Yorubas in the Media/Entertainment

Celestina Aladekoba



Celestina Aladekoba is a recording artist, dancer and actress. She is perhaps best known for appearing in Prince's "Black Sweat" music video, and in MTV's original dance-themed reality television program DanceLife.


Life and career
Aladekoba grew up in Nigeria and Maryland. She is also well known for playing basketball and for winning the Miss California Jr. She was a background dancer in Missy Elliott, Will Smith and Usher music videos. The DanceLife cast appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.


Aladekoba's fancy footwork has garnered her comparisons to prominent choreographers such as Fatima Robinson, Debbie Allen and Judith Jamison.Her signature dance move is the "Matrix Move". The "Matrix Move" is done by firmly planting one's feet on the ground and leaning the body backward. Celestina has demonstrated the move on DanceLife. She has the ability to lean and balance with her body almost parallel to the ground, and throw her arms behind her.
 Aladekoba has appeared on TV shows including That's So Raven, The Game and "90210". She was[when?] in Robin Thicke's video "Magic" and is also in the Step Up sequels, Step Up Revolution (2012) and Step Up: All In (2014).

In 2014, she was a dancer in Jason Derulo's music video for "Talk Dirty

Isaach de Bankolé



Isaach or Isaac de Bankolé (born 12 August 1957) is an Ivorian actor. He was born in Abidjan, to Yoruba parents from Benin. His grandparents are from Nigeria. He studied Acting at Cours Simon and earned an M.A. from the University of Paris.

Career
He has appeared in over fifty films, including Jim Jarmusch's Night on Earth, Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai, Coffee and Cigarettes and The Limits of Control.[5] He has been based in the United States since 1997. He appeared in the movie Machetero, in the role of journalist interviewing an imprisoned Puerto Rican revolutionary, along with the members of the New York City-based punk band Ricanstruction.


He has also appeared in Lars von Trier's Manderlay. He portrayed Steven Obanno, a terrorist, in the 2006 James Bond film Casino Royale, and "The Lone Man", an assassin in Jim Jarmusch's film, The Limits of Control (2009).[ In 2013, he starred as Ayodele Balogun in Andrew Dosunmu's Mother of George, which premiered at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival and was the closing night selection for Maryland Film Festival 2013.


Personal life
Isaach is fluent in Yorùbá, Bambara, English, French, German and speaks some Italian. He is married to musician Cassandra Wilson.

Ilacoin



Josiah Coker (born July 15, 1973), known by his stage names Ilacoin (or simply Coin), is an American rapper and producer. He is the grandson of Yoruba royalty, the son of Nigerian immigrants, but raised mostly by a single American mother. His father, before he was 1 would move him around all of New York to Delaware to New Jersey back to Harlem, where he finally became settled at age 9, living across the street from Tupac Shakur and family. There in Harlem with the absence of a father, a latchkey child, he would begin to become familiar with the local gang and street life. His cousin Fatima Faloye of New York Undercover fame, who he refers to as his sister would be instrumental in "keeping" him out of the streets, eventually introducing him to Ahkmed Obafemi and wife, Sonoviah (parents to Tchaka Zulu and Jeff Dixon of DTP/Ebony Son) who would become his "godparents" and introduce him to Islam for the first time in his life. Ilacoin became a respected talent from Harlem in the Hip Hop culture.

Early career
Serving originally as a Hip Hop dancer, he frequented the New York City night life from the age of 14, socializing with the likes of Doug E. Fresh, Puff Daddy (Diddy), Mike Tyson, Red Alert and others. Supported by Rev. Mariah Britton and the Riverside Church Afterschool program he honed his skills as a leader and choreographer scoring 1st place at The Apollo Amateur night. He began rapping soon after, opening up for Poor Righteous Teachers, Brand Nubian, Nice and Smooth, Main Source and Leaders of The New School. He earned his name in the streets as an MC battling on the streets and in project hallways.


Professional career
Offered deals from labels since 16, he began to learn the business behind the scenes. Still running the streets, he became distracted in them until his 1st son was born. That began to help him focus, garnering the interest of Doug E Fresh. He would go on to co-write and make his first professional appearance on Fresh's last major distributed album, Play (Ayo-Aiight, Get Da Money & Breath of Fresh Air) while raising his children as a single father. Ultimately becoming estranged from Fresh he would return to the streets. While working on Play, he would meet Easy Mo Bee (Notorious B.I.G., 2Pac, Big Daddy Kane, Miles Davis & etc.) and Ski Beatz (Bizzy Boyz, Original Flavor, Jay-Z, Camp Lo, etc.). Both would become instrumental in teaching him production and beatmaking. He would lend his talent for spotting hits to influence records on Jay-Z's Reasonable Doubt (Can't Knock The Hustle and Dead Presidents). His network consisting of many of Hip Hop's elite would lead him to finally signing his 1st and only industry deal in 1999 with Game Recordings through Rawkus. (Eminem, Royce 5' 9"). He would release two singles: By A Stranger (Grand Theft Auto III) featuring Black Rob (Bad Boy) and then unknown, Labba (Flipmode Squad) and Keep It Street featuring Sadat X of Brand Nubian.


Due to differences with the label, he then parted, starting Triple Bars Inc. He released his own independent single with Fat Beats Distribution called Fighting Clocks Remix featuring Lord Jamar of Brand Nubian. All singles met modest sales but critical acclaim in the Hip Hop community, as well as The Source Magazine. As well as having the honor of hitting #1 on the charts in war stricken parts of the world with “By A Stranger” (i.e. Croatia), "Keep It Street" remained one of Hip Hop Legend, Chuck D's top 5 songs for 2000-2001. Having consistently recorded songs throughout, Ilacoin released his first ever mixtape compiling many of his unreleased and released works (ILACOIN: EPISODE 0) in 2010 to please his loyal fans through Complex.com & KevinNottingham.com.Working from his own studio, he is destined to become one of Hip Hop's newest classic beatsmiths. His childhood friend, Ron Browz lent his vocals to Ilacoin's single, Family Business (unreleased). Ilacoin is an artist who has stayed true to Hip Hop's independent spirit. Having problems with his publishing since the beginning of his career, he refuses to let his best work out until he establishes himself on all fronts of the music industry. The Wu-Tang Clan interpolated his music from a record he wrote with Easy Mo Bee (This, That & The 3rd; B-side to Keep It Street) on their last hit single (Take It Back) in 2008.The issue is still in litigation. Most of Ilacoin's songs are about growing up amid violence and hardship in ghettos, racism, problems in the society and conflicts with the industry and authority. Finding his voice in his community, he serves as an activist standing up for many causes including child abuse and missing children. It should also be noted that Ilacoin is the originator of the pop cultural phenomenon, The "Pause" Game.
In 2010, Ilacoin collaborated with Ski Beatz under the Dame Dash DD172 umbrella which ultimately lead to him into co-producing Smoke Dza's "Sour Hour", off the George Kush Da Button album (He was not properly credited for this work). Ilacoin continues to produce and is currently working on his album, songs with Ron Browz, Shabaam Sahdeeq, Smoke Dza and others. Ever evolving, Ilacoin has taken on the title "Mint God" when producing.

Adesola Osakalumi



Adesola Osakalumi (born in The Bronx, New York) is an award-winning American actor, choreographer, singer, and dancer whose talents have garnered him successes in film, television, and stage.

Adesola's fascination with dance began as a child. He was surrounded and heavily influenced by the art form at an early age. His mother was a principal dancer with Africa I Dance Theater, a touring company founded by his uncles and subsequently joined by his father. The company’s mission was to perpetuate African dance and culture throughout the U.S. and beyond, and it would fuel the young Adesola’s motivation to dance, choreograph, and teach. He studied briefly with the Dance Theater of Harlem and while there on scholarship he learned to integrate his natural ability with routine and regiment, and to master the many vocabularies of dance.


Growing up, Adesola was determined to be one of the best poppers and lockers on the scene (popping and locking are forms of “urban social dance” that originated from hip hop culture but have African roots). That wish came true when he was selected to be a part of Rhythm Technicians – a dance crew made up of some of hip hop’s best known B-Boys. The group gained great popularity in New York by performing regularly throughout the city.
 The group later morphed into the GhettOriginals Productions Dance Company (GPDC), the pioneers of hip hop theater. As a co-founder of GPDC, Adesola helped hip hop dance make a permanent impression on commercial theater. In addition to being the first hip hop dance group to feature at the esteemed Dance Festival, GPDC also created the groundbreaking dance production, Jam on the Groove. The production premiered Off-Broadway at the Minetta Lane Theatre in November 1995 and won a Drama Desk Award nomination for Best Choreography. Jam on the Groove went on to tour the US, Europe, South America, and Asia to rave reviews.


In leadership, Adesola has served as Artistic Director for Hip Hop Kung Fu at The Asia Society (featuring hip hop artists from Japan, China, and the US), a Board Member of Dancing in the Streets and is a choreographic mentor for Pentacle.
 Adesola is best known for his roles in the award-winning Broadway musical FELA!, winning three Tony Awards for Best Choreography, Best Costume Design and Best Sound Design. In 2009, he joined the cast as both a dancer (Area Boy) in the ensemble and as the Fela Kuti understudy. In 2010, he played Fela Kuti four times on Broadway. In the 2011 national tour, he was promoted to play Fela as the alternate lead (playing the character on weekends and on some evenings). When the musical returned to Broadway in July 2012 for a limited engagement, Osakalumi became the main lead and went on to head the cast for the 2013 national tour and garnered rave reviews.