- REVEALS WHATS HE HAS DONE TO STAY RELEVANT FOR ALMOST 3O YEARS
If truth be told, there are indeed hundreds of talented comedians and masters of ceremony out there, but a few still stand heads and shoulders above their contemporaries and ace comedian Gbenga Adeyinka 1st is certainly one of those few. Slowly and steadily, after putting in almost three rewarding decades of his sweat and hard work, he has earned for himself an enviable spot at the top hierarchy of the Naija entertainment industry where only those whose names have been written in gold occupy. Without a doubt, at some point down the line, when the story of Naija comedy & entertainment is being told, Gbenga Adeyinka will be honoured and saluted for his tenacity, hard work, incredible achievements and most importantly the respect he and his contemporaries have fought hard to bring to the comedy business and its practitioners. It is no joke to survive in the Naija entertainment industry for as long as Gbenga Adeyinka has survived. Only a few have been able to go past their first decade and he is hitting his third! This is why many entertainers, comedians, actors and musicians all hold him in high esteem. They know it takes a lot more than just talent to survive in the industry – you must have something extra special- and those who have watched him closely and followed him over the years will tell you Gbenga Adeyinka has got that extra special quality that has earned him the title, GCON, which stands for Grand Comedian Of Nigeria. Apart from his uncanny ability to create spontaneous jokes, his delivery as master of ceremony over the years has been nothing short of outstanding. And this is where he shows his immense potentials and talent. Give Gbenga the job of compering at a large political gathering where the biggest political personalities in the land are seated, not only will he hold his own, you can be sure he will do a fantastic job of making the politicians present enjoy themselves thoroughly. He has a way of making people feel very comfortable with him and his brand of jokes, no matter how introverted or not too sociable you may be. Same if you ask him to compere an event for doctors, lawyers or any profession for that matter, Gbenga will astound everyone with his delivery. This is because he takes his craft very seriously. For every job he gets, especially those outside of entertainment, he does his research extensively. This enables him, for instance, weave his jokes around the Law or medical profession or whichever audience he has been contracted to entertain and then leaves his audience asking for more. If you’re wondering how he has been getting the biggest MC jobs in the land, from compering for multinational organisations to entertaining politicians and professionals in various fields, now you have your answer. And he is incredibly intelligent as well, his brilliance shines through in all his jobs.
Apart from comedy and compering events, Gbenga Adeyinka is also an actor, television host and radio presenter. The Abeokuta, Ogun state-born entertainer hit national prominence with his ‘Shine shine bobo’ promo for the Star Game Show. He has also anchored many celebrity weddings, major corporate events and has been successfully staging his annual comedy show, Laffmatazz, for over two decades and still counting. As a matter of fact, he has one coming up in Ibadan this Easter Sunday scheduled to hold at Jogor Center.
City People’s Senior Editor, WALE LAWAL (08037209290) had a brief chat with this ‘big boy’ of Naija comedy and he shared with us his staying power and why his Laffmatazz comedy show holding this Easter Sunday in Ibadan will be one to remember for everyone who attends the event.
When you decided to start taking Laffmatazz out of Lagos to Ibadan and other parts of the Southwest, what was the attraction?
For me, it was a desire to open new frontiers and to create a platform that will give people another alternative. I was tired of doing this over and over again in Lagos and I needed something new to do, coupled with the fact that at a point in time, there was no veritable platform in the South-west outside of Lagos to give young comedians the opportunity to showcase what they have. I asked myself at a point, what do you want to be remembered for when you’re dead and gone? And then, it just came to me. I guess it was God that told me to develop something outside the south-west, build a comedy sector outside the South-west and for eleven years now we’ve not looked back.
How has the experience been like? Would you say it’s been financially rewarding?
In all honesty, it’s not been bad. For the first couple of years, we were running it from deep pockets. Then, a couple of years after, we got some form of sponsorship. But the painful part is that most sponsorship I got for this year were from Lagos. Most times, it wouldn’t be enough to do the show, we have to run from pillar to post to make sure things happen. But then, we bless God. I believe that most times when you’re building a dream or a vision, money should not be the initial focus. I know that money is important, but actualizing a dream is more important and building a legacy is the most important of it all. We are not where we want to be, but we thank God we are not where we used to be. And this is why we keep thanking our partners who, every year, decide to support us and make this a reality.
Is there any significant difference between the Lagos crowd or audience and that of Ibadan and other Western states?
Basically, there is no difference between the crowd, it’s just that sometimes the crowd yearns for more because what we offer is premium quality entertainment. But the crowd is the same, if you can make someone laugh in Lagos, you’ll make someone laugh in Ibadan. Humour is universal, it doesn’t matter where you are seated. It’s nothing completely different, all it takes is your ability to make someone laugh.
The Gbenga Adeyinka brand has been going strong for possibly close to two decades or more now. What has been your staying power?
I guess my staying power, not to be ungrateful, is God, my family and the people who are behind me. But then, I’ve always said that it’s the desire to want to continuously want to be relevant, the desire to continuously not want to sleep because I believe that, in this business, you’re only as good as what you do last. For me, my staying power would be my commitment to my craft. I take each gig as if it was my first one and I think that has worked for me with the grace of God.
You seem to enjoy a special chemistry with the Ibadan crowd having staged hugely successful shows there in the past, tell us what it is?
Well, I went to secondary school in Ibadan. I went to the International school in Ibadan for my A-Levels and I immediately fell in love with the crowd. The Ibadan crowd is boisterous, adventurous, always ready to laugh, always eager to experience and there’s no better ground for anybody to experiment, do things and achieve goals. Kudos to the people who have been coming for the past years. In fact, there is this couple who have been coming every year. They are over 6o, and every time I see them I’m just blown away.
This coming Laffmatazz is special because it’s the first after the pandemic lockdown, what will make this particular one stand out from the previous shows?
This year’s edition, as we say, is a vengeance. We are coming back with anger because we couldn’t unleash what we had last year. We’re coming back with newer materials, there are few places nowadays where you can use the materials that you’ve gotten over a year, so this is an opportunity for us to just unleash all we have. Apart from that, there is a lot of giveaways. Our partner, Maltina, will be giving out lots of drinks, lots of gifts. Another partner of ours, RevolutionPlus, will also be supporting the show. We have partnered with them to do a raffle draw for a plot of land. Another partner, Titan Rice, will be giving out as many bags of rice as can be won. Eatrich is coming with fish for the people, it’s just going to be fun, fun, fun all the way and the people who come to the show know that that is what it’s all about. Its premium quality entertainment, premium quality fun and most importantly, premium quality take away.
Traditionally, Laffmatazz is usually star-studded. Showbiz stars often grace the event to support you. Who are some of the stars that the audience should look forward to meeting come Easter Sunday Laffmatazz?
This year, we have Vector the Viper, and we have Q-dot and we have two surprise acts for them. You know, every year, we bring surprise acts. We’ve done Tiwa Savage, we’ve done Kcee, we’ve also had 9ice. This year we’re having two surprise acts, one musician and one comedian. In fact, one of them is coming from the US to perform, so it’s going to be mind-blowing.
