The Invisible Man, It: Chapter Two, Midsommar, Doctor Sleep, Freaky, Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark & more

THE INVISIBLE MAN | Critically acclaimed blockbuster HG Wells’ adaptation starring Elisabeth Moss

When Cecilia’s abusive ex takes his own life and leaves her his fortune, she suspects his death was a hoax. As a series of coincidences turns lethal, Cecilia works to prove that she is being hunted by someone nobody can see.

Emmy winner Elisabeth Moss (The Handmaid’s Tale) stars in The Invisible Man, which was named Rotten Tomatoes’ best-reviewed movie of 2020 in three categories: wide-release film, horror movie, and Australian film. The nail-biting horror is the eighth best-reviewed horror movie of all time on Rotten Tomatoes, with a 91% critics’ rating.

Inspired by HG Wells’ novel, The Invisible Man is adapted and directed by award-winning horror aficionado Leigh Whannell, who co-created the Saw franchise. The cast includes Oliver Jackson-Cohen (The Haunting of Hill House, The Haunting of Bly Manor); Black Reel award nominee Aldis Hodge (Underground, Hidden Figures); and BET and Teen Choice nominee Storm Reid (Euphoria, A Wrinkle in Time).

The 15th highest-grossing box office film of 2020 globally, The Invisible Man has won 40 international awards, including Best Horror Movie and Best Actress: Horror at the 2021 Critics’ Choice Super Awards, and was a 2020 People’s Choice nominee for Favourite Movie. As Rolling Stone says, “Alive with fresh thinking from Whannell and a dynamite Elisabeth Moss, this socially conscious horrorshow tips the old monster mash into way scarier sh*t about toxic masculinity that’s as timely as #MeToo and Harvey Weinstein in handcuffs.”

IT: CHAPTER TWO | Award-winning, star-studded Stephen King adaptation

Twenty-seven years after their first encounter with the terrifying Pennywise, the members of the Losers Club have grown up and moved away, until a devastating phone call brings them back.

Oscar nominee Jessica Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty, Interstellar) stars as the adult Beverly Marsh, multiple-BAFTA winner James McAvoy (His Dark Materials and X-Men’s young Charles Xavier) plays Bill Denbrough, and Emmy winner Bill Hader (Barry) received four separate awards nominations for his role as the adult Richie Tozier.

A stellar cast of youngsters reprise their roles from the first film, including Teen Choice nominees Sophia Lillis (I Am Not Okay With This), Finn Wolfhard (Stranger Things) and Jeremy Ray Taylor (Are You Afraid of the Dark?), MTV Movie Awards winner Jack Dylan Grazer (Shazam!, We Are Who We Are), and Critics Choice’ nominee Jaeden Martell (Knives Out, St. Vincent). Bill Skarsgård (The Devil All the Time, Castle Rock) also returns in his Teen Choice-nominated role as Pennywise.

It: Chapter Two won four Fright Meter Awards and was also nominated for four 2021 Saturn Awards, including Best Horror Film, two 2020 Fangoria Chainsaw Awards, and two IGN Summer Movie Awards. Empire Magazine calls it, “A psychologically merciless sequel,” saying, “everything here is as it should be: deeper, scarier, funnier. [Director] Muschietti in particular has stepped up, skilfully guiding us through a rollicking funhouse. It is obscenely entertaining.”

MIDSOMMAR | Folk horror from Ari Aster, starring Florence Pugh

In Midsommar, a troubled couple travels to a rural Swedish town’s fabled midsummer festival, but what begins as an idyllic retreat quickly devolves into an increasingly violent and bizarre competition at the hands of a pagan cult.

Oscar nominee Florence Pugh (Little Women, Black Widow) stars alongside the likes of Sundance Special Jury Prize winner Jack Reynor (Strange Angel) and Emmy nominee William Jackson Harper (The Underground Railroad, The Good Place).

Written and directed by multi-award-winning director Ari Aster (Hereditary), Midsommar won five 2020 Fangoria Chainsaw Awards, including Best Wide-Release Film, and 23 other accolades around the world. Earlier this year, Midsommar was also nominated for Best Horror Film by the Academy of Science Fiction Fantasy and Horror Films. “If you’re looking for the scariest movie ever shot in blinding sunlight, the raw and riveting Midsommar is it,” says Rolling Stone.

Midsommar is the 44^th best-reviewed horror of all time on Rotten Tomatoes, with an 83% critics’ rating. As the critics’ consensus there says, “Ambitious, impressively crafted, and above all unsettling, Midsommar further proves writer-director Ari Aster is a horror auteur to be reckoned with.”

FREAKY | Award-winning body-swap horror with Kathryn Newton and Vince Vaughn

Slasher comedy Freaky takes Freaky Friday to a whole new level when less-than-popular teenager Millie unintentionally switches bodies with the middle-aged serial killer terrorising her town. As the body count rises and the clock ticks down, Millie and her friends have less than 24 hours to stop Murder Barbie before the change becomes permanent…

Starring Young Artist Award winner Kathryn Newton (Big Little Lies, The Society) and MTV Movie Award, People’s Choice and Teen Choice winner Vince Vaughn (Wedding Crashers, The Break-Up), Freaky’s cast also includes Alan Ruck (Succession, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off).

Vaughn won Best Actor in a Horror Movie at the 2021 Critics’ Choice Super Awards, where Freaky was also up for Best Horror Movie and Newton was nominated for both Best Actress in a Horror Movie and Best Villain. Freaky also picked up nominations from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films for Best Horror Film, the Fright Meter Awards for Best Actress (Newton) and the MTV Movie Awards for Most Frightened Performance (Vaughn).

Produced by triple-Oscar nominee Jason Blum (Get Out, BlacKkKlansman) and directed by Christopher Landon (who directed Happy Death Day and wrote four of the Paranormal Activity films), Freaky has an 83% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with AV Club saying there’s “something oddly satisfying about unmasking a slasher movie to reveal the ’80s comedy lurking underneath.” As Slate says, “As strange as it may sound, Freaky is one of the 2020 movies that comes closest to being truly feel-good.”

DOCTOR SLEEP | Stephen King adaptation, starring Ewan McGregor, from Mike Flanagan

Stephen King’s horror classic Doctor Sleep picks up years after the events of The Shining, as a now-adult, alcoholic Dan Torrance finds himself protecting a young girl with similar powers from a cult known as The True Knot, who prey on children with powers to remain immortal.

Doctor Sleep was nominated for Best Film, Best Actor (Emmy winner Ewan McGregor from Fargo and Star Wars), and Best Director (Mike Flanagan of Midnight Mass, The Haunting of Bly Manor and The Haunting of Hill House fame) at both the Fright Meter and the Fangoria Chainsaw awards, with Golden Globe nominee Rebecca Ferguson (The White Queen and the Mission: Impossible movies) winning Best Supporting Actress at both.

Doctor Sleep has a 78% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes, where the critics consensus says the horror “balances poignant themes against spine-tingling chills.”

SCARY STORIES TO TELL IN THE DARK | Award-winning horror, based on Guillermo del Toro’s screen story

From the dark imaginations of Oscar winner Guillermo del Toro (Pan’s Labyrinth, The Shape of Water) and acclaimed director André Øvredal (Trollhunter) comes Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, based on the iconic book series.

It’s 1968 in America. Change is blowing in the wind but the small town of Mill Valley seems far removed from the unrest in the cities. For generations, the shadow of the Bellows family has loomed large there. In their mansion on the edge of town, Sarah, a young girl with horrible secrets, turned her tortured life into a series of scary stories, written in a book that has transcended time – stories that have a way of becoming all too real for a group of teenagers who discover Sarah’s terrifying home…

Nominated for Best Horror Film by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films earlier this year, Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark won Best Horror/Thriller Film at the National Film and Television Awards in the USA as well as Best Creature FX at the 2020 Fangoria Chainsaw Awards, among other awards.

THE HUNT | Controversial Blumhouse horror starring Betty Gilpin and Hilary Swank

Controversial horror The Hunt follows 12 strangers who wake up in a clearing. They don’t know where they are, or how they got there. They don’t know they’ve been chosen for a very specific purpose – the Hunt.

The Hunt was nominated for Best Action Movie at the 2021 Critics’ Choice Super Awards, where Emmy nominee Betty Gilpin (GLOW’s Debbie) won Best Actress: Action, beating out co-star Hilary Swank (a double-Oscar winner for Million Dollar Baby and Boys Don’t Cry), who was also nominated for Best Villain. The Hunt was also nominated for Best Wide-Release Film at the 2021 Fangoria Chainsaw Awards, among other accolades.

The Hunt is directed by Craig Zobel (Westworld, The Leftovers); written and produced by the Emmy-winning team behind Watchmen and The Leftovers, Nick Cuse and Damon Lindelof; and exec produced by triple-Oscar nominee Jason Blum (Get Out, BlacKkKlansman).

ANTEBELLUM | Slave plantation horror, starring Janelle Monáe & Gabourey Sidibe

Black Reel and Teen Choice Award winner Janelle Monáe (Moonlight, Hidden Figures) stars in the horror drama Antebellum as modern-day sociologist and author Dr Veronica Henley, who becomes trapped in a waking nightmare on a slave plantation.

Oscar nominee Gabourey Sidibe (Empire, Precious) was nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actress at this year’s Black Reel Awards, as well as at the 2021 Image Awards, where Monáe was also nominated for Outstanding Actress. Monáe also won both the Courage in Acting Award and Best Female Action Hero at the 2021 Women Film Critics’ Circle Awards, while director of photography Pedro Luque (Don’t Breathe, The Girl in the Spider’s Web) was nominated for Best Cinematography at the 2020 Fright Meter Awards.

Produced by two-time Oscar nominee Sean McKittrick (Get Out, Us, BlacKkKlansman), Antebellum’s cast also includes award-winning Zimbabwean actor Tongayi Chirisa (Palm Springs, iZombie).

New York Post calls Antebellum “a breathless watch” and Variety a “terrifying – and incredibly timely – horror movie.

HEREDITARY | Award-winning Ari Aster horror starring Toni Collette

When Ellen passes away, her daughter’s family begins to unravel increasingly terrifying secrets about her life. The more they discover, the more they find themselves trying to outrun the sinister fate they seem to have inherited.

Winner of 46 awards, including Best-Wide Release Film and Best Kill at the 2019 Fangoria Chainsaw Awards, Hereditary stars Oscar nominee Toni Collette (Unbelievable) and Alex Wolff (Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle), who both won Chainsaw Awards for their roles. Golden Globe winner Gabriel Byrne (Vikings), Golden Globe nominee Ann Dowd (The Handmaid’s Tale), and Broadway child star Milly Shapiro (Matilda) co-star.

Hereditary is the fourteenth best reviewed horror movie of all time on Rotten Tomatoes, where the film has an 89% score. As the critics’consensus there says, “Hereditary uses its classic setup as the framework for a harrowing, uncommonly unsettling horror film whose cold touch lingers long beyond the closing credits.”

THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS | Oscar-winning classic with Sir Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter

Dr. Hannibal Lecter and FBI Agent Clarice Starling remain the most iconic roles of the Oscar-winning juggernauts Sir Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster, who played them three decades ago in The Silence of the Lambs, which follows Starling as she is forced to seek out the help of a manipulative cannibal in order to track down a sadistic new serial killer.

The seminal psychological horror was the fourth-biggest film of 1991 and won five Oscars: Best Picture, Best Actor (Hopkins), Best Actress (Foster), Best Director for Jonathan Demme (Philadelphia), and Best Adapted Screenplay for writer Ted Tally’s (All the Pretty Horses) adaptation of Thomas Harris’ best-selling novel.

It’s currently at #21 on IMDb’s list of the Top-Rated Movies of all-time, with an 8.6/10 score, and is Rotten Tomatoes’ 20^th highest-rated horror movie of all time, with a 96% critics’ rating. Rolling Stone called it “mercilessly scary and mercifully humane at the same time,” and Boston Globe “stylish, intelligent, audacious… and stolen by a suave monster you’ll never forget.”

TRIGGERED | SAFTA-winning SA horror released internationally

Filmed only at night on a farm in Swellendam, Triggered is a 2021 SAFTA-winning horror movie directed and co-written by Alastair Orr (Axis Mundi).

The explosive horror follows nine former high school friends who celebrate their five-year reunion camping in a forest. Terror strikes when they wake up with suicide bombs strapped to their chests, all with varying times on their countdown clocks… and the only way to survive is by “stealing” time from one another.

The ensemble cast includes Reine Swart (SAFTA and AMAA-nominee for Siembamba), Liesl Ahlers (Friend Request), Russell Crous (The Watch, Escape Room), SAFTA winner Craig Urbani (Isidingo) and multi-award-winning actor Sean Cameron Michael (Black Sails,Fried Barry).

“It’s engineered to shock, but it’s so successful in its gore-soaked ambitions – right up to its fittingly explosive climax – that a franchise surely beckons,” says Radio Times.

THE HOUSE WITH A CLOCK IN ITS WALLS | Starter horror for teens, from Eli Roth

Ten-year-old orphan Lewis Barnavelt (Owen Vaccaro) goes to live with his strange uncle in a creaky old house whose walls contain a mysterious tick-tocking magic. When Lewis accidentally disturbs the dead, the sleepy town comes alive with dark witchery.

Based on John Bellairs’ children’s book, The House With A Clock In Its Walls stars Oscar winner Cate Blanchett and Golden Globe nominee Jack Black, as well as Golden Globe winner Kyle MacLachlan (Twin Peaks).

Rated 10-12PGVH, the #1 USA box office hit is the first younger-audience film from gore maestro Eli Roth (Hostel, Cabin Fever), who’s called it a “starter horror movie.”  Slate calls it “a bullseye… perfectly balanced between funny and scary.”

RAGE | Star-studded local horror from 2021 SXSW winner Jaco Bouwer

In Rage, a group of school-leavers descend on a tiny coastal town for a celebration of their freedom. Roxy, Sihle, Kyle, Leon, Tamsyn and Neo party on the beach and drink themselves silly every night. The townsfolk, Hermien and her son Albert, are welcoming – too welcoming. During a psychedelic trip on the beach, the friends witness a disturbing birth ritual, which could be a hallucination, or not. Soon fertility figurines start to appear at random places, and what is supposed to be the best holiday of their lives turns to horror as the teenagers are picked off one by one.

Rage is directed by Jaco Bouwer, a multi-award-winning theatre director who was SAFTA-nominated for Dwaalster and earned global acclaimed for his next horror, Gaia, which won the cinematography award at SXSW 2021 and has an 83% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Nicole Fortuin (Indemnity, Flatland) stars as Tamsyn, with The Girl From St Agnes’ breakout stars Jane de Wet (Griekwastad, Moffie) and Tristan de Beer (Raised by Wolves, Alles Malan) as Roxy and Kyle. The cast also includes two-time Silwerskerm winner Carel Nel (Gaia, Dwaalster); two-time Vita winner Lida Botha (4 Mure); Shalima Mkongi (Isithembiso, Keeping Score); Fiesta, Kanna and Fleur du Cap nominee David Viviers (Kanarie, Tali’s Baby Diaries); and Sihle Mnqwazana, who co-wrote and acted in The Fall, a New York Times critics’ choice play.

Rage has been hailed as ‘briljant’ (Son), “hair raising” (Daily Sun), “gripping” (IOL), “scary as hell” (9Lives), “quite stunning and brilliantly filmed” (Channel24), and “genuinely creepy… one of the best attempts at the genre ever made in this country” (Fortress of Solitude), with Daily Maverick saying it will “scare the living daylights out of you.”

DANIEL ISN’T REAL | Award-winning psychological horror starring Patrick Schwarzenegger

As a child, Luke witnessed something terrible, something only his imaginary friend Daniel could help him through. Now a troubled college freshman, Luke is struggling to cope, until his best friend turns up once more. But Daniel is dangerous, and he’s already inside Luke’s head…

Winner of both Best Feature and Best Director at the Brooklyn Horror Film Festival and nominated for Best Limited Release Film at the 2020 Fangoria Chainsaw Awards, Daniel Isn’t Real stars Miles Robbins (Mozart in the Jungle, Halloween) as Luke, in a performance that won Best Actor at Sitges – Catalonian International Film Festival. Daniel Isn’t Real has an 82% critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes, where the critics consensus says, “Daniel Isn’t Real, but the smart, stylish fun waiting for genre lovers in this well-acted suspense thriller is completely genuine.”

Arnie’s son Patrick Schwarzenegger (Midnight Sun) plays Daniel and the cast includes Black Reel and Empire Award nominee Sasha Lane (Utopia, American Honey); Satellite Award nominee Mary Stuart Masterson (For Life, Blindspot), Chukwudi Iwuji (Designated Survivor, When They See Us); and SXSW Gamechanger Award winner Hannah Marks (Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency).

BLADE (BOXSET) | Classic vampire horror with Wesley Snipes

Calling all Blade fans – Marvel recently gave us awesome news: production is due to start next year on the revival of Blade, with double-Oscar winner Mahershala Ali (Green Book, True Detective, Ramy) as the iconic vampire hunter.

So what better way to celebrate Halloween than a weekend binge with Wesley Snipes in the cult comic book trilogy Blade, Blade II, and Blade: Trinity, all written by David S. Goyer (The Dark Knight, Batman Begins, Dark City), who directed the third instalment.

The franchise grossed over $400 million worldwide, with double-Oscar winner Guillermo del Toro (The Shape of Water, Pan’s Labyrinth) helming the sequel and a supporting cast across the series that includes Deadpool star Ryan Reynolds, Emmy nominee Jessica Biel (The Sinner), Oscar nominee and Grammy Lifetime Achievement winner Kris Kristofferson, Hellboy star Ron Perlman, The Walking Dead star Norman Reedus, and Dominic Purcell (Legends of Tomorrow, Prison Break).

CAN’T SLEEP? THAT’S JUST THE MOVIES…

Showmax is also home to a wide-range of hit horror shows, from brand-new hits like Chucky S1 to Emmy winners like Lovecraft Countryand The Walking Dead to Emmy nominees like What We Do In The Shadows and American Horror Story: Apocalypse to Stephen King adaptation The Stand. For more options, just check out the ScareMax row on your Showmax homepage.

NOTES FOR EDITORS

The “Street Foodz Ghana” is a new docu-reality platform that seeks to appreciate and showcase the authentic Ghanaian street food and its vendors to boost tourism.

Maxima Media, the owners of FoodBay TV and the creators and curators of StreetFoodz Naija, arguably Africa’s largest food docu-reality series, have expanded their tentacles on the continent with the arrival of StreetFoodz Ghana. The show was officially launched on Thursday, October 21, 2021, during a press conference and was highlighted by the announcement of Gino brand as the headline sponsor.

The debut episode of the show, which will be aired via AdomTV – 5:30pm (Saturday), MaxTV – 6:30pm (Saturday), Joy Prime – 6:00pm (Saturday) and GHone- 6.30pm (Sunday) on 30th October 2021, will carry compelling and exciting content and celebrate (among others) a diverse range of street food vendors who are often overlooked by mainstream media.

Out of 100 and more entries made, 13 Ghana’s best food vendors who qualified to partake in the main hottest food contest ever will compete for the Grand prize worth GHc 50,000, GHc 20,000 and GHc 10, 000 including bragging rights, the crown and the grand title of “King of Street foods in Ghana” — putting a lively culinary culture, unique palates, and frequently strange civilizations to the test.

The show will also explore the street foods and its vendors from across the capital. Archival footage is combined with face-to-face interviews and follows street food chefs and their history, which is intertwined with the big picture of how influential street food is on their native country.

Speaking at the official press launch held at the Alisa Hotel, Ghana, Georgina Abbam- Baidoo Amfo, Project manager, Street Foodz Ghana said: “We used this opportunity to take a tour around the country to select 13 street food vendors who would be trained for 13 weeks. The winner will be coming out as the Street Food King in Ghana and will also get his/her aerial space renovated, an SMS tool kit (branding), and a promotional video for advertising.”

Akua Obiri-Yeboah, Marketing director, GB foods Ghana declared her entity’s unflinching support towards this move since contestants and to a large extent, Street Food Chefs rely on their brand to serve millions of consumers.

“We felt this was a very good platform because the people we are targeting rely on our products and brands to feed millions of consumers. And based on the idea and discussion we had, we felt it was a good way to reach out to the food service outlets out there. We wanted to be part of it to let them know we place high value on them for patronizing our brand. We are looking forward to having engaging and exciting experience with the team at street food and vendors.”

Olufemi Ogundoro, Managing Director of Maxima Media Group also said the move is in line with the vision of FoodBay TV to put African food on the world food map.

“Food Bay TV is a dedicated platform which focuses primarily of food and lifestyle and showcases the best of African foods to the rest of the world. Ghana has the best culture appreciation in Africa. Ghanaians are proud of their heritage and equally proud of their food. That is why we have this platform to able to showcase the best Ghanaian street food, elevating the standards and majorly boosting tourism.”

Launched in 2019, Street Foodz show is aimed at promoting local cuisine, as well as supporting entrepreneurs in the food sector and rebranding street foods. Just like the maiden edition, and the subsequent one, the 30 minutes televised and digitally transmitted docu-reality series will showcase the best of Africa’s street food delicacies.

The premiere of the latest Efia Odo series “My African Love with Efia Odo” will mark a Diaspora success in the fall of 2021 in the United States. This groundbreaking series is produced by Koby Maxwell, the multi award-winning producer of Epic Nollywood-Hollywood film “One Night in Vegas” and CEO of KM Productions. It is co-produced by Jojo Andoh of Jo Kanin Productions and Nana Danso a.k.a chairman of ND Productions. Directed by Robert Peters

“My African Love with Efia Odo” stars popular Ghanaian actress and entertainer, Efia Odo. Also featuring is Andromeda Peters (Miss United States 2018/2019) in her film making debut with this series and the award-winning media personality, Charlie Dior. Household name, Chris Attoh, is our amazing presenter along with a host of others given an ecstatic feature on the show.

“The show is highly entertaining and a must watch!” Ama K Abebrese British-Ghanaian actress, television presenter and producer of “QUOTE”

“This is the beginning of a fantastic start for the African community, there is no limit!”

Joseph Van Vicker Ghanaian Actor, Movie Director and Humanitarian

The series is unlike any popular Hollywood love story. It dabbles in a rather unconventional twist in a lady’s quest to find love amidst betrayals and heartbreaks. She ignores the red flags and warnings from her friends and family of the absurdity of finding love on a reality show. Though they are vehemently against this, she goes ahead to personally host an auditioning for a selection of 15 men to contest in what she terms ‘an in-house competition’ in the hope of finding her one true love. The eviction process involves a true test of the competitors’ personalities in the most engaging ways possible. She is provided in-house support by her trusted friends, and the twists and turns bring an all-round overwhelming reality TV series experience.

The reality TV series will be officially premiered as a red-carpet event on 19th December 2021 in Accra, Ghana at the SNAP Cinemas (Accra City Hall). It will show for 7 days from the 19th of December, 2021 to the 25th of December 2021. The show will be released in 2022 across the world on major platforms and TV networks. Tickets are available for sale in all major shopping malls in Accra and at theatre box offices on November 1st. Momo payment and ticket delivery are available at these locations. Tickets are also available online.

For a list of theatres and platforms the series will be available on, and to purchase tickets, visit www.eventbrite.com or www.myafricanlove.tv . Watch the trailer of the show via our social media pages on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Moviegoers who purchase a ticket to see “My African Love with Efia Odo” at any listed participating theatre will receive a free T-shirt and poster signed by Efia Odo. This limited offer is only available till November 30th.

Nigerian rapper LADIPOE joins LootLove via FaceTime on Apple Music 1 to talk about his latest track, “Running (feat. Fireboy DML).” He also discusses his new EP, Providence, how becoming a father changed his life, and what he’s working on next.

The Big 5
LootLove shares the 5 hottest new African tracks of the moment. This week’s selection includes new tracks from Timaya feat. Buju, Gaz Mawete feat. Vegedream, Reekado Banks, Karyendasoul feat. Nana Atta & Zakes Bantwini, and Slade feat. Sino Msolo, Tweezy & Yumbs.

Africa Rising 
Nigerian singer-songwriter AV is the latest artist featured from the Africa Rising playlist, a campaign which shines a light on the next generation of African superstars, and this week’s show features his two singles “Confession” and “Big Thug Boys.” Listen HERE.

Loot Loves
Each week, LootLove chooses her favourite track, taken from one of Apple Music’s African playlists. This week she features South African soul singer Marcus Harvey and his single, “Don’t Think About It Too Much”, from Apple Music’s Mood. playlist. Listen HERE, and find a roundup of all LootLove’s selections on Apple Music’s LootLoves playlist, HERE.

Tune in and listen to the full episode this Sunday, October 24th at 2p Lagos/London / 3p Johannesburg/Paris / 6a LA / 9a NYC on Apple Music 1 at apple.co/_AfricaNow or on Cool FM in Nigeria every Sunday at 6pm.

LADIPOE on the Providence EP

LADIPOE on keeping his fans waiting for music and what they’ll be surprised about on the EP

LADIPOE on his hesitation to follow a career in music

LADIPOE on connecting with Fireboy DML and making Running

LADIPOE on fatherhood

***

LADIPOE ON HOW HE’S FEELING IN THE BUILD-UP TO HIS EP RELEASE

“Feeling” genuinely describes how I feel. It’s two things. It’s humbling, but it’s very, very motivating because I can taste it now and once I can taste it, I can’t let go. So yeah, it was a good year and we can make it better.

LADIPOE ON “PROVIDENCE”

One of the most important things to me about the project is the definition of the word “providence.” It means timely preparation for future eventualities. And it also means the protection and the guidance of God. So really that’s how I feel like my career has been. It’s been one where once I accepted this is what I wanted to do. I feel like all the things that have happened are preparing me for moments such as this and the ones that are to come.
While I can say I feel humbled and motivated, I don’t feel like I don’t belong. I feel like I’m right where I need to be, so that’s the energy and the attitude behind the project. I started it in 2019. The idea of releasing it came when I put out a song, I did this thing called ‘Revival Sunday,’ releasing a song every Sunday for the fans.
And there was a particular track I had called “Providence.” And that track, it meant a lot to me. And it just birthed the idea that it’s time for another body of work, but the pandemic hit, which was good and bad for a lot of reasons.

LADIPOE ON ACCEPTING HIS PATH AS AN ARTIST AND WHY HE WAS RESISTANT TO INVEST HIMSELF FULLY INTO MAKING MUSIC

First of all, I’m Nigerian, so being Nigerian and the kind of parents I had and the kind of upbringing… this was not what I was expected to do. I am definitely going against the things that I was shown and the examples I was given. I feel like that was the major resistance. There was also resistance within myself. Was I meant to be doing this kind of thing? Am I good enough to be at the level I would like to go? I call it the identity crisis. Once I got through that, that’s what started this path. And that’s why I feel like this Providence project is important. We came through fire for this. We lost a lot in 2020. 2021 is the year to take it back.

LADIPOE ON WHAT HE THINKS WILL SURPRISE FANS THE MOST ABOUT THE PROJECT

I feel like some of the features they might not see coming. And then also this won’t be surprise, but there’s growth and do you know what I really think will surprise them the most?
I think what will surprise them the most is the fact that I’m dropping a body of work because I take so long. I take a long time to drop music. The last one I dropped was 2018, so I think that’s the biggest surprise. Everything’s really coming out.

LADIPOE ON KEEPING HIS FANS WAITING FOR MUSIC

This is the last time. Dinner will be served promptly from now on.

LADIPOE ON HIS NERVES BEFORE RELEASING “FEELING”

The anxiety and the nervousness and the uncertainty was, I would say about five seconds.
It was like, “Wow, man, I’ve been sure about this. I’m very sure about this, but what happens if they don’t like it? So what’s the next move?” But those thoughts, you swallow them or you spit them out. This is the only time you’re allowed to spit in public, when you are spitting out these bad vibes. So it had to go. It had to go and “Feeling” has become what it was but I feel like I’m ready for another song. And “Running” to me is the continuation of that story we started in “Feeling,” people understand when they hear it.

LADIPOE ON CONNECTING WITH FIREBOY DML AND RECORDING “FEELING”

It started in 2020. I was in a conversation with Fireboy on Twitter. I really liked his music since before. Even how he presents himself, I felt compelled to reach out to tell him like, “Bro, look, man, I think that you’re doing this and I think it’s really dope. Just for you to know”. And he responded back in kind and there was this mutual respect. And from there, I wouldn’t say we kept in touch, but every once in a while there was a chance to speak where I would say something, he’ll say something back.
And it turned into “Let’s work, let’s work.” I like Fire’s energy. We came to the studio, we recorded the first song and I was like, “Okay, we’re at a good place, let’s keep going.” Recorded another song. And I said, “Okay, this is nice. I like how this is sounding.” Recorded a third one, the third one was “Running.”
He’s not joking when he was singing “sweet white wine” in the song, that’s all that was in the studio at the time. So it was a collaboration born out of mutual respect. That’s how you make timeless music. It’s good timing.

LADIPOE ON BECOMING A PARENT

It reveals another side to you that you didn’t really know existed. As soon as it happened, I knew that, “Okay the rest of my life is dedicated to protecting this person.” So that’s just it. There was no big moment that happened in my mind. It’s a flip of a switch, but really at the end of the day, I’m proud. My private life is like what I used to feel my public life was. So I really limit, except for this moment, the amount of it that I share.

LADIPOE ON HIS PLANS FOR THE REST OF THE YEAR AND WORKING ON THE ALBUM

For me it’s a struggle to think about that because I’m so used to trying to bring this project out for people to hear that I don’t know what I’m going to do with myself when it’s out. But all I will say is that album mode sounds like the best thing to put myself back in since I have all of this energy. So to start creating for the album, no time to waste.

Ladies and gentlemen, lunch is served!

Showmax premiers its first comedy-drama series in West Africa, Ghana Jollof, which premieres on the African streaming service on Friday, 22 October 2021.

Ghana Jollof tells the sizzling story of two young Nigerians, Jasper (Funnybone) and Romanus (Akah Nnani), who move to Ghana in search of greener pastures.

In the trailer, things start up with a first-time meeting between Nnamdi (Uzor Arukwe, who starred as dreaded crime boss Knight in Sugar Rush), Jasper (AMVCA-winning actor/comedian Funnybone), Kweku (heartthrob James Gardiner from Ghana’s popular telenovela Dede) and Romanus (AMAA nominee/Youtuber Akah Nnani). Subsequently, Jasper and Romanus head out to Ghana to jollof, kicking off a series of adventures… and misadventures.

Executive produced by Nigeria’s King of Comedy, Basketmouth, Ghana Jollof serves up a delicious ensemble cast from both Nigeria and Ghana. This includes the likes of AMAA nominee Joselyn Dumas, leading comedienne Jacinta Ocansey, Mawuli Gavor (Chief Daddy), popular reality star Portia Freelove, model and actress Brihanna Kinte, veteran actor Jackson Albert Davies (Beasts of No Nation), actress Korkor Oyeba Mensah, and multiple award-winning comedian/actor, Kalybos, not to mention Basketmouth himself.

“I’ve always wanted to create something that would be a collaboration between Nigeria and Ghana, and Ghana Jollof is a realization of that dream,” says Basketmouth. “From the cast to the crew, everyone gave of themselves to create a show deserving to be Showmax’s first comedy-drama from West Africa. We all can’t wait for the fans to see what we’ve cooked up.”

Ghana Jollof is directed by AMVCA nominee Diji Aderogba, whose debut feature film About A Boy won the Audience Choice Award at Nollywood Film Week in Paris, France.

Ghana Jollof will be available for streaming across Africa and in the UK. The show will have 13 episodes to devour, with new episodes dropping every Friday from 22 October 2021.

Watch and embed the trailer:

• Main screen: This screen includes a special form of superfeed that highlights the main special cameras included in the broadcast. The base feed will be the view from the master camera, complemented by views from the rest of the cameras, drone shots, graphics and live stats.
• Following the ball: Aerial camera combined with detailed shots. These cameras are always focused on the ball and the player in possession, providing a closer image to follow the player’s actions in detail.
• Around the goal area: This window shows all the action around the goal area where viewers see the very best shots from every attack on goal as well as highlights of each and every intervention from the keepers.
• Camera on the bench: This feed alternates between shots of the home and visitors’ benches. The viewer will be able to follow the coaches’ instructions, reactions to key moments in the match and also keep a close eye on the subs.
• Stats window: The four-image feed leaves space at the bottom of the screen for a layer of dynamic graphics and visuals featuring stats from the match.