OMG moments from the first five episodes of I Am LAYCON on Showmax

I Am LAYCON, which is Showmax’s first Nigerian original series, explores the different sides of Laycon, the reality star, the brother, friend, lover and rapper. But we see less of the reality star and more of the man and musical artiste.

“So now people know me as the Big Brother Naija season five winner,” Laycon says in the first episode. “But I’m also an artiste—first of all, I’m an artiste!”

The show kicks off at Laycon’s new apartment. He’s with his core team: his manager Gomi, his brother Yomi (who doubles as personal manager), his best friend Bisi (road manager) and his content manager. They are responsible for Laycon, the artiste, but they all played a role in ensuring Laycon, the reality star, happened. The team appears throughout the episodes, helping us understand Laycon as he alternates between friend, rapper and reality star.

Below we discuss our favorite moments from the first five episodes of I Am LAYCON.

No girl is going to sleep in this house

A few minutes into the show and you can already tell Yomi is the life of the party, and Laycon is somewhat the opposite. The first night at his new apartment, Yomi’s phone is buzzing—girls want to troop in. Then Laycon drops the bomb: “No girl is going to sleep in this house!” He wants his house to be a safe space from the noise fame brings, but na wa ooo, all that fame and success and money, and the Icons president doesn’t want women around him!

The Erica moment

Of course, there’s an Erica moment on I Am LAYCON! It all started with Yomi reminding him of that situation. “Omo, you know you caused a lot of kasala when you were in that house,” he tells Laycon. “People were literally calling me to tell you to stay focused.”

The conversation prompts Laycon to address misconceptions around the Erica situation. He explains, yes, he liked her and was open about it, but he didn’t intend to act on it. “There’s this misconception when I said, ‘I like you, I’m attracted to you,’” he tells viewers. “It doesn’t mean I want us to do something about it. I’m just telling you,”

Laycon didn’t tell his ex he was going to Big Brother

There were rumours Laycon had a girlfriend before the house, and he was dragged for disrespecting that relationship with his interest in both Erica and Lilo. He apologised to his ex-girlfriend for not telling her he was going on the show and for flirting with some housemates.

“When I got out, I reached out and we spoke,” he says. “I apologised that I couldn’t tell [her about going on Big Brother Naija]. I apologised for the way my emotions allowed me… you know what my emotions did [to] me in the house. I apologised.”

Laycon and Lilo flirting with each other

Laycon smiles often, but it is different when he is around his fellow housemate, Lilo. He’s timid, sheepish and chatty.

But this is hardly surprising—he always talked about how much of a crush he has on Lilo, and he seems to be taking steps in that direction. First, he asks if she still has a boyfriend; when she says no, he says he will love for them to talk more. Hmmm. Just talk, Laycon?

What’s coming next for Laycon and his crew?

The next five episodes of I Am LAYCON drop on Showmax on 4 March.