Hubbry Logo
search
logo
2Baba
2Baba
current hub
1871760

2Baba

logo
Community Hub0 Subscribers
Write something...
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Be the first to start a discussion here.
See all
2Baba

Innocent Ujah Idibia MON (Listen; born 18 September 1975), known by his stage name 2Baba and formerly as 2Face Idibia, is a Nigerian singer-songwriter, record producer and philanthropist known for his solo debut album, Face 2 Face (2004). He is regarded as one of the "most influential" and greatest Afrobeats artists of all time following his contributions to Nigerian pop music in the 2000s.

2Baba won the MTV Europe Music Award for Best African Act in 2005. In 2019, he collaborated with Cobhams Asuquo and Timi Dakolo to release a song, which raised awareness for Child's right. In 2025, Billboard ranked his song "African Queen" No. 1 on their list of the best Afrobeats songs of all time.

2Baba was born on 18 September 1975, in Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria, from Idoma descent from Benue State in central Nigeria. He studied at Mount Saint Gabriel Secondary School in Makurdi before pursuing Business Administration at the Institute of Management and Technology, Enugu (IMT), located in Enugu State.

Following his growing interest in the music industry, 2Baba discontinued his formal education in pursuit of his music career. By 1996, he had already begun composing music and recording jingles especially at the GB Fan Club at Enugu State Broadcasting Services (ESBS). Operating under the stage name "2Face", he said that the name was "to demarcate his personal life from business life" though was later changed to "2Baba" in 2016.

While attending The Institute of Management and Technology Enugu (IMT), Idibia began his music career performing alongside Blackface Naija, his secondary school classmate, and Faze, all of whom later formed the trio band, Plantashun Boiz. The band released two albums, Body and Soul (2000) and Sold Out (2003), under Dove Records, a label owned by Nelson Brown. The band members separated in 2004, and 2Baba returned to solo music.

2Baba released his debut solo album, Face 2 Face (2004), which was positively reviewed by music critics and was listed as "the greatest Nigerian debut album of the 21st Century by a solo artist". It was followed by his second album, Grass 2 Grace (2006). After that, he left Kennis Music and established his own record label, Hypertek Digital. In 2009, he released an experimental album, The Unstoppable, with an international edition in 2010. The international edition won two awards at the 2010 SoundCity Music Video Awards.

In 2004, 2Baba's departure from the band "Plantashun Boiz" led to the group's split, sparking a feud with his former bandmates who blamed him for the disbandment. 2Baba and former bandmate Faze traded blame in various tracks on their respective solo albums.

BlackFace alleged that 2Baba's performed songs were written by both of them, although the issue was later resolved in court. The hit song "African Queen" became a subject of controversy between 2Baba, his record label Kennis Music, and former bandmate Blackface, who publicly accused him of stealing the song from him, alleging that he wrote the song while they were still a band. Kennis Music eventually agreed to give Blackface writing credits for the song and also agreed to pay him royalties from the proceeds of the song.

See all
User Avatar
No comments yet.