Bright Okpocha, a seasoned Nigerian comedian and film actor better known by his stage name Basketmouth, has declared his intention to give up comedy as a vocation in five years.
Days prior, his colleague AY Comedian had called him out on their long-standing feud.
In a recent interview with Hitz FM, Basketmouth discussed how he had been floundering in the business for the previous six years before deciding to return to comedy last year.
The funnyman admitted he had earned enough money from his profession to support him for the rest of his life, but he also expressed a desire to try new things. He said this:
“For the past six years I have just been floating, last year I told myself and my team, you know what I am going back to comedy I want to do five years and I am quitting. I am quitting in 5 years.
I have got five years to go to do this and I am done. I will still be cracking jokes but it wouldn’t be a professional thing. So if you see me doing any gig, it is maybe I am doing pro bono but i will not charge anybody to perform again.
I have made enough, I have committed myself to the art enough to take a break or quit. I am now into movies, series, and concert production. I want to experience something new and I want to be remembered for something else other than comedy.”
GISTLOVER recall that Nigerian comedian and performer AY Makun explained his side of the ‘beef’ he had with Basketmouth
During an interview with media personality Chude Jideonwo, he spoke very openly about the origins of his long-running feud with Basketmouth.
Recall that in 2022, AY claimed Basketmouth has a “uncontrollable superiority complex” during an Instagram question and answer session.
He went on to say that he (AY) needed to escape Basketmouth’s “constant childishness” for his own sanity. When questioned if he had problems with Basketmouth, AY Comedian responded as follows:
“I don’t have issues with him. But people having unnecessary issues with you is the price you sometimes pay for being progressive. He has been battling with his uncontrollable SUPERIORITY COMPLEX for the longest. So avoiding his incessant childishness only became necessary for my own sanity.”
In a recent conversation with Chude, AY clarified the contentious remark by saying his problem with Basketmouth dates back to 2006.
He described going to fill in for Basketmouth at an event for which he was due to pay him N30,000, but Basketmouth told him a lie that the event host wasn’t happy with his work in order to get out of paying him.
Read his full narration below:
“In 2006, (Basketmouth) usually will get gigs Iike weddings- multiple gigs on a Saturday, maybe 2/3 weddings. So what he used to do at that point in time was to attend one, then at a point, leave the venue and catch up in the other venue and then you will need someone else to stand in for you. That was the opportunity 1 got from him of which I am very appreciative of till date.
“Now, Something funny happened. One of the gigs per say, I got his endorsement to go stand in. Usually what we get at that time is N30,000 and 30,000 at that time was everything to me. 30,000 would buy me my pack of indomie, recharge cards, fuel for my 1 better pass my neighbor generator and then opportunity to pay just one or two people to join me to do one or two skits that I can just quickly put out.
“I got this job and the people weren’t too happy to see me around the venue because they were expecting a Basketmouth to come. Long story short, the guy was later happy after the performance. There was an exchange of contacts. Then I left. Two weeks running, I haven’t seen 30k. Because I didn’t see the 30k, and I was starving in lponri, I decided to ask for 30K and he said this person hasn’t remitted, this person hasn’t paid, you they’ re not happy because of this and all of that.
“And then me l was like, ahahn… but this person na, shebi you tell me say you were impressed and happy? Give my oga hin money na, make my oga take settle me and all of that. Me,I dont care if you give Basket 100k for the job but my 30k is my 30k.
“It was very funny to now hear from them knowing that this full payment has been made long before the event.
“I said ‘0-kay, is that the situation?’. So I forwarded this one’s message to this one and vice versa. So they now started fighting each other and all of that. 1 didn’t do that because I wanted to get at Basketmouth per say. I did that because I was hungry, I was hustling and needed food on the table at the time.”
