Nigerian Musicians

2009-06-29T11:59:00.001-07:00

[edit] Early Life
Naeto C's parents were of the Igbo ethnic group in Nigeria and were living in the Igbo City of Enugu. He spent his early years in that City, in a household very influenced by music. His likeness for music grew fast and was articulated into other creative art forms, most specifically poetry, which took him to various competitions and earned him accolade as a young poet. He attended the prestigious Atlantic Hall secondary school in Epe, Lagos.

[edit] University Life
After finishing his secondary education in Nigeria, he moved to the United States for higher education both in SUNY Oldwestbury and a year later, George Washington University. It was at this time that he met Uzikwendu and his brother, Ikechukwu, who was then an aspiring hip-hop artist out of Washington Heights, New York, The trio went on to form the World Famous Akademy, a brotherhood of musicians. They planned to grow into an independent record label but could not get their hands on the proper funds. Naeto C graduated in 2004 from the George Washington University with a B Sc. in Biology, Intending to go study further and become a medical doctor. After some deep self-searching he changed his mind and decided to pursue his dream and develop his talent as a musician. He is a GIDI warrior

[edit] Musical Career
Naeto C's cousin Obi Asika (the CEO of Storm Records a record company based in Lagos, Nigeria) had been trying to sign the World Famous Akademy for some time, and since Naeto had decided to pursue his career as a musician he agreed along with the rest of the WFA. But they did not return to Nigerian until early 2006, When Ikechukwu released his debut album, Son Of the Soil. That album lay the grounds for Naeto C and the WFA.Working as an in-house producer with his newly discovered production team “ET-Quake” (Consisting of TY Mix and VC Perez), Naeto was able to display his production skills working with Storm artists like Sasha, Dare Art-Alade, GT the Guitarman, Disconnect, Saro-Wiwa and Nkiru. Within a year of working with the aforementioned artists, Naeto had successfully recorded over 60 songs including his most recent album material (a bulk of which he co-produced with ET-Quake). A notable production achievement is the “I Believe”song Naeto wrote and co-produced with VC Perez (member of ET-Quake), which features himself, an up and coming R&B/Gospel artist, Sheun and the Legendary Hugh Masekela from South Africa. Within the same year Naeto garnered a lot of experience performing, from Ikechukwu’s album launch to Chanel O awards to the I Believe Tour to Always promo tour with Sasha and many more gigs, in preparation for the phenomenal MTN Homecoming Concert, headlined by a popular friend, Nigerian pop sensation, D’banj. Thus far "Naeto C" has recorded over 50 songs for his Debut with production that transcends today’s Hip Hop sound. From the Fela inspired “Lagos City Hustla” the most articulate reflection of Hip-Hop/Afro-beat till date to the down-south-melody-stricken 1st single “Sitting on Top”, Naeto C has broken all boundaries and surpassed more limits than any up and coming artist, lyrically and production wise. Currently Naeto C’s debut album is in its final phase, the only confirmed features include Saro Wiwa, a Highlife/Bongo Artist from Imo State and the World Famous Akademy. His debut album U Know My "P" was released on

[edit] Discography
2008: U Know My "P"
2008: Kini Big Deal ft Ikechuchukwu & chidi

[edit] Awards and nominations
Won - Best New Musician (MTV Africa Music Awards 2008)

[edit] External links
World Famous Akademy [1]
Naeto C on Myspace [2]
Storm Nigeria [3]
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naeto_C"

2Face

2009-06-29T11:48:00.000-07:00

Innocent Ujah Idibia (born in Jos, Plateau State) best known as 2face Idibia is a Nigerian hip hop musician and songwriter. He was a member of the defunct R&B/hip hop group Plantashun Boyz.
Contents[hide]
1 Career
2 Awards
3 References
4 External links
//

[edit] Career
Idibia hails from the Idoma ethnic group in the southern part of Benue State, in central Nigeria.He attended Mount Saint Gabriel's Secondary School in Makurdi,Benue State. He schooled briefly in the Institute of Management & Technology, IMT, Enugu, one of the country's foremost higher institute of learning where he did his preliminary National Diploma course in Business Administration. Though, he didn't finish but would hone his skills in music by performing in shows and parties organised by the IMT and some other schools like Enugu State University of Science & Technology, Enugu (ESUT) and University of Nigeria Enugu Campus (UNEC).
His major breakthrough in the IMT was composing and singing the jingles in the famous radio show GB Fan Club in Enugu State Broadcasting Services (ESBS)in 1996. He then relocated to Lagos and joined up with his ex-IMT mate BlackFace and Faze to form Plantashun Boyz [1] He started calling himself "2Face" in 1996. "The name to me just refers to the outside and inside: when you first see me you see the outside but when you get to know me, you see the inside" he said in an interview with the BBC.
His award winning hit track African Queen was used as the sound track of the 2006 comedy film, Phat Girlz [2]. This made him even more recognized internationally.
The Plantashun Boyz came together briefly in 2007 to record an album which they titled 'Plan B'.[3]
He also released a promotion album in 2008 which has spawned a Hit Enter the Place though one of his least successful hits ever, did well in some charts. The Promo CD is said to have faced distribution and sales problems, going unnoticed in some areas of the country.It has led to the shift of the release date of the album from 2008 to 2009 instead of the proposed release date announced in 2007.
Album Information
Face 2 Face
Released: 2004
Label: Kennis Music
Chart Positions: N/A
Sales: Over 2 million sold[citation needed]
Grass 2 Grace
Released: 2006
Label: Kennis Music
Chart Positions: N/A
Sales: N/A
The Unstoppable
Released: 2008
Label: Hypertek
Chart Positions: N/A
Sales: N/A

[edit] Awards
Solo
MTV Europe Awards 2005 - Best african Act
MOBO Awards 2005 - Best African Act (Nominated)
MOBO Awards 2007 - Best African Act (Won)
Channel O Music Video Awards 2005 - Best Male Video and Best African Video (both for "African Queen")[4]
KORA Awards 2005 - Revelation of the Year
Hip Hop World Awards 2006 - Special Recognition Award
2006 Channel O Music Video Awards - Best African Pop ("Ole") [5]
2006 Channel O Music Video Awards - Best African West ("Ole") [5]
Nigeria Entertainment Awards 2006 - Special Recognition Award. Nigeria Breakthrough Artist of the Year
Nigerian Music Awards 2008 - Album of the Year and R&B Song of the Year (Won)
World Music Awards 2008 - Best Nigerian Act (Won)[6]

[edit] References
^ Bio section of http://www.2faceidibiaonline.net/
^ http://www.soundtrackinfo.com/title/phatgirlz.asp
^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/africaonyourstreet/2face_interview.shtml
^ The Channel O Music Video Awards
^ a b BBC: Channel O Spirit Of Africa Music Video Awards 2006
^ TuFace, Sasha & Others represent Nigeria at the World Music Awards in Monaco

[edit] External links
Official website
2face on Naijapals
Xclusive Xposé
Xclusive Interview
2Face Idibia lyrics, audio, video, information
Upcoming Live Concert in Dublin
Black History Month appearance 2Face London

D'banj

2009-06-29T11:28:00.000-07:00

Dapo Daniel Oyebanjo (born in 1980 Zaria, Kaduna State, Nigeria),known commonly as, D'banj is a Nigerian singer-songwriter and harmonica player. "Dapo" is a nickname for the Yoruba name "Ifedapo" (meaning "Love came together").[1]
Contents[hide]
1 Biography
1.1 Early life
1.2 Musical beginning
2 Music career
2.1 2005–2006: No Long Thing
2.2 2007: Rundown Funk U Up
2.3 2007-2008: Curriculum Vitae & The Entertainer
2.4 Live performances
3 Humanitarian work
4 Discography
4.1 Albums
4.2 Singles
4.3 Featured singles
5 Awards
6 See also
7 References
8 External links
//

[edit] Biography

[edit] Early life
D'banj was born to a successful artillery officer that commanded an artillery regiment and a street was named after him in Alamala barracks Abeokuta and a church dignitary mother, who hailed from Shagamu in Ogun State. Due to his father's profession, he moved several times within Nigeria and also moved to India. D'banj was expected to follow his father's military career and was enrolled to the Nigerian Military School, Zaria at age eleven.[2]

[edit] Musical beginning
D'banj grew up listening to Fela Kuti, who he cites as his "great mentor".[3]. He was introduced to the harmonica by his late older brother,Femi Oyebanjo, who died in a plane crash at age seventeen[2]. With D'banj's love of music being greater than his parents' military aspirations, he struggled with his parents' approval, this can be best heard through an album track, All Da Way from his debut album. He derived his stage name from the combination of the first name and his surname.

[edit] Music career
As a tribute to his mentor, Fela, D'banj brings Afrobeat to life and into the 21st century with breathless enthusiasm as well as a good dose of humor. His songs are based on his life, often hilarious but with a deeper meaning which documents the struggle of a young African trying to achieve his dreams. He performs in Yoruba, English and Pidgin English. All his albums are solely produced by Don Jazzy and himself.

[edit] 2005–2006: No Long Thing
D'banj's debut album, No Long Thing, was released in 2005, yielding several singles, with Tongolo as the lead single. This proved to be his breakthrough single and a hit. It also provided his Koko Master persona, with the term, koko, taking on a variety of meanings. D'banj's debut success led to collaborations with other artists, this includes Dare Art-Alade's album track, Escalade Part 2 and Ikechukwu's album track,Doo.

[edit] 2007: Rundown Funk U Up
D'banj's sophomore album, Rundown Funk U Up, which was released in 2006, yielded several singles including the club single, Tongolo (Remix) and the lead single, Why Me. This proved to be another hit.

[edit] 2007-2008: Curriculum Vitae & The Entertainer
D'banj as an artist of Mo' Hits Records is also a member of its collective group, Mo' Hits Allstars. The collective's debut album, Curriculum Vitae, was released in December 2008. This included hit singles, Be Close To You, Booty Call and Move Your Body as the lead single. D'banj featured in Ikechukwu's 2008 hit, Wind Am Well. July, 2008 saw the release of D'banj's third album, The Entertainer[4], with the singles Gbono Fele Feli, Kimon, Olorun Maje and Entertainer.

[edit] Live performances
D'banj is known an energetic, charismatic and infectious live perfomancer. He is a regular performer for the annual ThisDay Africa Rising Music Festival. He has performed at Femi Kuti’s new Afrikan Shrine in Lagos as well as the Shrine Synchro System’s regular London Night at Cargo. He also performed at the Black President Concert in memory of Fela’s art and legacy at the Barbican in London. He has also performed alongside many international artists in Nigeria like Jay-Z, Beyoncé, Missy Elliot, Ja Rule, Beenie Man,E.J,Wayne Wonder, and Kelly Rowland.

[edit] Humanitarian work
D'banj is a founder of Koko Foundation for Youth and Peace Development. He is also Nigeria's first United Nations Youth Ambassador for Peace.[5] →

[edit] Discography

[edit] Albums
No Long Thing (2005)
Rundown Funk U Up (2006)
The Entertainer (2008)

[edit] Singles
Tongolo (2005)
Socor (2005)
Mobolowowon (2005)
Run Down (2006)
Why Me (2006)
Move Your Body (featuring Wande Coal) (2007)
Kimon (2008)
Olorun Maje (2008)
Gbono Fele (2008)
Entertainer (2008)
Suddenly (2008)
Fall In Love Featured singles
Wind Am Well (Ikechukwu featuring Don Jazzy & D'banj) (2008)

Awards
Won
Best African Act (MTV Europe Music Awards 2007)
Hottest Single of the year "Why me" (NEA Awards 2007)[6]
Most Promising Male Artiste (KORA All African Awards 2005) [7]
Hip Hop World Revelation (HIP HOP WORLD AWARDS 2006 hosted by
Artist of the year (Nigerian Music Awards (NMA) 2006)[9] Hip Hop World Magazine)[
Best Newcomer - Tongolo (fizz Awards 2006)[10]
2007 Channel O Music Video Awards - Best Special Effects (“Why Me”) [11]
Artist of the Year (MTV Africa Music Awards 2008)[12]
Best Male (MTV Africa Music Awards 2008)[12]
Nominated
Best Newcomer - Tongolo (Channel O African Music Video Awards 2006)[13]
Best West African - Tongolo (Channel O African Music Video Awards 2006)[13]
Best African Act - MOBO Awards 2007
Best African Act - MOBO Awards 2008
Best Live Performer - MTV Africa Music Awards 2008 [14]

[edit] See also
African hip hop
Nigerian hip hop

[edit] References
^ Meaning of Ifedapo in Nigerian.name
^ a b Biography of D'banj
^ Nubian Underground. The Home of Responsible African Hip-Hop Music and Culture
^ Newspage Weekly, The Online Edition - Get to know the Koko master
^ Home - WFUNA
^ http://www.nigeriaentawards.com
^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/africaonyourstreet/kora_awwards_2005.shtml
^ http://www.hiphopworldmagazine.com/featurex.aspx?featureid=32
^ http://www.nigeriamusicawards.com/nomination.htm
^ Advertising and Marketing in South Africa
^ Museke: Channel O Music Video Awards 2007 winners
^ a b Nigerians sweep MTV Africa Awards
^ a b Channel O Award nominees released
^ MTV MAMA Music Awards with Zain