Landmark is level 2 of 4 in the Nigeria Hall of Fame: a first that opened a door, or the pre-eminent figure of their generation in this country. See how the levels work.
Why they are here
African Queen was the record that proved Nigerian pop could travel, and he has stayed at the centre of the industry for a quarter of a century since.
Innocent Ujah Idibia, who recorded as 2Face Idibia and later as 2Baba, came out of the group Plantashun Boiz in Lagos and went solo in 2004 with the album Face 2 Face.
African Queen is on it. The song went across the continent, was picked up for the American film Phat Girlz, and became the record people point to when they date the moment Nigerian popular music stopped being a domestic industry and started being an export. He won Best African Act at the MTV Europe Music Awards in 2005, the first year an African category existed, and a string of continental awards after it.
What distinguishes him from most of his generation is longevity. The Afrobeats artists who have taken Nigerian music worldwide — Wizkid, Davido, Burna Boy — grew up on his records, and he has remained a working, relevant artist alongside them rather than becoming a heritage act. Implication, Amaka and Gaaga Shuffle span two decades.
He has also spoken and sung about Nigerian governance more directly than most commercial artists find comfortable, including on the album Warriors, and attempted to lead a nationwide protest march in 2017 before calling it off over safety concerns — a decision he was criticised for and has discussed since.
African Queen is on it. The song went across the continent, was picked up for the American film Phat Girlz, and became the record people point to when they date the moment Nigerian popular music stopped being a domestic industry and started being an export. He won Best African Act at the MTV Europe Music Awards in 2005, the first year an African category existed, and a string of continental awards after it.
What distinguishes him from most of his generation is longevity. The Afrobeats artists who have taken Nigerian music worldwide — Wizkid, Davido, Burna Boy — grew up on his records, and he has remained a working, relevant artist alongside them rather than becoming a heritage act. Implication, Amaka and Gaaga Shuffle span two decades.
He has also spoken and sung about Nigerian governance more directly than most commercial artists find comfortable, including on the album Warriors, and attempted to lead a nationwide protest march in 2017 before calling it off over safety concerns — a decision he was criticised for and has discussed since.
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