When I had my break!

By Benjamin Njoku

When you run into Samuel A Perry, the first thing that will come to your mind is Broda Shaggi, a comic character he created on social media following his quest for fame and fortune.

Broada Shaggi as a character has come to stay. He’s breaking new grounds and crossing boundaries with his craft. Since making his debut in the entertainment scene, the Instagram sensation has not looked back in his quest to dominate his own space.

At the moment, he ranks among the most successful and sought after entertainers in the country, with over 7.1 million followers on Instagram. Shaggi will agree with you that hunger and not passion drove him into the showbiz industry.

According to him, he started his comedy skits on social media out of poverty and hunger for fame.

In a recent chat with our reporter, the social media influencer described poverty as ‘a bad thing’, adding that “When I had my break in the showbiz industry, it was like leaving one particular world for another.”

Admitting that he was never born with silver spoon, Broda Shaggi who came into the limelight following his humourous social media skits said he’s a product of hard work and consistence. For the comic actor, what has kept him going is his hard work, consistence, love for his fans and who he’s.

“I see cracking jokes as my 24/7 job. That’s what has kept me going. Every time I wake up, I think of new ideas to push out there,” he said adding “Consistence is the hardest thing to do to get to the top. You keep trying everyday, never to give up your dream.”

According to Broda Shaggi, he generates his ideas mostly at nights when he’s done with the day’s toil.

“I write mostly at nights. But anytime I generate a new idea, you will start laughing and immediate break the good to my people before putting the idea on paper.”

Revealing further, the Ikenne, Ogun state-born entertainer said that his journey to stardom started after he relocated to Lagos, following the death of his father.

While in Lagos, Broda Shaggi lived with his aunt before his mother later joined them. But he discovered his talent, while living with his mother in Makoko. “I was never born with silver spoon in my mouth. I was living in Makoko with my mum and that’s where everything started,” he recalled.

Shaggi said there’s this joy that comes with being in the spotlight.

“This joy when you go out and people recognize you as one that has been bringing happiness to their homes. This joy when people want to take pictures with you as their role model. I feel elated. It was something I never had before. But after the recognition of the character called Broda Shaggi, I started having it,” he added.

Broda Shaggi, who studied Visual Art, at the University of Lagos, never earned a living from selling art works . Rather, when the chips were down, the comic actor conceived his own brand of comedy, using the social media as his launch pad.

It, however, didn’t take long time before he started attracting the attention of corporate bodies and events organizers, following his massive presence on social media. Today, his consistence has paid off. He has become a household name in the Nigerian showbiz industry with lots of endorsement deals to show for it.

Broda Shaggi, is not only a comedian. He’s also a singer, actor and voice-over artist, who currently has over 7.1 million followers on Instagram. But the genius sees himself as an entertainer. “I do anything that has to do with entertainment. I don’t call myself a comedian,” said Broda Shaggi.

On his endorsement deals, the Ogun state-born entertainer, said he intends to work with more brands by ensuring that he improves on those things the brands that endorsed him saw in him.

Broda Shaggi became popular after his unique style of comedy video skits, “Oya hit Me” on Instagram. As a child, the humour merchant had always had the passion to make people laugh. He knew he had a natural flair to be a comedian. He once revealed that his late father, who taught drama at Mayflower Junior School, Ikenne, motivated him. Since then, he has acted many roles and played some characters like Inspector Perry, a policeman; Professor Dele, and Akonni Ibadan. This was before he went with the stage name, Broda Shaggi. While an undergraduate in UNILAG, Shaggi reportedly took his talent in comedy seriously.

“Comedy is what I love doing and I like to make it as real as possible so that people can relate with it. I like to make people laugh; so, when they watch me, all they do is laugh despite the situation in the country. My aim is to use comedy to affect people in a good way. That was what prompted me into doing comedy in the first place,” Shaggi said in an interview.

Vanguard News Nigeria

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