Top Nigerian hip-hop music star 2Face Idibia, who is now one of the hottest selling artists in Africa is the proud father of twins
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| .2 Face |
who were delivered Wednesday. He is reported to have so many other children around. But what concern most fans and admirers is the series of attempts by criminals to end the life of the young mega star.
In September
last year,
2face
survived
bullets of
armed
bandits when
they
attacked him
along
Apapa-Oshodi
Road on his
return from
a foreign
trip.
The gunmen,
three in
number, were
said to have
ambushed
2face’s car
in the
company of
two of his
friends who
had picked
him up from
the airport,
and opened
fire through
the rear of
the vehicle,
injuring the
Benue-born
music star.
This is the
second time
the ace
musician has
been
attacked. He
had earlier
been
attacked by
armed men
who besieged
his then
Festac
residence,
fracturing
his neck
amidst
several
injuries in
what was
termed a
robbery
attack.
Following
the attack,
there were
widespread
speculations
concerning
his health,
and media
reports that
he was
battling for
his life.
The singer,
speaking
from his
hospital bed
at the time
(Monday
October 8,
2007)
assured his
fans and
well-wishers
he was well
and his
health is
not in
anyway
deteriorating.
In the
company of
his
publicist
Ayeni
Adekunle,
his manager
Joice
Ize-Iyamu, a
group of
cameramen
and his
security
guards, the
iconic
singer who
was shot by
armed
bandits four
days earlier
(Thursday
October 4)
thanked God
for sparing
his life,
even as he
chided his
attackers
for getting
so desperate
as to
attempt to
take another
man’s life.
‘I thank
God. ‘Cos I
know it’s
not luck.
The bullet
could have
hit me
somewhere
more
dangerous.
So I really
thank God,
and I’m
really
trying to
understand
what he’s
trying to
tell me with
this
incident.’
he said.
Reminiscing
on the sad
incident, he
explained
‘we didn’t
know it was
robbers. We
even thought
it was a car
trying to
ram into us.
It was not
until I saw
the gun, and
heard the
shot that I
realized
what they
wanted. So I
told my guy,
let’s find
our way o…
these guys
mean
business. I
didn’t even
know the
bullet hit
me. It was
while we
were
running,
that my left
leg started
failing me,
that I
realized
what had
happened.’
‘It’s really
sad; that
people would
allow
frustration
lead them
into doing
such things.
There are
people on
the road,
selling
stuff,
trying so
hard to make
it. Nothing
comes easy
in life;
you’ve just
got to keep
trying. I
pray they’ll
convert all
the energy
they use to
organize
those
attacks into
doing
positive
things
that’ll help
their
lives’.
The singer said at the time also he would not be relocating from Nigeria or his FESTAC residence anytime soon. ‘As far as I’m comfortable where I am, I’ve got no hassles. Whatever will be will be. I might be in the US and be hit by a stray bullet. Anything good or evil can happen to you anywhere’, he said philosophically.
“I have my business here so I’m not planning to relocate. I’ll travel anytime I have to, and come back home. There’s no place like home. But I want my people to be more positive and honest. Violence does no one no good’.
Clean shaven
and looking
much rested,
the star
singer did
not allow
all the
medications
and get-well
cards around
him weigh
him down.
While he
bed, he
listened
music and
lectures.
‘You can see
I’m
listening go
a Russel
Simmon CD
lecture. I’m
using my
time here
positively,
and it’s an
opportunity
for me to
reflect on
my business,
as well as
think of new
materials
for my
music’, he
told
reporters
with a smile
playing on
his lips.
Corroborating
him also at
the time was
his manager
Joice
Ize-iyamu,
who believed
that the
incident on
2 Face’s
life will
definitely
give
inspiration
for new and
great
materials.
“It’s an
experience
well all
never
forget.”
Idibia was
hospitalized
in a private
clinic in
Lagos. He
was moved
from Cedar
group
hospital in
FESTAC when
the crowd of
well-wishers
became
uncontrollable,
making it a
Herculean
task for
hospital
security and
doctors
treating him
to manage
the
situation.
And his
manager had
assured that
‘he will not
be flown
abroad for
further
treatment.
His
condition is
very stable,
so there’s
no reason
for that. He
just needs
time for the
pellets to
expel, and
for him to
recuperate
fully.’
His friend
Ifeanyi Orji
who was
attacked
with him was
discharged
from Cedar
Group
hospitals on
Friday
(October 6th).
‘I really
thank
everyone for
their
concern’,
says 2face
who enjoyed
a similar
display of
overwhelming
support when
he was
attacked and
injured by
suspected
robbers in
2005. ‘I
thank
everybody,
the media,
my family,
all my
fellow
artistes, my
friends, my
manager, the
Kennis music
family and
the good
Samaritans
that helped
carry us
with their
van when we
were
bleeding on
the road
after the
attack last
Thursday’.
Many of his fans and admirers are worry that 2 Face could face similar fate as the late South African born singer, Lucky Dube, who was shot and killed as “armed robbers” when he took his kid to school early this year.
“God forbid,” exclaims one 2 Face fan, who said “ people are just lazy and jealous so they term to take out their anger on others who are doing well.”
The artist,
whose song,
‘African
Queen’ won
the song of
the decade
at the
Nigeria
Music
Awards, has
released the
video CD of
his latest
work ‘Grace
To Grass’
which has
the
hit-song,
‘As You See
Me So.’
2 face has
won so many
awards
including
MTV Europe
Awards 2005,
Best African
Act MOBO
Awards 2005,
Best African
Act
(Nominated),
MOBO Awards
2007, Best
African Act
(Won)
Channel ‘O’
Music Video
Awards 2005,
Best Male
Video and
Best African
Video (both
for
“African
Queen”) KORA
Awards 2005,
Revelation
of the Year,
Hip Hop
World Awards
2006,
Special
Recognition
Award,
Nigeria
Entertainment
Awards 2006,
Special
Recognition
Award, and
Nigeria
Breakthrough
Artist of
the Year.
Brief Bio of 2Face
Innocent Ujah Idibia (born in Jos, Plateau State) best known as 2face Idibia is a Nigerian hip hop musician and songwriter. He was a member of the defunct R&B/hip hop group Plantashun Boyz.
Idibia hails from Idoma tribe in the southern part of Benue State, in central Nigeria. He schooled briefly in the Institute of Management & Technology, IMT, Enugu, one of the country's foremost higher institute of learning where he did his preliminary National Diploma course in Business Administration. Though, he didn't finish but would horn his skills in music by performing in shows and parties organised by the IMT and some other schools like Enugu State University of Science & Technology, Enugu (ESUT) and University of Nigeria Enugu Campus (UNEC).
His major breakthrough in the IMT was composing and singing the jingles in the famous radio show GB Fan Club in Enugu State Broadcasting Services (ESBS)in 1996. He then relocated to Lagos and joined up with his ex-IMT mate BlackFace and Faze to form Plantashun Boiz[1] He started calling himself "2Face" in 1996. "The name to me just refers to the outside and inside: when you first see me you see the outside but when you get to know me, you see the inside" he said in an interview with the BBC. The Plantashun Boyz came together briefly in 2007 to record an album which they titled 'Plan B'.
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| 2 Face in hospital |
