Nigerian Rapper Oladips Dies at 28

Nigerian rapper Oladips has died at 28, his management team confirmed in a statement shared to Instagram on Wednesday (Nov. 15). A cause of death for the rapper was not revealed publicly.

“We are saddened to inform the general public that Oladipupo Olabode Oladimeji aka OLADIPS has passed away on Nov. 14 Tuesday evening at exactly 10:14 p.m. We are still in shock as we speak,” the statement read. “For over two years he has kept his battles within himself, his body is now with his family and funeral services will be announced as soon as it is concluded! The family asked that we respect their privacy in this trying time. May god give us all the fortitude to bear this great loss.”

Oldadips first rose to prominence in 2015 after winning an online rap competition called The King is Here, hosted by Nigerian rapper D’Banj.

The rapper’s death comes before the anticipated release of his album, SUPERHERO ÀDÚGBÒ (The Memoir), originally scheduled to arrive on Thursday, Nov. 16 according to the BBC. In February, Oladips shared a fan tweet that begged for the record’s release, to which he responded he was “out here all day in the studio with my sick self [sick emoji] rounding this album up still!” The post was edited and updated three days prior to his death announcement, with the project’s official title.

The rapper’s most recent single, “Die Young,” was released last month on Oct. 6.

Read the statement regarding Oldadips’ death below.