Innocent Ujah Idibia is a Nigerian musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, entrepreneur, philanthropist, humanitarian, and activist, better known by his stage name 2Baba.
His solo debut album Face2Face, with the smash hit song African Queen, ushered in a new wave of awareness and appreciation for Nigerian music among Africans on the continent and the diaspora in the 2000s, and he is most significant for the growth in popularity of Nigerian pop music in the 2000s.
Biography
Innocent Ujah Idibia, popularly known as 2Face or 2Baba, was born on September 18, 1975, in Jos, the Plateau State capital. He comes from the Idoma ethnic group in Benue State. In Makurdi, the Benue State capital, he attended Mount Saint Gabriel’s Secondary School.
Tuface enrolled at the Institute of Management and Technology (IMT) in Enugu, where he completed his preliminary National Diploma in Business Administration and Management.
Idibia performed at school-organized events and parties and other regional schools like the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, and Enugu State University of Science and Technology while at IMT.
He eventually dropped out of school to follow his dream of becoming a musician. 2face Idibia began composing and singing jingles at the GB Fan Club at Enugu State Broadcasting Services (ESBS) in 1996 while still a student at IMT.
In 1996, he changed his stage name to 2Face (Tuface). He explained that the change of name was because he was trying to separate his personal life from his professional life. Tuface changed his name officially to 2Baba in 2016.
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Career
He relocated to Lagos and began performing with Blackface Naija, a fellow Benue artist. During his secondary school years, he met Blackface. He went on to form the Plantashun Boiz trio band with Blackface (Ahmedu Augustine Obiabo) and musician Faze (Chibuzor Orji).
Before disbanding in 2004, Plantashun Boiz published two successful albums under Nelson Brown’s label (Dove Records): Body and Soul (2000) and Sold Out (2003). For many years, relations were strained, the band disbanded, and its members embarked on solo careers. Long after the Faze vs. Tuface conflict ended, the band reunited in 2007 to create Plan B, their third and final album (2007).
BlackFace has claimed on several occasions that 2Face was performing songs co-written by the two of them without remitting royalties to him. The case was finally settled peacefully after a long legal and media battle.
Following the disbandment of Plantashun Boiz in 2004, each band member pursued their own musical endeavors. Many publications have named 2Baba’s debut solo album Face 2 Face (2004) as the greatest Nigerian debut album of the twenty-first century by a solo artist. Nfana Ibaga, Ole, and African Queen were among the album’s hits (which has been touted as one of the biggest hits to come out of Africa and served as the soundtrack to the 2006 Hollywood movie Phat Girlz.
Following the success of his debut album, he released Grass 2 Grace in 2006, which included singles such as One Love, True Love, and 4 Instance.
In 2009, 2Baba released The Unstoppable, an experimental album that included the single Enter the Place. Due to issues with album distribution in 2007, the album’s release date was pushed back from 2008 to early 2009. In 2010, 2Baba released The Unstoppable International Edition, an “International Edition” of the same album, making him the first Nigerian artist to have an adequately priced international album. 2face has released two more singles from his The Unstoppable album’s worldwide edition.
After quitting Kennis Music following the release of his second solo album, he founded Hypertek Digital, his own record label. Some of the musicians signed to his label are Victor Uwaifo, Dammy Krane, and Rock Steady. He’s a member of the Sony All African One8 Project along with seven other musicians from across Africa, and they’ve recorded a single called Hands Across the World with R. Kelly and Prince Lee.
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2Baba songs
The musician has released many hit songs, and some of these songs have won him several awards both locally and internationally.
Below is a list of his songs.
- Enter the place
- Take it back
- Outside
- Can’t do without you
- Free
- Pako
- Fly
- Power of Naija
- Rain Drops
- Dance in the Rain
- Dance Floor
- Omo T’osan
- Spell Bound
- Freedom is Life
- Jeje
- Holiday
- Gaga Shuffle
- Amaka
Albums
- Beyond Borders(2003)
- Face 2 Face (2004)
- Sincerely Yours (2005)
- Grass 2 Grace (2006)
- The Unstoppable (2008)
- The Ascension (2014)
- Warriors (2020)
Net worth
2Baba’s net worth is estimated at N8.3 billion ($20m), making him one of the richest musicians in Nigeria. He’s a savvy businessman who dabbles in real estate and buys properties on the fly. His fortune comes from the sales of his music and book, Very Good Bad Guy, as well as his club, Rumour Nightclub. His shows and sponsorship deals aren’t forgotten either.
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2Baba family
2Baba is married to Annie Idibia, an award-winning Nigerian actress, film producer, model, and serial entrepreneur (nee Macauley). 2Baba and Annie Macaulay married in a private ceremony in Lagos, Nigeria, on May 2, 2012. On March 23, 2013, a civil ceremony was held in Dubai, UAE, with a large number of celebrities in attendance.
Olivia Idibia and Isabella Idibia are the celebrity couple’s two daughters.
2Baba fathered two children with Sumbo Ajala and three others with Pero Adeniyi whilst in a relationship with his then-girlfriend-turned-wife Annie Macaulay-Idibia. 2Baba has seven children in total.
Achievements
2Baba is one of the most decorated musicians in Nigeria. He has been recognised locally and internationally for his outstanding performance in the music industry.
Awards
For his musical work, 2Baba has won
- 1 MTV Europe Music Award
- 1 World Music Award
- 5 Headies Awards (Hip-hop award)
- 4 Channel O Music Video Awards
- 1 BET award
- 4 MTV Africa Music Awards
- 1 MOBO award
- 1 KORA award
- 3 AFRIMA Awards
Honorary degrees
- Igbinedion University, Okada, Edo State, Nigeria, awarded 2Baba an honorary Master of Arts in Music degree in May 2016.
- Obafemi Awolowo University’s Music Department named him an honorary fellow of the School of Music in March 2019. This made him the inaugural recipient of the award, which he received on March 20, 2019, at the first public lecture and fellowship award ceremony.
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Goodwill Ambassador
- The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control selected 2Baba as an ambassador in 2009. He released the song “Man Unkind” to raise awareness in Nigeria about the dangers of bogus and substandard food and medication items.
- In 2009, the National Youth Council of Nigeria honored Idibia with the prestigious International Youth Ambassador for Peace Summit and the Nigeria Youth Merit Award in appreciation of his services to youth development in Nigeria.
- 2Baba announced a partnership with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in January 2017. (UNHCR). He made an initial donation to UNHCR for IDPs and returned over $11,000. To commemorate World Refugee Day in June 2017, he created a specific IDP-awareness song titled Hold My Hand, promising to donate 60% of the revenues to the IDP cause.
- He was named the Nigerian Stock Exchange’s Good Cause Ambassador in August 2019. (NSE).
- Idibia was named the new Regional Goodwill Ambassador of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees on June 23, 2020. (UNHCR). He was the first Nigerian to be appointed to this position by the UNHCR.
He has also worked with various non-governmental organizations (NGOs) such as
- the Nigerian Red Cross Society
- Enough is Enough (EiE) (Office of the Citizen campaign)
- Youngstars Foundation
- National Democratic Institute (for Vote Not Fight campaign).
Conclusion
2Baba is a multi-talented musician who has paved the way for many upcoming artists in Nigeria. He is also a man with a good heart who loves to give back to his society.
The 2Baba Foundation is a non-profit organisation founded by 2Baba with the motto “service to humanity.” The Foundation, which was previously known as the 2Face Reachout Foundation and then the 2Face Foundation, changed its name to the 2Baba Foundation in September 2016. The Foundation’s mission focuses on nation-building, peaceful coexistence, and government accountability.
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