2Baba
Biography
2Baba, born Innocent Ujah Idibia on September 18 1975 in Jos, Plateau State, is one of Nigeria's most revered musicians and the man widely credited with putting Afrobeats on the global map. He rose to fame in the late 1990s as a member of the pioneering R&B group Plantashun Boiz before launching his solo career with the album Face 2 Face in 2004. The album contained the groundbreaking single African Queen, which became the first Nigerian song to achieve substantial international airplay and commercial success. African Queen became a defining moment for Nigerian popular music, featured in the 2005 film Phat Girlz and earning 2Baba recognition across Africa, Europe, and the United States. He followed with Grass 2 Grace (2006) and The Unstoppable (2008), cementing his status as the dominant figure of the era. His music blends Afrobeats rhythms with R&B melodies and Pidgin English lyrics that reflect everyday Nigerian life and experience. 2Baba has won more than 200 awards throughout his career, including multiple MTV Africa Music Awards, Channel O Music Awards, and the prestigious MOBO Award for Best African Act. He was awarded the Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON) national honour in 2014. Known for his activism and advocacy for social justice, he announced a planned protest march against the Nigerian government in 2017 that drew massive national attention. He is widely regarded as the undisputed Legendary Father of African Music.
