that later broke the duo apart. He also managed several artistes, co-founded KISS Events with partner Dipo Abdul in 2005, and a record label – Baseline Music in 2014.

Many who could not find any striking connection between his name and his moniker, have been trying to unravel the mystery behind how Adebayo Odusami became known as Howie T. Dipo Abdul his long term friend and business partner told Neusroom that Bayo “gave himself the name in his earlier days as a young man!”

At the early days of his showbiz career he had adopted Howard Thompson as his nickname and later shortened it to Howie T. Howard Thompson was an American movie reporter and film critic for The New York Times for more than four decades. Like Howie, Thompson also suffered a stroke in 1996 before dying of pneumonia in March 2002, aged 82.

Since lifting P-Square, Sound Sultan and other A-list artistes like to stardom in the early 2000s, Howie T never looked back and upward his showbiz career went until a stroke slowed him down four years ago.

“In 1988 I had the first ever talent hunt show called Rap Attack and on my Panel was Lanre Ijaola, Edi Lawani, and some guys from Classique Magazine. Then in 1991 I was the DJ for the Children of Africa Concert in Lagos,” Howie said in a rare 2007 interview.

“In 1992 myself, Jimmy JATT and GMG went to Togo for the Africa DJ Championships. Then 1993 I was the first promoter to take a Hip Hop Group to Togo on Tour and it was a huge success. The group was called Solid Grove, the members were Ernest Asuzu and two other guys called Tokunbo, and Micheal,”

he added.

The CEO of Black House Media (BHM), Ayeni Adekunle and Abdul who were his friends also confirmed that Howie was never afraid of hard work! Ayeni said Howie gave entertainment his best as a DJ and manager of artistes, events and clubs.

“His hard work, passion and dedication paid off and he found favour with people in business and also in his private life,”

he added.

Abdul said

Howie was “always ready to do whatever was necessary to achieve the desired result! He will do what he believed to be right for his event or artiste and he was never afraid to say no to clients or artistes.”

As a DJ Howie T was a crowd puller. As an event manager and concert promoter he had a knack for organising the best shows and as a talent scout, he had the eagle eye for spotting the best.

“Howie was a gentle giant with a booming laugh and an eye for talent, he discovered PSquare in an award show and called me incessantly and several others to tell us about these superstars he found at a talent show,”

Asika who said Howie was his friend for more than 30 years said after his passing last week.

“He was right of course. When it came to his ear and eye he was almost always right.”

Howie T and wife Motunrayo at their wedding in 2003. Photo: Instagram/adebayoodusami Designer: Kume Akpubi.

Howie, who is survived by his wife Motunrayo and their two children, got married at 36, on April 26, 2003.

Tributes

Since his death on Friday August 7, 2020 friends, associates, and artistes have continued to share fond memories of Howie T and also pay tributes to him. Some of them also spoke to Neusroom correspondent:

The CEO of Black House Media (BHM), Ayeni Adekunle, said Howie will forever be remembered, not only by the many talents whose careers he helped build and whom he promoted to stardom, but also by many who worked with him in showbiz.

“Howie’s remarkable contributions to the development of showbiz in Nigeria from the late 80s into the early 2000s helped shape the careers of many talents who went on to become the best music acts to come out of Nigeria,”

Ayeni, who says Howie’s company was an early BHM client, said.

Anyiam-Osigwe, who said Howie T was like a family member to her, described him as a man with a big heart, always trying to be happy and jovial.

She told Neusroom that when Howie discovered P-Square,

“we collaborated to launch Timbuktu records so that he could push the superstars, Howie was extremely hard working and wanted the absolute best for the twins.”

He liked anything and everything entertainment and his passion for the growth of his artistes was unmatched.

Reflecting on how he used his influence as a former DJ to push the works of his artistes, Anyiam-Osigwe said: “Howie T had an immense level of goodwill and put it to use for the boys.”

“I can remember when we wanted to launch the first album the work he put on, the pressures for the right PR machinery for the talents and then Greg (Fiberesima) shot the video for ‘senorita’ using our film studio PMO Global,” she recalled.

For Dipo Abdul, Howie’s business partner, his energy and appetite for life are his most memorable attributes about Howie.

“Bayo was very passionate about entertainment and entertainers! He was quite pioneering, always looking for how to make things bigger and better!”

Abdul told Neusroom.

He also described Howie as an explorer who was always willing to try new things and new ways of doing things, very passionate and only concerned about the big picture! He brought this passion to everything he did as a record label boss, talent manager, events manager, DJ and promoter.

Placing Howie side by side with today’s show promoters and talent managers, Abdul said “Howie was never afraid of hard work! Always ready to do whatever was necessary to achieve the desired result! He will do what he believed to be right for his event or artiste.”

Sound Sultan who also attested to this said Howie “contributed a lot to the level at which show organising is done and transparency in talent hunt organisation.

Sultan, who was one of Howie’s groomsmen when he got married in 2003, described April 26, 2003 when Howie walked down the aisle at 36, as his most memorable moment of him.

“I was very happy for him,” he reminisced. “He was a great man, always willing to share his knowledge with anyone.”

“Howie opened up everything every resource in his capacity to the artistes and he was a fan of the artistes.”