Founded in August 2016 by music executives Asa Asika and Bizzle Osikoya, The Plug is a Nigerian music and entertainment company. Driven by the ambition to be the biggest independent management and distribution company from Africa, the firm manages artists like Davido and CKay, while expanding its footprint across publishing, distribution, and live events.
Here is the kicker: building a superstar isn’t just about dropping a catchy hook anymore. It requires an entire ecosystem.
The Bottom Line
- The Core Vision: Co-founders Asa Asika and Bizzle Osikoya launched The Plug in 2016 to manage producers, DJs and songwriters, scaling into a full-fledged music company.
- Chart Dominance: The company’s management includes Davido, who released his fourth studio album, Timeless.
- Total Diversification: Beyond artist management, the company operates dedicated divisions for live entertainment—such as the Mainland Block Party—alongside distribution, publishing, and corporate branding.
Scaling the Blueprint of African Superstardom
March 31 marked a high point in the United States for the Afrobeats artist when he dropped Timeless, his fourth studio LP. According to Billboard data, the record reached No. 37 on the Billboard 200—Davido’s highest-charting album to date—and debuted at No. 2 on the World Albums chart. In Nigeria, the record debuted at the top spot, pulling in 50.4 million on-demand streams during its opening week—surpassing the collective total of the other 49 records featured on TurnTable’s Official Top 50 Albums chart for that same period.
Behind that commercial rollout sat The Plug, the Nigerian management company founded by Asika and Osikoya, with live events and branding executive Tobi Mohammed coming on as a third partner in 2022. What started with the goal of managing producers, DJs, and songwriters has grown into a full-fledged music company that incorporates management, distribution, publishing, live events, booking, and a branding agency. The firm’s roster includes artists like CKay—whose “Love Nwantiti” was the first-ever No. 1 on the Billboard Afrobeats Chart upon its launch in March 2022—alongside Victony, Bella Shmurda, King Promise, Focalistic, Boj, and super-producer Sarz.
“Our goal is to be the biggest independent management and distribution company from Africa,” Osikoya notes.
From Grassroots Foundations to Global Boardrooms
The story of The Plug begins, in part, with Davido. The Atlanta-born, Lagos, Nigeria-raised Afrobeats star began his career in the early 2010s with Asika as his manager, before the two parted ways for several years as Asika focused on his StarGaze Entertainment company. At the same time, Osikoya had his own company, B Entertainment, and was also working with the Nigerian record label Mavin Records, founded by Don Jazzy. When Asika and Osikoya met in New York, the idea came to return to Nigeria and join forces as The Plug. They began to build the company slowly, starting with DJ Obi, but by November, Davido came around asking to work with Asika again.
That reunion led to successful singles including “If”—named Song of the Year at the 2018 Headies Awards—and “Fall,” which became the first Nigerian song to reach 100 million views on YouTube. According to Africa Giant, The Plug’s ability to combine its management expertise with distribution, publishing, live events, booking, and branding services sets it apart.
Diversifying the Revenue Streams
The Plug’s live events division created and produces the Mainland Block Party, which is the largest music event in Nigeria, while its branding division—under Mohammed’s TopBoy moniker—regularly executes campaigns for the likes of Diageo, Pernod Ricard, Pepsi, MTV and more.
| Division | Core Focus | Key Assets & Milestones |
|---|---|---|
| Artist Management | Management, distribution, publishing, live events, booking | Davido, CKay, Victony, Bella Shmurda, King Promise, Focalistic, Boj, Sarz |
| Live Events | Live event production | Mainland Block Party |
| Branding & Agency | Corporate partnerships | Campaigns executed for Diageo, Pernod Ricard, Pepsi, MTV |
The Plug’s branding division regularly executes campaigns for the likes of Diageo, Pernod Ricard, Pepsi, MTV and more. The company’s ambition is driven by a desire to work with people in fashion, film, and other industries beyond music alone.
Drop a comment below: Do you think independent African management companies can permanently out-maneuver major Western labels in the fight for global market share?
