Olanrewaju Vector is a Nigerian rapper and songwriter whose stage name is David Ogunmefun. Two of his four studio albums are State of Surprise and The Second Coming (2012). He has been the voice of a Sprite commercial that airs on radio stations throughout Nigeria since 2009. He also had the “longest freestyle rap in Nigeria.” In November 2019, he formed a partnership with Starstruck Management Inc. and Create Music Group to release his fourth studio album, an extended play titled “Vibes Before Teslim: The Journey To Self Discovery.”
Early Life and Education
Lanre, the fourth of five children, was born in Lagos State on August 7, 1984, but he is originally from Ogun State. He attended primary and secondary school in both Ogun and Lagos states. In Lagos, Nigeria, he attended Command Children’s School, Ijebu Ode Grammar School, Government College Victoria Island, and Saint Gregory’s College Ikoyi. He then attended the University of Lagos, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy in 2008.
Career
He began his hip-hop career in junior high school in 1994. He took part in a variety of social events at St. Gregory’s College, including one in which he was required to perform on stage. In 1999, he formed the duo Badder Boiz, and the following year, they began performing as a trio. In 1999, they took part in talent shows and recorded their first demo. Vector was heading in the direction of becoming an emcee. Vector, Krystal, and Blaze were a trio until 2004, when Krystal broke up the group due to irreconcilable differences.
Vector released “Kilode,” the first official single from his album State of Surprise, in February 2010. He later made the song’s music video available in June 2010. In April of that year, he released his second official single, “Mary Jane.” Eloka “Culture” Oligbo was the album’s executive producer, and it was released on October 29, 2010. The production was done by Ade Piper, Emmsong, Sista Soul, General Pype, Chuddy K, H-Code, Sam Klef, Da Piano, J-Smith, Xela Xelz, and Vibez Production.
“Born Leader” is Vector’s third single from his second album, The Second Coming. He shot the video in Miami, Florida, and Antwan Smith directed it. In August 2013, Pheelz included him in the song “Popular,” which was played on radio stations across Nigeria.
His tracks “Angeli” ft. 9ice and “Mr Vector,” both produced by Sagzy and released on May 19, 2011, received widespread airplay. The music video for “Angeli” was released in October 2011. Vector’s song “Born Leader,” featuring Mavado from DJ Khaled’s We the Best Music Group, was released.
Personal Life
Vector released the rap song “King Kong” in January 2015, followed by the music video the following month. Vector released two remixes in May and June of 2015, the first featuring Phyno, Reminisce, Classiq, and Uzi, and the second featuring Ghanaian rapper Sarkodie. The first remix video was released in July 2015. On July 15, he released a new song called “Kanawan Dabo,” and on July 24, he released a freestyle called “8.” In May 2020, he signed a recording contract with Def Jam Africa, the Nigerian division of Def Jam Recordings.
Little is known about his romantic life. The singer has always kept his personal life private. He allegedly dated a woman named Gbemisola, with whom he has a daughter.
Controversy
Reminisce and Vector
“ATA (Street Kitchen Reply)” by Reminisce features the line, “V-E what shit ki lo’n je be?” Shebi iwo lo rap ju shit o ma pe’n nbe” in response to Vector’s verse on Sauce Kid’s “KitcheStreet,” in which Vector stated, “For all those boys wey dey show.” Ti e ba fe ma form pe eyin lata ani tomato ma to.”
Following this incident, Vector responded with the song “Distractions (Reminisce Diss),” which he co-wrote with renowned lyricist A-Q. “Cause you bleach your skin doesn’t mean you’re enlightened, Pig,” he said. “I’m the base and my crew be strong, you can’t be the best because you had one stupid song,” he added. But you, your life is like one of your low-budget videos.
Vector and Jude “M.I” Abaga
In a rap battle with Jude “M.I” Abaga, he released diss tracks like “The Purge” (featuring Vader and Paper) and #JudasTheRat in response to M.I’s #ThaViper. Vector and Jude “M.I” Abaga appeared to have put an end to their feud in the third and final installment of “The Conversation,” a Hennessy Nigeria documentary series based on M.I and Vector’s rivalry. The two met face to face and talked about what had happened between them. Both rappers discussed what sparked the feud and their feelings toward one another. M.I stated that he believes Vector simply dislikes him, whereas Vector believes M.I is cunning and deceptive.
When asked if a collaboration was possible during the interview, Vector responded, “If this energy is pure, then there is no way I don’t see a collaboration happening.” However, in February 2021, he stated that his beef with M. I sold them some records. “Did we make money with the beef tracks?” he asked. Yes, the records have been sold. Yes, fans have a particular preference for beef tracks. Our songs were heavily streamed; in fact, we trended at number one on Genius.com, a lyrics website, implying that Nigerians can go on and write something for the rest of the world to read and enjoy.
Discography
Studio Albums
- State of Surprise (2010)
- The Second Coming (2012)
- Lafiaji (2016)
Mixtapes
- Bar-Racks The Mixtape (2012)
- A7 (2014)
Extended Plays
- The Rap Dialogue (2018)
- Vibes Before Teslim (2019)
- The African Mind (2020)
Collaborative Albums
- Crossroads EP ( With Masterkraft ) (2020)
Selected Singles
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 2011 | Angeli feat.9ice |
| 2015 | “King Kong” (Remix) (featuring Phyno, Reminisce, ClassiQ and Uzi) |
| 2015 | “King Kong” (Remix) (featuring Sarkodie) |
| 2016 | “Agege”(Splash featuring Vector) |
| 2017 | “Gunshot” |
| 2017 | “Gee Boys” (featuring CDQ) |
| 2017 | “Like My Daddy” |
| 2017 | “Seaside” (featuring Korede Bello) |
| 2018 | “This One Is” |
| 2018 | “Mad” |
| 2018 | “Be Happy” (featuring Daddy Showkey) |
| 2019 | “This Vector Sef” |
| 2019 | “Comfort” (featuring Davido) |
| 2021 | “License” |
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | June | Adewale |
| 2018 | Lara & The Beat | Sally. aka. Mr Beats |
TV and Series
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Shuga Naija | Himself |
| 2020 | Shuga Naija: Alone Together Web Series | Himself |
Awards and Nominations
- Best Rap Single at The Headies 2015 (won)
- Lyricist On The Roll at The Headies 2015 (won)
- Best Afro Hip-Hop Video at the Nigerian Music Video Awards (NMVA) 2012 (won)
- Lyricist On The Roll The Headies 2012 (won)
- Best Rap Single at The Headies 2012 (won)
- Best Rap Act at the Nigeria Entertainment Awards (NEA) 2012 (won)
- Recognition Award at the DYNAMIX Youth Awards 2012 (won)
- Best Mainstream Hip-Hop Video at the Nigerian Music Video Awards (NMVA) 2011 (won)
- Most Promising Act to Watch at the Nigerian Entertainment Awards (NEA) 2011 (nominated)
- Lyricist On The Roll at The Headies 2011 (nominated)
- Best New Act at the DYNAMIX Youth Awards 2011 (nominated)
Net Worth
Vector tha Viper, as he is called by his fans, signed an endorsement deal with whisky brand Jack Daniels in 2014, and he is reported to be worth $5 million.
