Rotimi

Olurotimi Akinosho, known professionally as Rotimi, is a Nigerian-American actor and singer. Born on November 30, 1988, he has gained recognition for his television roles, including Darius Morrison on the Starz drama series Boss, Andre Coleman on Power, and Charles on The Chi. In addition to his screen career, he is active as a contemporary R&B recording artist and model.

Rotimi was raised in Maplewood, New Jersey, by a Nigerian family of Yoruba heritage. During his youth, he attended Columbia High School, where he participated on the varsity basketball team and sang in the choir. He went on to pursue higher education at Northwestern University, graduating in 2010 with a bachelor's degree in Communication and a minor in Business.

Rotimi's acting career began with his first audition, which secured him the role of drug dealer Darius Morrison on the series Boss. He subsequently appeared in three episodes of the ABC television series Betrayal and made his feature film debut in the 2013 movie Black Nativity. The following year, he starred in Imperial Dreams, a film showcased at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival that won the Best of NEXT award. He also appeared in the feature film Divergent in 2014 and later acted in the 2016 movie Deuces alongside Lance Gross and Larenz Tate.

Rotimi expanded his television work by joining the cast of the Starz series Power as a series regular, playing Andre Coleman, the quick-tempered young protégé of the character Ghost. He also secured a recurring role as Danny on the show Battle Creek. Later in his acting career, he joined the television series The Chi as Charles, and on June 29, 2024, he confirmed that he would be joining the show as a full-time cast member for its seventh season.

As a contemporary R&B artist, Rotimi began releasing digital mixtapes in 2011, launching The Resume in March and While You Wait in November of that year. His music videos achieved broadcast coverage on media outlets such as MTV, MTV Base, and VH1 Soul. He also secured live stage opportunities, opening for artists including Jennifer Hudson, T.I., Estelle, and NERD, as well as performing on BET's 106 and Park. Additionally, his song "I'm the One" was placed in the first episode of Boss, and he appeared as the unfaithful boyfriend in Keyshia Cole's music video for "Trust and Believe".

In 2015, rapper and Power executive producer 50 Cent signed Rotimi to his label, G-Unit Records, where Rotimi released his debut G-Unit single, "Lotto," featuring 50 Cent. He followed this in 2016 with the single "Doin it" from his five-track project Summer Bangerz, and released his debut EP, Jeep Music Vol. 1, in 2017. In 2019, he released the single "Love Riddim." Outside of music and acting, Rotimi worked in fashion as the lead model and spokesperson for rapper T.I.'s AKOO Clothing 2012 Spring/Summer campaign, launched on April 2, 2012.

In November 2019, Rotimi and Tanzanian singer Vanessa Mdee publicly confirmed their relationship. The couple became engaged in December 2020. They welcomed their first child, a son named Seven Adeoluwa Akinosho, in September 2021, and their second child, a daughter named Imani Enioluwa Akinosho, in March 2023.