Bright Okpocha (born 14 September 1978 in Lagos State), popularly known by his stage name Basketmouth, is a Nigerian comedian, Actor, TV presenter, producer, and  MC. His comedy game didn’t just start one day, it may interest you to know that he was a rapper at a point in his life, that is in the year 1995. But before then he was discovering and improving on his drumming skills. The rapping journey for him was not really a successful one, he first formed a seven-man group, called DA PSYCOPATHS, but before they could release any official song, the group broke up. He didn’t still give up on his rap journey, he then started another group with his own brother Godwin and his friend Muyiwa. It was called DA ODDS, Although, it went a bit farther than “Psychopaths” as they were able to perform at shows it also didn’t breakthrough in the end

EARLY LIFE AND EDUCATION

Basketmouth was born on the 14th day in September 1978  in Lagos but grew up in Abia. He finished primary and secondary school in Apapa, Lagos, before enrolling in the University of Benin in Edo State to study Sociology and Anthropology.

 

CAREER

His 1st standup comedy was a disaster because the crowd got irritated and booed him off the stage. Later that year (1999), he came back after a series of research on what brand of comedy could sell in UNIBEN; that was the beginning of Basket mouth’s inception and acceptance into the world of standup comedy. His professional stand-up act came into existence in the year 2000 and his big break came when he met Ali Baba.

That same year, Basketmouth was billed to perform at Lagbaja’s monthly concert at Motherland, on October 1st, 2000. He made his 1st appearance at the renowned Nite of a 1000 laughs. After then, it was one gig to another.

In 1999, Basket mouth got involved in events management alongside his comedy acts. He and his friend (Bayo Adekeye) promoted and packaged shows that featured the likes of plantation boiz, remedies, and a host of other artists. It was during that period that Laff n Jamz was conceptualized.

On the 1st of November 2000, the concept came to reality featuring Ali Baba, Paul Play, Teju babyface, mandy, Mr. Patrick, and a host of others. Immediately after Laff n Jamz in UNIBEN, Ali Baba told Bright to come down to Lagos to expose his skills. It was hard to combine studies and standup comedy but it was done.

After Basket mouth featured Plantation Boiz in 2000, they asked him to anchor a monthly show that was held at their den in Ikeja. It was during that period that Bright impacted the entertainment industry in Lagos.

Things got bigger and better when Bright was invited by Tequila events to perform alongside Julius Agwu on a tour that hit over 30 higher institutions around Nigeria. Basket’s emergence in Lagos can be traced back to the year 2000 when he performed at a concert called hanging with the home boys; his performance wowed the audience and he won their acceptance. He extended his activities to the monthly motherland concert hosted by Lagbaja. Afterward, Ali Baba introduced him to Opa Williams who then featured him in the now most popular comedy show in Nigeria and beyond (Nite of a 1000 laughs).

The name BASKET MOUTH hit the big screen when he featured in international concerts that witnessed the likes of Joe, Boys 2 Men, Sean Paul, Beyonce, Wyclef Jean, Dru Hill, Akon, Snoop Dogg, Ciara, Chris Brown, and many others. His international gig was in Europe (2003) after which he stayed off the foreign scene until his debut performance in Atlanta at the Nigerian Reunion in 2006. This performance led to a series of performances and bookings in the United States and other countries including South Africa.

 

Musical Career

In 1995, he, his friends, and his brother formed a group called da psychopaths. It had 7 members but they split before they could even release an album or single.

Bright and his brother Godwin immediately formed a group called D Oddz and later added a third member (muyiwa osunrobi). Together, they did a couple of shows but couldn’t break through the music industry as their brand of rap wasn’t accepted then.

In the year 1996/1997, they got admitted into the University of Benin where Basketmouth studied sociology while his brother studied anthropology. They performed at a concert and got booed off the stage, Bright decided to drop the mic as a rap artist and grab the mic as a standup comedian.

PERSONAL LIFE

Basketmouth met his wife, Elsie Ngowi Uzoma, in 2003. Basketmouth had gone to the University of Lagos, which also happens to be Elsie’s alma mater, to promote his first big performance, ‘Basketmouth Uncensored,’ at the time.

Their relationship did not officially begin until they met again in 2004 at a bar in Lagos. Basketmouth and his beautiful bride, Elsie Ngowi Uzoma, dated for a few years before marrying on Saturday, November 6, 2010. They married at Giwa Barrack in Falomo, Ikoyi, Lagos State. Basketmouth is blessed with three children, 2 daughters, and 1 son.

NET WORTH

Basket Mouth makes most of his money from endorsement deals with several Brands like Glo, from hosting concerts acting, and other show businesses, he charges from 2 million and above for shows. He has been estimated to have a net worth of N1.8billion in 2020.