🥤The many times Brymo has misspoken

👋 Good morningg. I nearly got swallowed by the rain out there. Consider this newsletter proof of life.

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In this edition: who takes the World Cup, this week in pop culture, a playlist, and more.

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Word of the week

Àwò Elése Àlùkò

🗞️ THIS WEEK IN POP CULTURE

🎵 MUSIC

It's been an energetic week for Rema as he performed in Portugal and also spearheaded his Remaland concert, a part of the Yardland festival in Paris. Congolese music legend Awilo Longomba, along with the Uzama brothers (Shallipopi, ZerryDL, and Famous Pluto), all joined Rema on stage. We wish we were there!

🎓 ACADEMIC

Two weeks ago, we reported that Nigeria was delisted from performing in the International Mathematical Olympiad due to a lack of funding. In a turn of events, Alex Onyia of Educare and some schools sponsored their students to the Rome STEM Olympiad. These kids returned home with gold, silver, and bronze medals across several categories despite all odds.

🏆 AWARDS

The 2026 Emmy Award nominations list is officially out. The Pitt bags the highest nominations (25), followed by Hacks (24) and Widow’s Bay (19). Shows such as A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, The Boys, Abbott Elementary, etc., also packed nominations in their numbers. Check out the full list.

📽️ FILM

Nigerian short films are gaining deserved attention as five short films were selected and screened at The Filmjoint Premieres 2026, including Allen Onyige’s Circles, Chawuko Enakadia & Muhammad Atta Ahmed’s Seed, and Tomi Folowosele’s Service Charge. Ws in the chatttt.

🚨 TRENDING

UNIPORT Law students hit the road on a justice walk for their 500-level coursemate, Aruwa Habibatu, who was allegedly murdered by her boyfriend, Adedamola Michael Oyewole, in his residence in Delta State. How many more do we have to demand justice for?

MAIN SQUEEZE

Who takes the World Cup?

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is entering its most crucial stage, and with less than two weeks to go, the trophy is now within arm’s reach. This week's Round of 16 fixtures produced some of the tournament's biggest talking points as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo looked to keep their World Cup dreams alive.

The dice have now been rolled as Portugal bowed out after a 1 - 0 defeat to Spain, while Argentina booked a place in the quarter-finals after overcoming Egypt.

We spoke to four football fans to find out what these results mean to them and who they think will be crowned world champions.

Messi or Ronaldo, why?

Michael, Ronaldo fan: Ronaldo. He's the most complete footballer to ever play the game. He has won and also dominated everywhere he has played, even in the top three leagues in Europe (Premier League, La Liga, and Serie A).

Susu, Messi fan: Messi. For me, it’s not just the trophies; it’s the way he plays. He makes football look so easy, creates chances out of nothing, and always seems to make the right decisions. Ronaldo is an all-time great too, but Messi is my GOAT.

Olamiju, Messi fan: Messi. I think the very first footballer to wow me was Messi. And my dad was a fan, too. So watching him over the years, with everything he does, his achievements, and how he seems to always have something new up his sleeve, there was really no other choice. 

Ore, Ronaldo fan: Ronaldo is my GOAT. I grew up watching my dad admire him, and that naturally made me a fan too.

Beyond that, I genuinely think he’s the best. His work ethic is unmatched. I was really introduced to him during his Real Madrid days, and those were incredible times to watch football.

How did your team's result make you feel?

Michael, Ronaldo fan: Extremely sad. 

Susu, Messi fan: I was happy and honestly a bit relieved. It wasn’t the easiest game, but the most important thing was getting the win. That’s what matters at this stage of the tournament.

Olamiju, Messi fan: It’s easy to see what the last match against Egypt, or even the match before that against Cape Verde, did to me. Literal rollercoasters and pretty much the best matches of the tournament. The downs when we went behind or level made the thrills even better, and I can say thank God it ended on a high.

Ore, Ronaldo fan: I was genuinely disappointed, because I really wanted Ronaldo to win the World Cup. It would’ve been the perfect way to end an incredible international career.

Portugal are out. Should this be Ronaldo's final World Cup, or does he still have one more in him? 

Michael, Ronaldo fan: Yes. This should be his last because he's already too old. But then again, this is Ronaldo. He could decide to continue playing for another four years, so he would be able to play at the next World Cup that would be co-hosted by Portugal. 

Ore, Ronaldo fan: The fan in me wants him to have one more shot. I still believe he has something to offer and I’d love to see him get another opportunity to compete.

If Messi wins back-to-back World Cups, is there anything left for him to prove internationally?

Susu, Messi fan: I don’t think so. Winning two World Cups back-to-back would be the perfect way to cap off an incredible international career. At that point, I think he’s done everything there is to do.

Olamiju, Messi fan: Even without winning it, there’s nothing else to prove. The Olympics, Copa America, Finalissima, and the World Cup- everything’s in the bag. We're just here for the fun of it. For me, I only want him to win it so he can rank alongside Maradona for the number of World Cups won. 

Which team do you think will win the World Cup and why?

Michael, Ronaldo fan: France. This is because they have the most talented squad with arguably the best World Cup player ever in Mbappe. 

Susu, Messi fan: I’m still backing Argentina. They have experience, quality, and they know how to win difficult games. You can never write them off.

Olamiju, Messi fan: While I’d have loved to mention Argentina, the team has been a bit shaky, so I’ll actually skip them…for now. Teams like France and Spain seem to have a more stable structure to them, and if I’m going to pick one, it will be France. Argentina has the most goals, but France is a more dependable team all-round. 

Ore, Ronaldo fan: I’d say France or Norway. France has one of the most complete squads in the tournament, with quality in every position. Norway also has a very strong team, and with a player like Haaland, they have every chance of going far. I’m hoping one of those two lifts the trophy.

What's been the biggest surprise of this World Cup so far?

Michael, Ronaldo fan: The abysmal performance of the much hyped Portuguese midfield trio of Vitinha, Joao Neves, and Bruno Fernandes. Before the World Cup, they were referred to as the best midfield in the world, but they failed to live up to people's expectations.

Susu, Messi fan: I’d say Norway. I didn’t expect them to go this far, but they’ve been really impressive. They’ve shown they can compete with the big teams, and that’s been one of the best stories of the tournament.

Olamiju, Messi fan: Hmn. World Cups are always full of surprises, so by expecting them, the events aren’t really a surprise anymore.  Nevertheless, I’ll say maybe Cape Verde’s performance. They could have easily gone further, surviving both Spain and Argentina along the way. 

Ore, Ronaldo fan: For me, it’s Brazil being knocked out. I expected them to go much further, so their exit was definitely the biggest surprise.

🔪 THE PEEL

The many times Brymo has misspoken

The discourse 

Olawale Ibrahim Ashimi, known professionally as Brymo, returned to everyone’s screens this week on a NotJustOk interview clip.

He spoke about his music, the genius behind his lyrics, mentioned there's no such thing as Afrobeats (just Afrobeat), touched on the controversy with Burna Boy that led to diss lyrics in one of Burna Boy’s songs, “Hustle make you no go fall on like Brymo,” and then some more.

This has sparked attention and, with it, reminded us of several instances in which the artist has said unwarranted things. 

A timeline of Brymo’s remarks

As far back as 2016, Brymo made a tweet after the trending death of two black men in the USA, shot down by the police. The tweet was posted on Linda Ikeji’s blog as those remarks had been taken off his official Twitter account. His tweet read thus:

“Black man suffers at home, black man suffers abroad. Black man suffers everywhere, black man likes to suffer.”

He went on to say: 

“Blacks need to make it a point to preach value in all that we do, not everyday money money money. Black people feel helpless, but we are not.. We are lazy and illogical!! On the grounds that we don't solve our problems, we just play blame games... It's in our homes and workplace.”

Another occasion was one July afternoon in 2023, when Brymo took to his Twitter account to post about his conditions before featuring female artistes on songs.

He also added a video recording to the post, saying he demanded sex from Nigerian singer and sound engineer, Simi, which she refused. Adekunle Gold, a music artist and Simi’s spouse, quoted the post, warning Brymo not to disrespect his wife and to also “Get Help”. 

In another interview with TVC, he admitted to the episode with Simi, still even months after the first utterance. He claims to always lay with his muses because it is fun and makes the music ‘extra good’ and ‘really intense’.

Then in 2024, Brymo affirmed his solo beef with 2Face, Davido, and Burna Boy by calling them chickens walking in packs in a WithChude interview. Could this be paranoia, or could Brymo have his own untold reasons that have led to these conclusions? In that same breath, he claimed that there was no artist, except him, alive or dead, that people could listen to for two hours at a go. 

In that same year, Brymo took to his Instagram to post a reel of him rambling about having an affair with a married Niger State lawmaker. The artist seems inclined to always speak about his sexual experiences. 

Now in 2026, in an interview meant to get a scope of his music-making, he proceeded to make comments about his escapades with older women when he started his music career and also unsolicitedly dumped a certain previous encounter with 2Face:

He said, “As at 2019, I remember that moment in Naomi’s office in Lekki Phase 1 when 2Face looked me square in the eye and asked Annie, ‘You don f**k Brymo?’ I will never forget it.”

What began as an interview on his creative process and a breakdown of music storytelling on the Awele track took an escalating turn. It is quite distasteful that such a moment, like many others, was reduced to that.

The core

Brymo calls himself brilliant and dons a coat of intellect. He is talented; there's no disputing that. However, we cannot forget these occasions, nor the Prick No Get Shoulder single, and the Klitôris album.

Although the pseudo-intellectuals have found ways to explain their deeper hidden meanings, Brymo’s Prick No Get Shoulder and his Klitôris album rely on crude and vulgar imagery that feels deeply uncomfortable and unnecessary. 

While these projects attempt to deliver deep moral lessons, the execution is jarring and inappropriate, thereby defeating the purpose of teaching a lesson. For an artist whose talent is always spoken about, discernment in speech might just be equally important. 

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WORD OF THE WEEK

Àwò Elése Àlùkò means purple in Yoruba.