Basketmouth has spoken up on the long-standing feud with fellow comedian AY after the latter presented his version of the story.
On ‘Bounce Radio’ with popular BBNaija host, Ebuka Obi-Uchendu, Basketmouth said the rift started many years after his colleague shared a piece of information with someone else (Basketmouth’s lawyer, Magnus).
Born Bright Okpocha, the 44-year-old funnyman termed the supposed act by AY as an act of disloyalty, stating he doesn’t mess around with friendship and loyalty.
He insisted he was cool with Ayo Makun until the latter ‘mess around with loyalty’ by divulging information he shared personally with him to his lawyer, Magnus.
“You know funny thing is, I was like the next time that anybody will throw this question at me, I’m going to throw it away and say I don’t want to talk about it. It’s nothing. But the thing is, let me tell you since we are here.
“Friendship for me is everything, you know! My manager as of today I’ve known him all my life, you know. Everybody around me, I’ve known forever, down to my lawyer. My lawyer, I’ve known for about 33 years. I don’t mess around with friendship and loyalty.
“He came into my space and messed around with loyalty,” Basketmouth said.
“How so?” Ebuka asked, interrupting Basketmouth to gain more clarification into his claims.
“He said something that he wasn’t supposed to say that was going to now cause a rift between me and that person,” Basket retorted.
“Is it Bovi?” Ebuka asked, cutting in yet again.
“No, funny enough it’s something entirely. I don’t want to get into the entire details but it was Magnus, my lawyer. So, he said some things that I said to him personally and said it to Magnus. And he wasn’t supposed to say it to Magnus. And, Magnus called me and was like….. Up until that point, AY and I were hundred percent cool. This happened a long time ago,” Basketmouth added.
AY, during an interview with Chude Jideonwo on the latest episode of his podcast, ‘#WithChude’ claimed the beef between them started in 2006 when he had to fill in for his colleague at an event for which he was supposed to be paid N30,000.
However, AY claimed Basketmouth informed him that the event host wasn’t pleased with his work just so he could keep his share of the payment from him.
The 52-year-old ’30 Days in Atlanta’ maker said he was taken aback by Basketmouth’s ‘deceit’ but the fact that he needed the money at the time to get by prompted him to do what he did.
According to him: “In 2006, Basketmouth usually will get gigs like weddings – multiple gigs on a Saturday, maybe two or three weddings. So what he used to do at that point in time was to attend one, then at a point, leave the venue and catch up in the other venue and then you will need someone else to stand in for you. That was the opportunity I got from him of which I am very appreciative of till date.
“Now, something funny happened. One of the gigs I got his endorsement to go stand in. Usually what we get at that time is N30,000 and 30,000 at that time was everything to me. N30,000 would buy me my pack of indomie, recharge cards, fuel for my ‘I better pass my neighbour’ generator then the opportunity to pay just one or two people to join me to do one or two skits that I can just quickly put out.
“I got this job and the people weren’t too happy to see me around the venue because they were expecting a Basketmouth to come.
“Long story short, the guy was later happy after the performance. There was an exchange of contacts. Then I left.
“Two weeks running, I haven’t seen 30k. Because I didn’t see the 30k and I was starving in Iponri, I decided to ask for 30K and he said this person hasn’t remitted, this person hasn’t paid, you they’re not happy because of this and all of that.
“And then me I was like, ahahn… but this person na, shebi you tell me say you were impressed and happy? Give my oga hin money na, make my oga take settle me and all of that. Me, I don’t care if you give Basket 100k for the job but my 30k is my 30k.
“It was very funny to now hear from them, knowing that this full payment has been made long before the event.
“I said ‘O-kay, is that the situation?’. So I forwarded this one’s message to this one and vice versa. So they now started fighting each other and all of that.
“I didn’t do that because I wanted to get at Basketmouth per se. I did that because I was hungry, I was hustling and needed food on the table at the time.”
AY noted even though things changed between him and his colleague at that point nonetheless, he tried to maintain a cordial relationship with Basketmouth but he continued to frustrate his attempts.
“This whole thing coupled with other things. Do you know that I attended Basketmouth’s wedding when all these things were going on at the time? I was at the wedding, I looked at the list of guests, my wife’s name was on the list, my name no dey list. I wasn’t qualified to enter the wedding.”
“I was looking at my wife, my wife dey look her husband and she was like okay, let’s be going home since you no qualify to enter.”
Speaking on his efforts to end the feud with Basketmouth, AY noted: ‘Every opportunity maybe the wife gives birth, I’d go with my own wife or maybe something is going on, I kept doing everything.
“I did everything. Basket would be at an event, maybe AY is on the bill and he’s the MC, he’ll not introduce me.”
Sometime last year, AY dismissed Basketmouth as one with an ‘uncontrollable superiority complex’ during an Instagram question and answer session.
He noted that for his sanity, he had to stay away from Basketmouth’s ‘incessant childishness.’
The Nation
