Today on 'Stars On News' we are looking at the History of one Nigerians most successful Artists 'P Square' (Click 'Continue Reading after the pix to view)
P-Square
| P-Square | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Peter and Paul Okoye |
| Also known as | Paul & Peter |
| Born | 18 November 1981 Jos, Nigeria |
| Origin | Ifite Dunu, Anambra State, Nigeria |
| Genres | R&B, African hip hop |
| Occupations | Recording artist, singer-songwriter, performer |
| Instruments | vocals |
| Years active | 2003–present |
| Labels | Square records, Konvict Muzik, Universal Music Group (SA) |
| Associated acts | Jude Engees Okoye, Akon, J Martins, Waje, 2 Face Idibia, Matt Houston, Tiwa Savage, Naeto C, LKT, Bracket, Lagbaja |
| Website | P-Square |
Contents
History
The story of P-Square began in St. Murumba secondary school, a small Catholic school in Jos, Nigeria. Identical twins Peter and Paul joined their school music and drama club where they began singing, dancing, and mimicking songs by MC Hammer, Bobby Brown and Michael Jackson.They later formed an a cappella quartet called "MMMPP" (M Clef a.k.a. Itemoh, Michael, Melvin, Peter and Paul). Drawing inspiration from their music idol Michael Jackson, they began break dancing, formed the group called "Smooth Criminals" in 1997.[4] They dropped M Clef from the group "MMMPP" which later was changed to "MMPP". Their artistic talent and precise dance routine soon made them household names in the city of Jos, where they performed at school functions and other occasions.[4]
Later in 1999, Peter and Paul returned to music school to develop their skills on keyboard, drums, bass and rhythm guitar. Their work includes the soundtracks for a number of films like Tobi, Mama Sunday, Moment of Bitterness and Evas River.
Later in 1999, they applied to the University of Abuja to study Business Administration. The Smooth Criminals disbanded when its members left to various other universities. Subsequently Peter and Paul formed their own group, variously called "Double P", "P&P", and "Da Pees", until they eventually settled on "P Square". They are managed by Bayo Odusami aka Howie T, a seasoned concert promoter and the CEO of Adrot Nigeria Limited.
In 2001, "P-Square" won the "Grab Da Mic" competition, and hence Benson & Hedges sponsored their debut album, titled Last Nite, which was released under Timbuk2 music label. P-Square was also nominated as "Most Promising African Group" in the Kora Awards three months after the release of their debut album. They eventually won the 2003 Amen Award for "Best R&B Group".[4]
In 2005, P Square released their second album, Get Squared under their own label, Square Records. This album was marketed nationwide by TJoe Enterprises, although they were still managed by Howie T of Adrot Nigeria Limited. The video for the second album held the #1 position on the MTV Base chart for four straight weeks.
They have an ever growing fan base across South Africa with a particular stronghold of diehard fans in Cape Town.
The group has performed alongside the following international artists like Ginuwine, Sean Paul, Akon and Busola Keshiro. The members of P Square are now located in Lagos.[4]
Late in 2007, they released their best selling album so far, Game Over. It has sold 8 million copies worldwide.[4]
In 2009, P-Square released their fourth studio album, Danger. The album features collaborations with 2 Face Idibia, J Martins and Frenzy. The first single called "Danger" is a hip hop song with cutting synths and a frog bass baseline similar to an Eminem song. The video affirms this with the presence of clowns and staggered movements in front of the camera reminiscent of comical videos by Eminem. They are also known for the close resemblance which the twins have to American R&B Superstar, Usher Raymond.
On 4 April 2010, P-Square was named the Artist of the Year[5] at the KORA All Africa Music Awards in Ouagadougou, Burkina-Faso while they were in London for a Concert at the Troxy, and they will receive a whopping sum of $1 Million Dollars as the Award Winners, in Ebebiyin City.
Controversies
The duo are reported to handle most of their production/beat making in house. The band has been faced with many controversies for their habit of sampling western songs and popular hits in their records. They have addressed the issue many times in interviews as well as in the lyrics of their songs. Technically speaking, P Square does more in the line of reconstructing the drum patterns, chord progressions or lyrics of the sampled songs as against actually cutting parts of the song and directly sampling into their production. This accounts for the largely electronic feel of their sound.Some of the songs which have been called up on this account include "Get Squared", "Game Over", "Danger" and others.
P-Square attracted headlines because they reportedly turned irate when they were notified by organisers in the middle of their performance at the Guinness Show about some change in plans which would affect the length of their performance, and that of the next act, 2 Face Idibia. As reported by a news site vanguardngr.com, the info apparently stirred up resentment as Peter immediately said "I don’t know why, anytime a foreign artiste comes to Nigeria, they (show organizers) wanna treat us like slaves in our country". Although initially they continued their performance but midway through, they threw their microphones to the ground and angrily stormed out of the stage saying, "We are leaving; they don’t want 2face to come on stage" They were said to have immediately left the premises of the show, but after intervention of the show organisers, they came on stage later with 2face for a performance, but later on were apologised to.
Paul Okoye, one half of the musical duo, P-Square, was involved in a paternity scandal with a lady named Elshamah Igbanoi. The lady claimed Paul impregnated her; Paul denied the pregnancy and went for a paternity test.[6]
Personal life
On 8 August 2013, Peter Okoye got engaged to his long time girlfriend, Lola Omotayo.[7] On November 17, 2013, the two held their traditional wedding at The Ark in Lekki, Lagos, Nigeria. Public figures who attended the wedding include Aliko Dangote, Emmanuel Adebayor, Kate Henshaw, Genevieve Nnaji, Rukky Sanda, Folorunsho Alakija, May D, Toke Makinwa, Dr SID, Don Jazzy, and Karen Igho among others.[8][9]Discography
Main article: P-Square discography
Studio albums
- 2003: Last Nite [Timbuk2 Music Label]
- 2005: Get Squared [Square Records]
- 2007: Game Over [Square Records]
- 2009: Danger [Square Records]
- 2011: The Invasion [Square Records]
Compilation albums
- 2013: Greatest Hits [Square Records]
International singles
| Title | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|
| "E No Easy" (P-Square featuring J. Martins) | 2009 | Danger |
| "Positif" (Matt Houston feat. P-Square) | 2012 | Racines |
| "Chop My Money" (P-Square featuring Akon & May D) | The Invasion | |
| "Beautiful Onyinye" (P-Square featuring Rick Ross) | ||
| "Personally" (P-Square) | 2013 | TBA |
Awards and nominations
This is an incomplete list, which may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by expanding it with reliably sourced entries.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Totals | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Awards won | 17 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nominations | 14 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Year | Recipient | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | P-Square | "Best African Act" | Nominated [10] |
| Year | Recipient | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | "Personally" | "Best International Performance" | Nominated [11] |
- Hip Hop World Awards (The Headies)
| Year | Recipient | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Get Squared | "Best R&B/Pop Album" | Won [12] |
| "Album of the Year" | Won[12] | ||
| "Get Squared" | "Best Music Video" | Won[12] | |
| "Bizzy Body" | "Song of the Year" | Won[12] | |
| P-Square | "Artiste of the Year" | Won[12] |
- City Mag 9th Awards Show
| Year | Recipient | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | P-Square | "Best Hip Hop Group" | Won [13] |
- Nigerian Music Awards (NMA)
| Year | Recipient | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Get Squared | "Album of the Year" | Won [14] |
| "Get Squared" | "Music Video of the Year" | Won[14] |
| Year | Recipient | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | P-Square | "Best Duo or Group" | Won [14] |
| 2008 | P-Square | "Best Duo or Group" | Won [14] |
| "Do Me" | "Video of the Year" | Won [14] | |
| 2012 | P-Square | "Most Gifted Group of the Year" | Won[15] |
| 2013 | "Alingo" | "Most Gifted African (West) Video" | Won[16] |
| "Most Gifted Video of the Year" | Nominated[17] |
| Year | Recipient | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | P-Square | "Best Group" | Won[18] |
| P-Square | "Artist of the Year" | Nominated[19] | |
| P-Square | "Best R&B" | Nominated[19] | |
| "Roll It" | "Best Video" | Nominated[19] | |
| 2009 | P-Square | "Best Group" | Won[20] |
| P-Square | "Best Live Performer" | Nominated[19] |
| Year | Recipient | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | P-Square | "Most Promising African Group" | Nominated[19] |
| 2010 | P-Square | "Artiste of the Year" | Won[21] |
- Lil Perry Productions
| Year | Recipient | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | P-Square | "Producer of the Year" | Won |
| Year | Recipient | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | P-Square | "Best African Act" | Nominated[19] |
| 2008 | P-Square | "Best African Act" | Nominated[19] |
| 2010 | P-Square | "Best African Act" | Nominated[22] |
| 2012 | P-Square | "Best African Act" | Nominated[23] |
| Year | Recipient | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | P-Square | "Best International Act" | Nominated[24] |
- Ghana Music Awards
| Year | Recipient | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | P-Square | "African Artiste of the Year" | Nominated[25] |
References
- Jump up ^ Aliyu, Adekunle (9 May 2008). "P-Square crowned King of Africa in Ghana". paragraph 14: Vanguard Media Limited. Retrieved 2009-01-18.
- Jump up ^ "Akon’s label, Konvict signs Wizkid Psquare, Tuface!". Vanguard. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
- Jump up ^ "Psquare signs distribution deal with Universal Music South Africa". The Net Nigeria. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e "Bio". PSquareOfficial. Retrieved 27 July 2013.
- Jump up ^ "P-Square pockets $1m at Kora Awards". www.africanews.com. 5 April 2010. Retrieved 6 March 2012.
- Jump up ^ "NEW DISCOVERY! Elshamah Igbanoi's Baby Is Paul Okoye's First Child...". WhisperNaija. Retrieved 5 August 2013.
- Jump up ^ "Personally, Finally! Peter Okoye and Lola Omotayo get engaged". WhisperNaija.com. Retrieved 8 August 2013.
- Jump up ^ "Lola Omotayo weds Peter Okoye of P-Square! First Photos From the Traditional Engagement". Bellanaija. Retrieved 18 November 2013.
- Jump up ^ "Aliko Dangote At Peter Okoye’s Wedding". SpyGhana. Retrieved 18 November 2013.
- Jump up ^ "Psquare, Wizkid nominated for 2013 MTV Europe Music Awards". The Net Nigeria. Retrieved 7 October 2013.
- Jump up ^ "2013 Soul Train Awards Nominees: Kendrick Lamar Leads The Pack, Miguel & Justin Timberlake Follow". Centric. Retrieved 7 October 2013.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e "Past Winners of the Headies". Hip-Hop World Magazine. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
- Jump up ^ "City Mag 9th Awards Show". Naijarules. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e "Marriage now? Count us out! – P Square". Modern Ghana. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
- Jump up ^ "Full list of winners at the 2012 Channel O Music Video Awards". NigeriaFilms. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
- Jump up ^ "Channel O Music Video Awards 2013: Full List Of Winners". 360nobs. 20 November 2013. Retrieved 30 November 2013.
- Jump up ^ "Channel O Music Video Awards 2013+ Complete List of Nominees". Naijanews. Retrieved 7 October 2013.
- Jump up ^ "MTV Africa Music Awards (MAMAs) 2008: Winners & Photos". BellaNaija. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g "Awards". Official PSquare Website. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
- Jump up ^ "Mtv Africa Music Award Winners". NotJustOk. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
- Jump up ^ "KORA AWARDS 2010: AND THE WINNER IS …". Lepetitnegre. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
- Jump up ^ "Nominations Announced for the MOBO Awards 2010!". MOBO Awards. Retrieved 7 October 2013.
- Jump up ^ "MOBO Awards 2012 - all the nominees". musicweek. Retrieved 4 September 2013.
- Jump up ^ "BET Awards 2010 Nominations". thatgrapejuice. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
- Jump up ^ "Vodafone Ghana Music Awards 2013 Nominations List Finally Out". The Chronicle. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
