Comedian and actor Akunyota Akpobome, popularly known as Alibaba, has warned artistes against compromising their values for success in the music industry.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Friday, Ali Baba bemoaned aspiring artistes now taking to occult practices prior to getting signed by a record label.

He claimed there is a strong desire to become successful that has led some artistes to compromising the values they have been brought up with.

“For me, there are some things that you would not want to do, and you must stick with it. It is the same thing with some of these artists, some of them do rituals now.

“As an artiste, you must define your purpose, you must hold on to some strong values you’ve been brought up with.

“If you are someone who is in a position with your creative abilities, you don’t need that kind of pressure. You don’t need somebody making you sign or take an oath for you to be creative.”

“People just want to blow; they want to be seen, they want to be heard, they want to make money, they want to belong. And because of that, they step back from the values they have been brought up with and do what they shouldn’t do.”

Alibaba stated that certain artistes are surviving and thriving despite the pressures of the entertainment industry.

“They don’t smoke, they don’t hold cigars, they don’t hold the glass cup and drink whiskey in their [music videos], and they insist on it,” he said.

“Even if the choreography says it would add colour to the video, they would say no.”

AliBaba’s remarks come following increasing public outrage over the allegations of abuse suffered by the late 27-year-old singer Ilerioluwa Olademeji, also known as Mohbad, prior to his demise on September 12.