YBNL Entertainment
Independent Lagos record label founded by Olamide in 2012, distributed via a joint venture with Empire Distribution since 2020.
- Based in
- Lagos, Nigeria
- Founded
- 2012
- Founder
- Olamide (Olamide Adedeji)
YBNL Nation is a Lagos-based independent record label founded in 2012 by Nigerian rapper Olamide Adedeji. The name is an acronym for “Yahoo Boy No Laptop,” taken from Olamide’s own breakout mixtape. The label operates as a joint venture with American distributor Empire Distribution, a deal signed on 19 February 2020 covering distribution and publishing for Olamide and the artists he signs.
YBNL remains independent rather than major-owned: Olamide retains ownership and control of the label, with Empire providing distribution rather than equity or a buyout. Billboard named YBNL one of the “Gatekeepers” of the Nigerian music industry in a June 2020 feature on the labels and executives shaping the market.
Artists who have recorded for YBNL include Fireboy DML, Asake, Adekunle Gold, Lil Kesh and Temmie Ovwasa, several of whom built major international careers while signed to the label. YBNL has no live company website; its public presence runs through its X and Facebook accounts and through release pages on the Empire distribution network.
