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Sunday 3 February 2013

7 People of Naija Descent That Surprised Me (At One Time or Another)

Sade
You would be surprised by how many people that still haven’t realized that Sade is Nigerian. But it’s true. Helen Folasade Adu was actually the only person on this list born in Nigeria– Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria to be exact. Her mother is English, and her father is a Nigerian of the Yoruba tribe. When she was young, her mother took her and her brother to London to live after her parents’ relationship ran into a rough patch. The 53-year-old stunner still looks like she’s in her twenties (okay, maybe her mid-to-late thirties). Must be that Nigerian blood…(wink)






Chamillionaire
Not Mr. “Ridin’ Dirty”!? When I first found out that he Nigerian, I couldn’t believe it. But when your birth name is Hakeem Seriki, anything goes, right? The 31-year-old rapper and entrepreneur said that his father is from Lagos, Nigeria. Seriki says people used to make fun of him for being Nigerian, but he’s not and never has been phased by it.

The Welsh singer known for singing the theme to James Bond films like Goldfinger, Diamonds are Forever (hear her in Kanye West’s “Diamonds are Forever”) and Moonraker was born to a Nigerian father and an English mother. Really didn’t see this one coming! Especially since her last name is Bassey. But it did recently come out that her father’s real name was Okun Apauso. Unfortunately for Bassey, her father was deported when she was a child, for sexually assaulting a child of all things, so she didn’t get to know much about him as he got into trouble with the law when she was an infant.
The controversial rapper making waves and headlines at only 20 years of age shocked my socks off when I found out that he is of Nigerian descent. Get past the stage name and you’ll find that he was born Tyler Okonma to a Nigerian father and a Canadian mother. However, Okonma’s father was never really involved in his upbringing, something the rapper has been extremely vocal about in a lot of his rhymes. How interesting…

Okay, okay, so she’s a bit more obvious with that last name and those cheekbones, but she’s interesting enough to share anyway. The highly acclaimed British actress was actually born to a Nigerian father and a Jewish mother who was of both Polish and Russian background. Okonedo has had roles where she played African characters. From the Wachati Princess in the made-up country of Nibia in Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls, to Tatiana Rusesabagina in Hotel Rwanda–but no Nigerian roles as of yet. I’ll keep my fingers crossed.

Real talk, for many years, I didn’t know what kind of name Iguodala was, but I know Nigerian is not what crossed my mind, whatsoever. The huge (6 ft. 6) small forward for the Philadelphia 76ers has a mother of African American background, and a father of Nigerian background. If you’re feeling the brotha, you’ll be happy to know that he is single! But uh, just a heads up, he has two kids from his previous marriage. Dang! At 27? This guy works pretty fast…

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