Olurotimi Akinosho (; born November 30, 1988), known professionally as Rotimi, is a Nigerian-American actor and singer. He is known for his role as Darius Morrison on the

Starz Starz (stylized in all caps as STARZ; pronounced "stars") is an American pay television network owned by Starz Entertainment, and is the flagship property of Starz Inc. Launched in 1994 as a multiplex service of what is now Starz Encore, ...

series ''

Boss Boss may refer to: Occupations * Supervisor, often referred to as boss * Air boss, more formally, air officer, the person in charge of aircraft operations on an aircraft carrier * Crime boss, the head of a criminal organization * Fire boss, ...

'', and as Andre Coleman on ''

Power Power may refer to: Common meanings * Power (physics), meaning "rate of doing work" ** Engine power, the power put out by an engine ** Electric power, a type of energy * Power (social and political), the ability to influence people or events Math ...

'', then as Charles on ''

The Chi ''The Chi'' ( ) is an American drama television series created by Lena Waithe about life in a neighborhood on the South Side of Chicago. In May 2024, the series was renewed for a seventh season which premiered on May 18, 2025. In May 2025, th ...

''; However on June 29, 2024 he confirmed that he would be joining full time in season 7.

Early life and education

Rotimi was born in

Maplewood, New Jersey Maplewood is a township in Essex County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The township is an inner-ring suburban bedroom community of New York City in the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's popula ...

to a Nigerian family of Yoruba heritage. He attended

Columbia High School Columbia High School may refer to: *Columbia High School (Huntsville, Alabama) *Columbia High School (Georgia) *Columbia High School (Florida) *Columbia High School (Idaho) *Columbia High School (Illinois) *Columbia High School (Mississippi), a Mis ...

, where he was on both the varsity basketball team and the choir. He continued his studies at

Northwestern University Northwestern University (NU) is a Private university, private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1851 to serve the historic Northwest Territory, it is the oldest University charter, chartered university in ...

and graduated with a bachelor's degree in Communication with a minor in Business in 2010.

Career

Acting

At his first trial with acting, Rotimi auditioned and subsequently got his first acting role on ''

'' as drug dealer Darius Morrison.Rotimi Gives Power Season 3 Hints + Making Music with 50 Cent
YouTube (July 13, 2016). Retrieved January 12, 2017. Rotimi also appeared in three episodes of ABC's ''Betrayal''. Rotimi made his silver screen debut in the film ''

Black Nativity ''Black Nativity'' is an adaptation of the Nativity story by Langston Hughes, performed by an entirely black cast. Hughes was the author of the book, with the lyrics and music being derived from traditional Christmas carols, sung in gospel sty ...

'' (2013). Following this, he starred in '' Imperial Dreams'' at the

2014 Sundance Film Festival The 2014 Sundance Film Festival took place from January 16, 2014 until January 26, 2014 in Park City, Utah, United States, with screenings in Salt Lake City, Utah, Salt Lake City, Ogden, Utah, Ogden, and Sundance Resort in Utah. The festival opene ...

, which later won for "Best of NEXT". Rotimi next appeared in the high grossing film, ''Divergent'' (2014). In 2016 Rotimi also acted in the movie Deuces alongside Lance Gross and Larenz Tate. He was added to the cast of Starz' TV series ''

'' as a series regular, in the role of Andre Coleman, the quick-tempered young protégé of the character Ghost. Rotimi was also cast in a recurring role on ''

Battle Creek Battle Creek is a city in northwestern Calhoun County, Michigan, United States, at the confluence of the Kalamazoo River, Kalamazoo and Battle Creek River, Battle Creek rivers. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a tota ...

'' as Danny.

Music

contemporary R&B Contemporary R&B (or simply R&B) is a popular music Music genre, genre, originating from African Americans, African-American musicians in the 1980s that combines rhythm and blues with elements of Pop music, pop, Soul music, soul, funk, Hip-hop, ...

artist, Rotimi released two digital mixtapes, titled ''The Resume'' (March 8, 2011) and ''While You Wait'' (November 30, 2011). His videos have been featured on international and U.S. based entertainment media including

MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...

, MTV Base, and

VH1 Soul BET Soul (formerly VH1 Soul) is an American pay television network that first launched on August 1, 1998, and is currently owned by Paramount Global's BET Media Group. The channel showcases Caribbean, African, R&B, funk, soul, neo soul, hip hop, ...

. Rotimi has performed on stage, opening for

Jennifer Hudson Jennifer Kate Hudson (born September 12, 1981), also known by her nickname J.Hud, is an American singer, actress, producer, and talk show host. Having received List of awards and nominations received by Jennifer Hudson, numerous accolades for ...

T.I. Clifford Joseph Harris Jr. (born September 25, 1980), known professionally as T.I. or Tip, is an American rapper and singer raised in Atlanta, Georgia. Harris is credited as a pioneer of the hip hop subgenre trap music, along with fellow Georgi ...

, Estelle, and

NERD A nerd is a person seen as overly intellectual, obsessive, introverted, or lacking social skills. Such a person may spend inordinate amounts of time on unpopular, little known, or non-mainstream activities, which are generally either highly t ...

; he also performed on

BET Black Entertainment Television (BET) is an American basic cable channel targeting Black American audiences. It is the flagship channel of the BET Media Group, a subsidiary of Paramount Global's CBS Entertainment Group. Originally launched ...

's show ''

106 and Park ''106 & Park'' is an American hip hop and R&B music video show, set up in a countdown format, that was broadcast on weekdays at 6:00 pm ET/5:00 pm CT on BET; it aired on a one-day delay on BET International. It was the network's highest- rat ...

'' and appeared in R&B singer

Keyshia Cole Keyshia Myeshia Cole (née Johnson; born October 15, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, television personality and actress. Dubbed by critics as the " Princess of Hip-Hop Soul", she is known for her soulful voice and heartfelt lyrics. Bor ...

's music video " Trust and Believe" as Cole's unfaithful boyfriend. Rotimi garnered music placement with "I'm the One" on the first episode of ''

''. In 2015, American rapper and executive producer of ''Power'',

50 Cent Curtis James Jackson III (born July 6, 1975), known professionally as 50 Cent, is an American rapper, actor, and television producer. Born in Queens, a borough of New York City, Jackson began pursuing a musical career in 1996. In 1999–2000, ...

signed Rotimi to his label,

G-Unit Records G-Unit Records is an American record label, owned by Universal Music Group. Founded in 2003 by rapper 50 Cent, the label was operated by Interscope Records until February 2014. Thereafter, distribution of G-Unit operated under Caroline Records a ...

. He also released his first G-Unit single "Lotto" featuring 50 Cent. In 2016, Rotimi released "Doin it", a single from his 5-track project, Summer Bangerz. In 2017 he released his debut EP called ''Jeep Music Vol. 1''. In 2019, he released a single titled "Love Riddim" which has garnered attention from both old fans and newly made ones.

Fashion

Rotimi is the lead model/spokesperson of rapper T.I.'s AKOO Clothing 2012 Spring/Summer campaign, April 2, 2012.

Personal life

On November 25, 2019, Rotimi shared a picture of himself and Tanzanian singer Vanessa Mdee posing in an elevator, with Vanessa also confirming their relationship by posting the same picture with a different caption. Rotimi told the story of how the two met at a party and hit it off and Vanessa also said in an interview how she knew he was her husband, only two days after meeting him. In a video posted on Instagram with Rotimi who was later joined by Vanessa, the pair revealed that they both had tattoos of each other's name on their bodies; her (middle) name, Hau, on his right wrist and his name, Rotimi, on her chest. They also have matching tattoos of the number 1045 on their wrists. In December 2020, Rotimi got engaged to Vanessa. The pair welcomed their first child (a boy
Seven Adeoluwa Akinosho
in September 2021. Similarly in March 2023, Rotimi announced the arrival of his second child (a girl
Imani Enioluwa Akinosho

Discography

Studio albums * ''All or Nothing'' (2021) * ''In My Heart In My Veins'' (2024)

Filmography

Tours

* Don't Matter Tour (with

August Alsina August Anthony Alsina Jr.(April 8, 2013)R&B Singer August Alsina Talks Working With The Dream, Preps Def Jam Debut, ''Life + Times'' (confirms middle name; other sources confirm he is a "junior") (born September 3, 1992) is an American hip hop ...

) (2017) * In my heart, in my vein Tour (2025)

References

External links

* http://www.rotimimusic.com * {{Authority control Living people 21st-century American male actors 21st-century American singer-songwriters American male models American people of Yoruba descent American male singer-songwriters American male television actors Columbia High School (New Jersey) alumni G-Unit Records artists Northwestern University School of Communication alumni Actors from Maplewood, New Jersey Singer-songwriters from New Jersey American people of Igbo descent Yoruba male actors Igbo male actors Yoruba musicians Igbo musicians Yoruba male models Igbo male models Male actors from New Jersey 1988 births 21st-century American male singers American contemporary R&B singers American musicians of Nigerian descent