Afropolitan

Gaise Baba How a Gospel Song Went Viral Before Release Faith Discipline and the Untold Story of “No Turning Back” In this episode of The Afropolitan Podcast, we sit down with Gaise Baba, one of the most important voices shaping Afro Gospel, to unpack the real story behind how his song “No Turning Back” became a global movement before it was ever officially released. From organizing free concerts while broke, to navigating criticism from the church, personal grief, and long seasons of obscurity, Gaise Baba shares a raw and honest journey built on faith, discipline, and conviction. This conversation explores how preparation meets purpose when nobody is watching. We dive into: How “No Turning Back” went viral on TikTok and Instagram before release, and why timing mattered more than strategy The real economics of gospel music in Nigeria, and why African artists are quietly out earning Western counterparts Faith versus logic in creativity, business, and decision making The backlash around modern gospel music and how Gaise Baba stayed rooted through criticism What it really means to build while broke, unseen, and underestimated This episode goes beyond music. It is about identity, discipline, legacy, grief, and cultural influence. If you are a creator, artist, founder, or someone navigating purpose in a noisy world, this conversation will stay with you. Welcome to The Afropolitan Podcast, where African stories are told with honesty, depth, and pride. Follow Gaise Baba Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gaisebaba/  Subscribe to Afropolitan Podcast For more unfiltered conversations with Africa’s boldest builders and storytellers. Twitter – https://x.com/afropolitan Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/afropolitanpodcast LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/company/afropolitannation/ Website – https://www.afropolitan.io Join the Network State – https://afropolitan.io/join 🔗 Community – afropolitan.io/community Newsletter – afropolitan.io/newsletter  Sponsored by: VBan: The borderless banking app built for Africa’s digital workforce. Use code AFROPOLITAN to sign up → https://vban.com Inverroche Gin: South Africa’s premium craft gin that fuses heritage botanicals with innovation. Discover more → https://www.inverroche.com Risevest — Invest globally in dollar-denominated stocks, real estate & fixed income. Sign up → https://click.risevest.com/gb0g/afropolitan Convo by Afropolitan — Book 1-on-1 calls with Africa’s boldest thinkers. Visit https://convo.vip/ Listen Everywhere: YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@Afropolitan Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/show/6YwRlkSOq8e35xU6bOp9pU Apple – https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/afropolitan/id1808954585 Hosted by: Eche – https://www.linkedin.com/in/eemole/ Chika – https://www.linkedin.com/in/chikauwazie/ 0:00 - Intro & Teaser 2:09 - How Gaise Baba Got Into Gospel Music 4:24 - Personal Faith Journey & Encounter at 18 5:57 - Navigating Criticism of Modern Gospel Sound 9:08 - The Light Up Movement: Free School Concerts 15:42 - Advice for Creators Building in Obscurity 18:27 - No Turning Back: The Viral Rollout Strategy 22:51 - The Song Blew Before It Was Released 25:00 - The Unlikely Collaboration with Lawrence Oyor 29:02 - Shooting the Music Video with 1,000+ Church Members 36:24 - How the Lawrence Oyor Collaboration Happened 41:02 - Understanding the Gospel Music Industry Economics 44:29 - Nigeria as the New Frontier for Worship Music 52:06 - Moving by Faith: Organizing Events with Nothing 57:05 - Lessons from Berklee College of Music 1:03:06 - Why Light Must Operate in Darkness 1:09:05 - Christians Need to Be at the Table 1:17:17 - Losing His Mom & Releasing No Turning Back 1:25:01 - The Spiritual Regiment That Prepared Him 1:26:12 - Advice for Young Men Finding Their Way Back to God 1:34:48 - Rapid Fire: Favorite Food, Gospel Song & Artists 1:38:28 - Who Should Be on the Podcast Next: Soji Labby

In this episode of Afropolitan Podcast, we sit with Tracy Nwapa, Nigerian entrepreneur, interior designer, and founder of Interior Culture by Obiageli, Slice Lagos, Pavilion a as she opens up about building culture, losing everything, and starting again in Lagos. From dominating Lagos nightlife during Detty December to navigating betrayal, co-founder conflict, and walking away from a business she built from the ground up, Tracy shares the unfiltered realities of hospitality, ownership, and resilience in Nigeria. We explore how Tracy went from media and broadcast journalism to interior design, restaurants, and nightlife, why hospitality is one of the hardest businesses in Lagos, and what it truly takes to build experiences that people remember. This conversation goes beyond nightlife. It’s about purpose, feminine leadership in male-dominated industries, building with integrity in broken systems, and why Nigeria still feels like home despite the chaos. If you’re an entrepreneur, creative, builder, or part of the African diaspora thinking about coming back home, this episode will challenge how you think about success, ownership, and resilience. Welcome to The Afropolitan Podcast where African stories are told with honesty, depth, and pride. 🔗 FOLLOW THE GUEST Tracy Nwapa Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/ Slice Lagos – https://www.instagram.com/slicelagos/  🔗 FOLLOW AFROPOLITAN Website – https://www.afropolitan.io Instagram – https://instagram.com/afropolitan Twitter – https://twitter.com/afropolitan Community – https://afropolitan.io/community Newsletter – https://afropolitan.io/newsletter SPONSORED BY VBan – Borderless banking for Africa’s digital workforce Use code AFROPOLITAN → https://vban.com Inverroche Gin – South Africa’s premium craft gin blending heritage botanicals with innovation https://www.inverroche.com Risevest – Invest globally in dollar-denominated stocks, real estate & fixed income https://click.risevest.com/gb0g/afropolitan Convo by Afropolitan – Book 1-on-1 calls with Africa’s boldest thinkers https://convo.vip 0:00 - Introduction 2:00 - What People Get Wrong About Hospitality in Lagos 4:07 - How Tracy Dominated Lagos Last December 7:00 - Being a Woman in a Male-Dominated Industry 8:00 - How Tracy Stumbled Into Hospitality 11:28 - Advice for Diaspora Entrepreneurs Moving Back to Nigeria 15:04 - What Nigeria Offers That Nowhere Else Does 19:29 - Getting Into Interior Design Business 25:55 - The Interior Design Business Model in Nigeria 32:04 - Parents' Reaction to Her Success 33:37 - Co-Founder Conflict & Walking Away from Slice 42:57 - The Moment She Decided to Build Again 48:00 - The Role of Rage in Rebuilding 52:46 - Dealing with Betrayal from Staff 57:01 - The Fundraising Journey 1:00:32 - Introducing CUSP: Luxury West African Fine Dining 1:05:02 - Introducing FOMO: The Future of Nightlife 1:08:51 - Retirement Plans from the Nightlife Business 1:21:36 - Rapid Fire Questions 1:29:06 - Meeting FOMO Prime (The Robot) 1:33:00 - Closing & Who Should Be Next

In this episode of The Afropolitan Podcast, we sit with one of Africa’s biggest creators, Tayo Aina, to unpack the truth behind building a global creative career from Lagos. From driving Uber without knowing how to drive, to teaching himself filmmaking, to fighting immigration systems across Africa, Tayo’s journey is the blueprint for the next generation of African storytellers. We discuss the moment J. Cole’s visit to Lagos changed his life, how MrBeast discovering his videos shifted his global visibility, and the hidden mechanics behind building a world-class YouTube career from Africa. We break down the real challenges African creators face brutal CPM disparities, visa walls, platform discrimination, and the hidden costs of chasing a dream in a system not designed for you. But we also explore the beauty, the innovation, the hunger, and the global ambition that make African creators unstoppable. This conversation goes beyond content. It’s about identity, economic mobility, purpose, migration, belonging, and the future of Africa’s attention economy. If you’re a creator, builder, founder, or diaspora kid navigating your own journey, this episode will speak to you. Welcome to the Afropolitan era where Africans tell their stories with power, pride, and global influence. Follow Tayo Aina Tayo Aina YouTube – https://youtube.com/@TayoAinaFilms Instagram – https://instagram.com/tayoainafilms Twitter – https://twitter.com/tayoainafilms Subscribe to Afropolitan Podcast For more unfiltered conversations with Africa’s boldest builders, thinkers, and creators: Twitter – https://x.com/afropolitan Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/afropolitanpodcast LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/company/afropolitannation/ Website – https://www.afropolitan.io Community – https://afropolitan.io/community Newsletter – https://afropolitan.io/newsletter Sponsored by VBan – Borderless banking for Africa’s digital workforce. Use code AFROPOLITAN → https://vban.com Inverroche Gin – South Africa’s premium craft gin blending heritage botanicals with innovation. https://www.inverroche.com Risevest – Invest globally in dollar-denominated stocks, real estate & fixed income. Sign up → https://click.risevest.com/gb0g/afropolitan Convo by Afropolitan – Book 1-on-1 calls with Africa’s boldest thinkers. Visit https://convo.vip 0:00 - Airport strip search story 2:01 - What people misunderstand about being a creative 3:27 - Origin story: Uber driver days (2017) 4:39 - Learning to drive on the job 6:58 - First YouTube videos documenting Lagos 9:40 - Income from Uber driving 11:00 - The breakthrough moment decision 12:04 - Security issues and leaving Lagos for Abuja 13:05 - First wedding shoot and transition to video production 13:28 - Jékýllí concert video that got 1M views 15:07 - First monetized video (real estate content) 15:56 - The YouTube PIN verification problem (couldn't access money until 2020) 18:06 - Wema Bank sponsor ad 19:03 - Content creation as a business 21:00 - The attention economy explained 22:29 - Translating the world as an African creator 25:23 - San Francisco experience and observations 27:10 - First country visited: Russia (2018 World Cup) 29:02 - Starting full-time YouTube (August 2019) 32:27 - Advice for starting a YouTube channel 36:00 - Discovering CPM rate disparities 39:23 - Monetization challenges in Nigeria vs. US 42:20 - Making videos for US audiences 47:27 - Ethiopian airport discrimination experience 50:03 - South African visa issues 51:45 - Getting St. Kitts passport decision 56:27 - Moving to Portugal (2 years ago) 1:01:26 - Quality of life comparison: US vs Europe 1:04:02 - Why creators should build products not just views 1:09:00 - Baroche sponsor ad 1:09:56 - Rise Vest sponsor ad 1:11:38 - Convo sponsor ad 1:11:52 - Rapid fire questions begin 1:15:07 - Moving back to Nigeria conversation 1:27:00 - YouTube Creator Academy (training 3000+ people) 1:30:00 - Future plans: real estate and production studio 1:42:00 - Final question: Who should be on the podcast next

Tayo Oviosu, founder & CEO of Paga, one of Africa’s most successful mobile money companies processing over $20 billion in transactions, joins The Afropolitan Podcast for a rare, unfiltered conversation on fintech, leadership, diaspora identity, and building in Nigeria through crisis, chaos, and conviction. From leaving a stable career in the US to pioneering digital payments in a pre-fintech Nigeria, Tayo shares the untold story behind Paga’s early struggles, near-death moments, and the strategy that turned it into one of Africa’s biggest financial infrastructure companies. More than entrepreneurship, this episode explores the psychology of resilience, navigating naira devaluation, regulation, global perceptions of Africa, and the emotional weight of building for 200 million people when systems are broken. He opens up about: ✦ What Silicon Valley still gets wrong about Africa ✦ The hidden cost of building in Nigeria, power, security, FX, people ✦ Why diaspora identity is an advantage, not a conflict ✦ Lessons from raising capital before “African tech” was a thing ✦ Why fintech in Africa isn’t a product, it’s infrastructure ✦ What the next decade of African money will look like ✦ Why founders burn out and how to stay sane in unstable markets If you’re a founder, operator, investor, or future builder across Africa and the diaspora, this is a masterclass in vision, endurance, and building systems that outlive you. Follow Tayo Oviosu LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/oviosu Twitter – https://x.com/tayoov  Subscribe to Afropolitan Podcast For more unfiltered conversations with Africa’s boldest builders, thinkers, and creators: Twitter – https://x.com/afropolitan Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/afropolitanpodcast LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/company/afropolitannation/ Website – https://www.afropolitan.io Community – https://afropolitan.io/community Newsletter – https://afropolitan.io/newsletter Sponsored by VBan – Borderless banking for Africa’s digital workforce. Use code AFROPOLITAN → https://vban.com Inverroche Gin – South Africa’s premium craft gin blending heritage botanicals with innovation. https://www.inverroche.com Risevest – Invest globally in dollar-denominated stocks, real estate & fixed income. Sign up → https://click.risevest.com/gb0g/afropolitan Convo by Afropolitan – Book 1-on-1 calls with Africa’s boldest thinkers. Visit https://convo.vip Book 1:1 with Eche - https://convo.vip/echeemole Book 1:1 with Chika - https://convo.vip/chikauwazie TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Intro 02:18 Leaving the US: The Moment Tayo Realized He Had to Build for Nigeria 05:02 Nigeria’s Cash Chaos: The Origin Story Behind Paga 08:44 How to Raise Money When No One Believed in African Startups 12:33 Regulators, Rejections and Early Paga Near-Failures 16:11 Why Payments in Africa Requires Infrastructure Not Just an App 19:52 How Diaspora Identity Became Tayo’s Hidden Advantage 24:31 Surviving Nigeria’s Naira Crisis, FX, Inflation and Founder Psychology 28:46 Hiring in Nigeria Talent, Trust, Burnout and High-Performance Teams 33:12 The Harsh Reality of Building a Business in Nigeria 36:48 Why Paga Succeeded When So Many African Fintechs Failed 41:20 Africa’s Money Future, Digital Wallets and Financial Inclusion 45:55 How Founders Stay Sane While Building in Dysfunction 50:22 Competing With Banks, Telcos and Big Tech in Emerging Markets 55:03 Government, Regulation and Playing the Long Game 01:00:44 The Chaos Years, Power, Security and Founder Sacrifice 01:05:39 What Silicon Valley Still Misunderstands About Africa Raising Global Capital Today vs Ten Years Ago 01:15:58 Africa’s Fintech Wave Is Just Beginning 01:20:36 What Founders Need to Win, Discipline, Clarity and Survival Tactics 01:25:18 Should Diaspora Africans Move Back, Tayo’s Unfiltered Advice 01:29:43 What Tayo Would Tell His 25-Year-Old Self 01:34:02 The Next Decade of African Innovation 01:38:27 Final Reflections and Closing Thoughts

FOLLOW ADETUTU Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/ Woof Studios – (add link) SUBSCRIBE TO AFROPOLITAN PODCAST For more unfiltered conversations with Africa’s boldest builders, creators, and storytellers. Twitter – https://x.com/afropolitan Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/afropolitanpodcast LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/company/afropolitannation/ Website – https://www.afropolitan.io Join the Network State – https://afropolitan.io/join Community – https://afropolitan.io/community Newsletter – https://afropolitan.io/newsletter Book 1:1 with Eche - https://convo.vip/echeemole Book 1:1 with Chika - https://convo.vip/chikauwazie Listen to more Afropolitan Podcast episodes: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Afropolitan    Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6YwRlkSOq8e35xU6bOp9pU?si=b3a132f9afb3459f&nd=1&dlsi=32c01e3224ac4c64  Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/afropolitan/id1808954585  Hosted by Eche — https://www.linkedin.com/in/eemole/    Chika — https://www.linkedin.com/in/chikauwazie/    This episode is sponsored by: Vban, short for VIRTUAL BANK ACCOUNT NUMBER is the borderless banking app built for Africa’s digital workforce. Use the code AFROPOLITAN to sign up: https://vban.com Inverroche Gin, South Africa’s premium craft gin that fuses heritage botanicals with innovation. Discover more: https://www.inverroche  Risevest, a digital wealth-manager connecting you to global, dollar-denominated investments in US stocks, real estate & fixed income.  Use this link to sign up: https://click.risevest.com/gb0g/afropolitan  Convo by Afropolitan – Book 1:1 calls with Africa’s boldest thinkers. https://convo.vip/ TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Intro 00:28 Why now is the moment for African creators 01:25 How creators actually get paid in Nigeria 02:23 Why multinational brands don’t spend in Africa 03:41 Why African creators earn less than US creators 04:40 The new money in social commerce, affiliates & merch 05:09 How global creators build multi-country audiences 06:03 Why Nigerian filmmakers win, distribution secrets 07:01 Why she deeply cares about creators 08:56 What creators misunderstand about YouTube money 10:22 Why tech companies deprioritise Africa 11:44 Ranking TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn 14:36 Why YouTube is still the best platform in 2025 17:38 Why TikTok grows fastest (but pays least) 18:06 Breaking banking & payment barriers on the continent 20:02 Why African storytelling hasn’t broken globally 22:33 How she took creators to Cannes Lions 25:48 Inside the YouTube Plugged In event 29:07 Leaving Google: the real story 32:22 The business model behind WOLF Studios 33:43 Which industries pay creators the most 38:02 How to manage brands, teams & bad stakeholders 40:50 Building structure as a creator 41:45 How Afropolitan can scale globally 44:27 Why WOLF Studios rejects certain creator verticals 48:29 The future of licensing, web series & Nollywood 55:21 Should Nollywood charge micro-fees? 57:46 Why FOMO is the missing monetisation lever 01:00:26 What TV stations will pay creators for 01:02:19 The trillion-dollar opportunity in social commerce 01:05:24 Final toasts 01:06:17 Why RiseVest matters 01:07:13 Rapid Fire 01:11:22 Creator burnout & how to reinvent 01:13:18 Final message