Eman Kellam
Eman Kellam | |
|---|---|
 Olaniyan in 2020 | |
| Born | Emmanuel Kellam Olaniyan 27 November 1997 Lewisham, London, England |
| Occupation | TV presenter, YouTuber, actor |
| Years active | 2012–present |
Emmanuel Kellam Olaniyan (born 27 November 1997) is a Nigerian British actor, rapper, television presenter and YouTube personality better known as Eman Kellam. He is best known for his appearances on The CBBC Channel and his YouTube Webshow British Slang With Eman Kellam.[1]
Personal life[]
Olaniyan was born and raised in Lewisham, London, to parents of Nigerian origin. He attended Forest Hill School.[2] and then The BRIT School for Performing Arts and Technology.[3]
Career[]
YouTube Beginnings[]
Olaniyan started creating content on his YouTube channel "EmansBlogs" in 2012.[4] He started creating video blogs in his kitchen discussing topics that were popular and relevant at that point in time. It was not, however, until 2014 when he uploaded his most viewed video, "Pranking My African Dad",[5] in which he told his father that he had impregnated a 14-year-old girl, that his channel went viral and started to pick up speed and gain subscribers. This video has had over 8 million views as of August 2021 and has been discussed and shared across various platforms including WorldStarHipHop[6] and Bossip.[7] In January 2016, he appeared on the CBBC Channel as Lifebabble talent on the Scottish BAFTA award nominated show Lifebabble.[8][9]
French Montana "Check Come" Collaboration[]
On 5 November 2016, French Montana premiered his highly anticipated album MC4 on the Apple Music show OVO Sound Radio.[10] The show was curated by multi award-winning artist Drake, Noah "40" Shebib and Oliver El-Khatib in which who Drake also founded the OVO Sound record label with. Olaniyan and his father appeared on the show in a skit linked to a song on MC4 called "Check Come". The skit was taken from Olaniyan's infamous "Pranking My African Dad" prank. Olaniyan confirmed via Twitter that he knew him and his father would be featured and claims he had known and been sworn to secrecy for over two years. So it would be a funny surprise for his and French Montana's followers.[11]
CBBC and BBC "Own It"[]
In February 2018 Olaniyan appeared on The CBBC Channel in the United Kingdom as a guest presenter to promote "BBC Own It", a new online learning resource commissioned by the BBC aimed at 9-12 year olds. Covering a range of topics that would relate to children growing up in the digital age. Own It launched nationally on Tuesday 7 February 2018.[1]
YouTube Black Voices[]
In January 2021 YouTube announced the international list of creators of the inaugural YouTube Black Voices Class of 2021, of which Olaniyan was a UK class member .
Some members of the class of 2021 were also featured in the September 2021 issue of British Vogue in which Olaniyan was also included. Quote from British Vogue feature “As YouTube expands its diverse community, the Class of 2021 are the new figureheads in the making to follow. Prepare to watch those featured here go stratospheric”.
British Slang With Celebrities Series[]
Olaniyan is also known for his "British Slang With Eman Kellam" series on his YouTube channel. In which he asks predominantly American actors to try and figure out the meaning of a slang word commonly used by youth in the United Kingdom. Celebrity guests who have featured include Gabrielle Union, Denzel Washington, Childish Gambino, Regina Hall, Dave Franco, Cara Delevingne and Golden Globe Award nominated actress and creator of HBO's Insecure, Issa Rae.
| Episode Number | Guest/s featured in Episode | Release Date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Unge | 1 July 2015 |
| 2 | Ben Hardy, Tye Sheridan & Alexandra Shipp | 24 May 2016 |
| 3 | Dave Franco | 8 August 2016 |
| 4 | Nathan Zed | 24 August 2016 |
| 5 | RJ Cyler, Dacre Montgomery & Ludi Lin | 16 March 2017 |
| 6 | Becky G & Naomi Scott | 23 March 2017 |
| 7 | Kaya Scodelario & Brenton Thwaites | 24 May 2017 |
| 8 | Demetrius Shipp Jr. | 30 June 2017 |
| 9 | Cara Delevingne & Dane Dehaan | 25 July 2017 |
| 10 | Gabrielle Union & Ajiona Alexus | 6 May 2018 |
| 11 | Childish Gambino & Phoebe Waller-Bridge | 19 May 2018 |
| 12 | Denzel Washington | 11 August 2018 |
| 13 | Shameik Moore | 9 December 2018 |
| 14 | John Cena | 13 December 2018 |
| 15 | Zachary Levi | 22 March 2019 |
| 16 | Regina Hall, Issa Rae & Marsai Martin | 7 April 2019 |
| 17 | Daniel Kaluuya & Jodie Turner-Smith | 2 February 2020 |
Music career[]
2021[]
Olaniyan released his secret debut EP "For The Summer" on June 10th 2021. Speaking via Instagram he said "I remember going on tour with Lotto Boyzz in 2017 and seeing how much they loved making music. I was only hosting for them back then, but seeing the passion really inspired me to want to take music seriously. It's been a long time coming. Music is one of the things I love the most. I've grown up around it. Whether that be through my parents blasting Fuji music when I was a kid or me being around P2J in the studio when I was a younger, it's a passion of mine that I can't wait to share with you guys".
Filmography[]
Film[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Will You Kill Me Now? | Toby | Short Film |
| 2017 | Action Point | Shorts (uncredited) | Feature Film |
| 2021 | Music, Trial, Trauma: The Movie | Sam | Short Film |
Television[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Right This Minute [12] | Himself | 1 episode |
| 2015 | The Xperiment | Himself | 1 episode |
| 2016 - 2018 | Lifebabble | Himself | 26 episodes |
| 2017 | Inglorious Pranksters | Himself | 1 episode |
| 2018 | BBC "Own It" | Himself | Team Own It Member |
| 2018 | CBBC Channel | Himself | Guest appearances |
| 2019 | All Over the Place | Himself | Series 9 |
| 2020 | Monday Night Football | Himself | Guest Appearance |
Discography[]
Extended Plays[]
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions | Certifications |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK | |||
| For The Summer |
|
- |
Songwriting credits[]
| Year | Title | Artist | Role | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | "Check Come" | French Montana | Writer | MC4 (album) [10] |
References[]
- ^ Jump up to: a b https://www.bbc.com/ownit[failed verification]
- ^ "Forest Hill's Emmanuel Olaniyan, 15, becomes Young Mayor of Lewisham". News Shopper. Retrieved 7 October 2017.
- ^ http://www.croydonadvertiser.co.uk/inside-brit-school-croydon-s-fame-academy/story-23233159-detail/story.html
- ^ "EmanKellam". YouTube. Retrieved 7 October 2017.
- ^ EmanKellam (15 February 2014). "PRANKING MY AFRICAN DAD - @EmanKellam". Retrieved 7 October 2017 – via YouTube.
- ^ "LOOOL: African Father Was Ready To Beat The Shxt Out Of His Son During This Prank! You Will H'end Up In Mcdonass". WORLDSTARHIPHOP. Retrieved 7 October 2017.
- ^ "African Dad Prank: Son Says He Got A 14-Yr-Old White Girl Pregnant "Aabo Wa… Oh, My Days Jesus!" [Video]". bossip.com. 16 February 2014. Retrieved 7 October 2017.
- ^ "Lifebabble - CBBC - BBC". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 7 October 2017.
- ^ "Lifebabble (TV Series 2016– )". Retrieved 7 October 2017 – via www.imdb.com.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "French Montana Features "Pranking My African Dad" Video On MC4". thefader.com. Retrieved 7 October 2017.
- ^ Kellam, Eman. "I had to keep that a secret for 2 years. Well tada. Hahahahaha. #MC4 #OVOSOUNDRADIO". twitter.com. Retrieved 7 October 2017.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Pregnancy Prank Pushes Dad Over the Edge". rightthisminute.com. Retrieved 7 October 2017.
External links[]
- 1997 births
- English YouTubers
- Living people
- Male actors from London
- 21st-century English male actors
- English people of Nigerian descent
- People from Lewisham
- People educated at Forest Hill School
- English male film actors
- Black British male actors
- Black British television personalities