By Cynthia Abah
Veteran record producer and music executive, Olumide Ogunade, popularly known as ID Cabasa, recently shared his emotional experience when Olamide, his former signee, decided to leave his record label, Coded Tunes. During an appearance on the ‘Afrobeats Podcast,’ Cabasa recounted how deeply affected he was by Olamide’s departure.
Cabasa revealed that he first met Olamide when the artist was just 13 years old. “Olamide came to my studio with a friend who wanted to feature him on a song,” he recalled. “His friend was not good musically, but Olamide was quiet and unassuming. I gave him a beat, and he did 16 bars that changed everything. Olamide became more like a son to me.”
Reflecting on the moment when Olamide decided to leave Coded Tunes, Cabasa admitted it was a painful experience. “When he was about to leave my record label, we sat down to discuss it. It was painful to me. It wasn’t the pain of not wanting him to progress; it was the pain of seeing someone you love leave. I cried.”
Cabasa tried to persuade Olamide to stay but ultimately respected his decision. “I said, ‘Olamide, you should’ve waited o!’ He said, ‘Bros, I want to do something, and I’m sure, by your code, we might not be able to do some of them.’ We didn’t have a fight. I gave him my full blessings.”
Olamide left Coded Tunes in 2012 and went on to establish his own record label, YBNL Nation, marking the beginning of a new chapter in his music career.
