All-Stars FORTYfied Tribute For 2Baba In Lagos Tomorrow

All is set for the grand finale of 2face Idibia’s 40th birthday bash tagged FORTYfied, with the ‘All-Star Tribute Concert’ scheduled to hold at the Convention Centre, Eko Hotel & Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos tomorrow.

The concept celebration, which began with a flag off party at Club Rumours, Ikeja is to celebrate the life and achievements of the African Queen singer, as a true living legend, whose work has shaped the course of the music business for almost two decades.

Also, as part of activities for the celebration, Idibia released a book title A Very Good Bad Guy, edited by Ayeni Adekunle Samuel, publisher of NET NG. According to 2Face, who is grateful to God life, he would have died in an auto crashed that almost claimed his life at age 26 in 2001.

“It was in Lagos, I was driving from Kuramo beach then. That time Kuramo beach day reign. I was drunk, like I don kpeff so tey I dey use the moto do video game. I dey do like say na grand theft auto I dey. As I reach the bend I couldn’t even…you know these street poles with concrete base,” 2face narrated in pidgin English to NET NG in interview during the week.

“Picture that kian concrete based, na him I gbabam so tey as I dey jam the thing I off. E just be like say them switch one light for my body. Na hospital where them day sow the stitch na I wake up. I was unconscious. That time when I woke up in the hospital I was like men, so that’s how I would have just gone like that? It was crazy and after that accident I started having speed phobia. I started having speed phobia,” he recounted,

Born in Jos, Plateau State and christened Innocent Ujah Idibia, but well known by his stage name, 2face Idibia. He is one of the most decorated and successful Afro pop artistes in Africa, and also one of the most bankable artistes in the continent.

A singer, songwriter, record label owner (Hypertek Music), and entrepreneur, 2baba as fondly by colleagues turned 40 on Friday, September 18. His career is unarguably the most illustrious in his generation.

Artistes billed to perform at the all-star tribute concert includes Plantashun Boyz mates, BlackFace, Faze, Burna Boy, Sound Sultan, Seyi Shay, Patoranking, Dammy Krane, Wizkid, Timaya, Vector, and Omawumi, while DJs Jimmy Jatt, Neptune, and Spinall among others will lock it down on the console.

It will be recalled the Unstoppable crooner, pumped life into the R&B/Pop scene as a member of the seminal singing group, Plantashun Boyz in the late 90’s and early 2000. After creating history with the group, he branched out to pursue a solo career. It was at this time the superstar changed the scene in Nigerian music game.

2face music career began while he was at the Institute of Management and Technology, (IMT) Enugu, where he did his preliminary National Diploma (Pre-ND) course in business administration and management. While at IMT, he performed at school organised shows and parties, as well as other schools events at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) and Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT). He dropped out to pursue his music career.

He moved to Lagos and started performing with BlackFace (Ahmedu Augustine Obiabo), who he met at IMT. With Blackface and Faze (Chibuzor Oji), they went on to form a three-man group called Plantashun Boyz, and released two successful albums: Body and Soul (2000) and Sold Out (2003) under the Nelson Brown’s owned label, Dove Records, before disbanding in 2004.

Their relationship was marred for many years during which the group disintegrated and everyone began to his solo careers. Long after the break-up known as the ‘Faze vs Tuface’ beef, the group came together again in 2007 for the purpose of recording a third and final album entitled Plan B.

Following the disbandment of the group, 2face released his first album, Face2Face in 2004, which received wide acceptance, establishing him as viable solo artiste, and was heralded as the best album of the time. The album featured the evergreen hit song, African Queen, which made 2face became an instant superstar.

Two years later, 2face dropped another impressive album titled Grass2Grace, which also received critical acceptance in Nigeria, and across the world, thus making him the hottest and most sought after artiste in the country at the time. His all-time hit track, African Queen was used in the soundtrack for the film Phat Girlz, which was released internationally.

With personal drama hitting the headlines, the multiple award winner star power began to wane in 2008. The same year he released his third solo album, The Unstoppable, with the hit song Enter The Place, but it received poor reviews. In 2010, he bounced back with the release an ‘international version’ of the same song under the title The Unstoppable International Edition, making him the first Nigerian act to have an appropriately priced international album

The humility personified singer gained back his place in the good books of Nigerians after the success of this album, and went on to release two albums after, Away & Beyond, and Ascension, which many said was coronation as king of pop music in Nigeria.

Committed to giving back to the society that help made him, 2Face established an NGO called 2Face Idibia Reach-Out Foundation, which motto is ‘service to humanity’. In 2009, he was appointed as ambassador by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC). He released a song Man Unkind to raise awareness on the menace of fake and sub-standard food and drug products in Nigeria.

The same year, he was presented with the prestigious International Youth Ambassador for Peace Summit and the Nigeria Youth Merit Award by the National Youth Council of Nigeria in recognition of his contributions to youth development in Nigeria.