Innocent Ujah Idibia
better known by his stage name “Tu-baba”, is a Nigerian singer, songwriter and
record producer. Tu-Baba is one of the most decorated and successful Afro pop
artists and one of the most bankable artists in Africa
He was born in Jos,
plateau state in Nigeria. He moved to Lagos and started performing
with rapper Blackface. He had met Blackface and the musician Faze, he
went on to form the trio band Plantashun Boiz. The group released two
successful albums in( 2000 and 2003 respectively) together before disbanding
which led to each starting his own solo career. The three later came back to
release their 3rd and final studio album together in 2007 ‘PLAN B’.
Tuface released his
first solo album ‘face to face’ in 2004, which has his hit track African queen
on it. His award winning hit track "African Queen" was used as the
sound track of the 2006 comedy film, Phat Girlz. This made him even more
recognized internationally. He received one MTV Europe Music Award, one World
Music Award, five Headies Awards(Hip-hop award), four Chanel O Music Video
Awards and one BET award for his musical work, four MTV Africa Music Awards,
one MOBO award, one KORA award, and numerous additional nominations.
Tuface is one of the
most recognised and successful musician in Africa, he has won numerous awards
and nominations for his music. He is also one of the richest artists in the entertainment
industry. With two platinum records already, Tuface (2Face) is speculated to be
worth about 550 million naira ($3.47 million). He has had endorsement deals
from companies such as Guinness, which earned him 20 million naira ($125,000)
and Airtel, which earned him 22 million naira ($139,000). He is also the first african brand ambassador
for the Italian liquor brand Campari. He was also rumoured to have collected 30
million naira ($189,000) from the producers of the Phat Girls movie. Tuface is also a real estate investor. He can
be considered a successful entertainer who has managed to stay relevant and
trendy.