| Oleku | |
| Cover: | Olekualbumcover.jpg |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | Ice Prince featuring Brymo |
| Album: | Everybody Loves Ice Prince |
| Recorded: | 2010 |
| Label: | Chocolate City |
| Producer: | Jesse Abaga |
| Chronology: | Ice Prince |
| Prev Title: | Rewind |
| Prev Year: | 2010 |
| Next Title: | Superstar |
| Next Year: | 2011 |
"Oleku" is a song by Nigerian rapper Ice Prince. It features vocals by Brymo and was released as the lead single from his debut studio album, Everybody Loves Ice Prince (2011).[1] "Oleku" received positive reviews and became one of the most remixed Nigerian songs of all time.[2] It was also one of the most popular Nigerian songs of 2010, along with Naeto C's "Ten Over Ten" and D'banj's "Scapegoat".[3] "Oleku" won several accolades, including Hottest Single of the Year at the 2011 Nigeria Entertainment Awards and Song of the Year at the 2011 City People Entertainment Awards.
During an interview with Tim Westwood on BBC Radio 1Xtra, Ice Prince said "Oleku" translates to hard or strong.[4] He told Factory 78 TV he began writing the song's lyrics after receiving a beat from Sarz and that Jesse Jagz played different chords and created the instrumental after hearing him sing "she feeling me boy yeah, she feeling me boy". Moreover, he said he needed more melodies and reached out to Brymo. The song's entire instrumental was recorded under 30 minutes.[5]
The accompanying music video for "Oleku", which was released in 2011, features cameo appearances from M.I, Jesse Jagz and Wizkid. Ice Prince also told Factory 78 TV that Chocolate City did not like the first cut submitted and told the director to redo the video. An unauthorized release of the first cut surfaced on the internet prior to the official release.[6]
| Year | Awards ceremony | Award description(s) | Results | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Dynamix All Youth Awards | Song of the Year | [7] | |
| 2011 | City People Entertainment Awards | [8] | ||
| Nigeria Entertainment Awards | Hottest Single of the Year | [9] | ||
| Nigeria Music Video Awards (NMVA) | Best Contemporary Afro Video | [10] | ||
| Channel O Music Video Awards | Most Gifted Newcomer Video | [11] | ||
| The Headies | Best Rap Single | [12] | ||
| Song of the Year | ||||
| Best Collaboration | ||||
| Next Rated (Ice Prince for "Oleku") | ||||
| Lyricist on the Roll (Ice Prince for "Oleku") |
Since the official release of "Oleku" in 2010, numerous remixes and cover versions have been released. "Oleku" is one of Nigeria's most remixed songs of all time.[13] It was covered by Kagwe Mungai,[14] Vector, Mugeez of R2Bees, Victoria Kimani, Sarkodie and Yung6ix, among others.