P-Square: How Mr P and Rudeboy Have Fared Since the End of the Musical Duo

Nigerians and the world at large have pleaded and clamored to no avail for the return of the sensational musical duo P-Square. The duo, who won the hearts of many with their delightful and unique style of music, went their separate ways in 2017 after an ugly breakup that caused an uproar in the country. To state the obvious, music sensation P-Square consists of twin brothers Peter (Mr. P) and Paul (Rudeboy) Okoye, who were born on 18 November 1981.

The band made waves in the Nigerian music industry during the early 2000s. Jude Okoye, their elder brother, was in charge of producing the duo’s songs and directing their videos. It was a family business the public believed was ran in peace and harmony, but to the dismay of everyone, the group was disbanded, and there was no more a P-Square.

P-Square Started With An A Cappella Group In The 90s

The group went into music in 1995 and released their first rap song, and it was a remix of the hit song “Murder she wrote” by Chaka Demus and Pliers. The song was done in the Hausa language, which became popular in Jos and other Hausa-speaking communities. They later formed an A cappella group called “MMMPP” (M Clef a.k.a. Itemoh, Michael, Melvin, Peter and Paul). Later on, they changed their name to “Smooth Criminals” in 1997, drawing inspiration from the musical legend Michael Jackson.

The group later changed their name to MMPP, dropping M Clef, and improved on their dance moves. While they made music together, they also had education in their plan. Peter and Paul soon applied to the Unversity of Abuja to further their education. It was during this period that the Smooth Criminals was dissolved as the members applied and went to different universities. But the twins, who were still together in the same school, formed their own musical group.

During this period, the brothers further upgraded their skills by learning more about different musical instruments like drum, bass, rhyme guitar, and the keyboard. The group had their breakthrough in 2001 when they won the “Grab Da Mic” competition and got endorsed by Benson and Hedges, who sponsored their first album, “Last Nite,” which was produced by Timbuk2 Music Label. The album included hit tracks like Igbedu, Last Nite, Mako Fiesta, amongst other hit tracks. The group since then soared, winning multiple awards and making more hits till they hit the rock.

P-Square Started Making Waves Immediately They Got Into The Industry In The 2000s

P-Square was nominated as “Most Promising African Group” in the Kora Awards in 2001. They eventually won the 2003 Amen Award for “Best R&B Group.” P-Square released their second album in 2005, “Get Squared,” under Square Records (their own Record Label). The album was marketed nationwide by T Joe Enterprises. The video for the second album held the number 1 position on the MTV Base chart for four straight weeks.

Later in 2007, P-Square released another album titled “Game Over,” which had hit tracks such as Do Me, Game Over, No One like You, and more. The album sold over 8 million copies worldwide. On 4 April 2010, P-Square was named the Artist of the Year at the Kora Awards in Ouagadougou, Burkina-Faso. While they were in London for a concert at the Troxy, they received a sum of 1 Million Dollars as the award winners in Ebebiyin City.

In December 2011, they signed a record deal with Akon’s Konvict Muzik label. In May 2012, they signed a record distribution deal with Universal Music’s South African branch. This was the height of their success as they made waves all over the world and won several awards. In 2014 the twins bought multimillion-dollar mansions next to each other in Atlanta.

The Break-Up Of P-Square

Defunct P-Square (image source)

The brothers broke up before in 2016, supposedly over a disagreement about the role of their manager Jude (their older brother). On 24 February 2016, news of how Globacom decided not to renew its Ambassadorship deal with the duo, albeit renewing the contract with other Ambassadors, hit the airwaves. This resulted from a fallout between the company’s representatives and Peter (Mr. P); however, they resolved the issue.

The twins who have blessed our music industry with good music and fascinating dance steps have unfortunately gone their separate ways and are not competing against each other. On 25 September 2017, Peter (Mr. P) reportedly sent a termination letter to the group’s lawyer Festus Keyamo. Peter claimed that his brother was being generally uncooperative about matters relating to the group and had even gone as far as to slander his wife and children on social media.

Part of his letter read that he has been receiving life-threatening messages and fears for his life and his family. Different claims regarding why they parted ways were expressed, not excluding their fight for rights. In fact, fans contributed, in a way, to the bad blood between them as it was said that Paul was the better singer, while Peter was just a dancer who knows nothing but to dance in music videos. Peter was also perceived to be arrogant and very vocal.

However, Paul was seen as the gentle brother who was supported by their elder brother and former manager, Jude Okoye. The brothers have not made any public statement regarding speculations on their possible reconciliation. However, fans and family have their ears to the ground and hope that someday the musical duo will reunite and make more enticing hits that are befitting of P-Square.

Peter and Paul Have Continued To Soar In Their Individual Careers

Since P-Square broke up, Peter and Paul Okoye have been working hard to solidify their feet as solo artists in the music industry. Many of their fans hoped for a day when the two would reunite and come out with new hits and some long-awaited collaboration with artists like Usher Raymond.

Disappointingly that day never came, and we are forced to accept the fact that there is no redemption for P. Square. But this has not stopped the brothers from doubling up on their hustle in the entertainment industry. Peter now performs as Mr. P while Paul performs with the stage name Rudeboy and both now get endorsements differently.

The perception among the public has remained that the brothers still battle for supremacy. People have said that if Peter drops a song today, Paul does the same in less than two weeks and vice versa. However, these might just be mere assumptions as indications clearly show that the twins are only pursuing their careers but differently this time.

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Peter Pursued a Solo Music Career with the Stage Name Mr. P

Peter, one-half of the band, began his solo career in 2017 and performs under the stage name Mr. P. He is now the CEO of P. Classic records, through which he records and produces his songs. Following the breakup of P-Square, Peter released his first singles, ‘For My Head’ and ‘Cool It Down,’ in 2017.

The tracks reflected and portrayed him as a fully independent act who was only getting started on his solo journey. They followed up with some tracks that included features with the likes of Niniola, Simi, International Jamaican singer Nyanda of Brick & Lace, DJ Switch, and Wande Coal.

Mr. P made a daring statement about his personal musical style as he released his long-anticipated album The Prodigal, which was welcomed with great enthusiasm. The album, which was released in June 2021, had 16 captivating tracks and saw the artist feature many national and international acts including Tiwa Savage, Teni, Tamar Braxton, and many others.

Peter is of the opinion that he enjoys his solo career, saying it gave him more money as he did not have to share with anyone. He also said it gave him the freedom to work on projects he likes and is free to work on any genre he wants.

Mr. P Also Pursued An Acting Career

Mr. P also doubles as an actor and has featured in a couple of movies. The singer and dancer made his acting debut in Lionheart, directed by the A-list actress Genevieve Nnaji. The movie, which was released in 2018, also had veteran stars like Pete Edochie, Nkem Owoh, and Onyeka Onwenu. Mr. P also made an appearance in the movie Lockdown. Peter Okoye, in April 2020, also shared a trailer of an action series he starred in.

Mr. P is also a Businessman

The other half of P-Square has always said that music would not be the only thing he would be doing. The singer has emphasized the importance of business in a couple of social media posts. He believes that many of the world’s wealthiest musicians were also into business and built their gigantic net worths from their businesses.

In 2019, Peter established a Lottery business called Zoom Lifestyle. It wasn’t until 2020 that the business started gaining momentum among the masses. It’s a form of raffle draw which avails subscribers the opportunity to win millions of naira to support their music videos, sports, and business endeavors.

Peter, who is the CEO of the company, aims to change the lives of many through this platform. Zoomlifestyle with the tag Zoomupyourlife’ with Mr. P has different categories, and each subscriber has to choose one when playing. The following are the categories: Music, Dance, Sports, Business, International, and Zoom Raider.

In recent times, Mr. P has been perceived to be devoting so much time conducting raffle draws and establishing more presence on social media for @zoomupyourlife handle. It may seem as though this new business has Peter tilting away from his music, but this in no way affects it as the talented musician gave his smashing hit album The Prodigal in 2021. Peter also has a wine company known as Aphro Palm Spirit. The company was launched in December 2020.

A Look At Paul Okoye’s Solo Music Career As Rudeboy

Paul, the other half of the music duo P-Square, goes with the stage name Rudeboy or Kingrudy, and he too is making his mark on the music scene as a solo artist. Unlike his brother, Paul has all his attention focused on music; he has not publicized any other business endeavor other than music. He now owns his own production company called Fire Department Inc., through which he produces his songs.

Following their breakup, Rudeboy released his first singles as a solo act ‘Fire Fire’ and ‘Nkenji Keke’ in November 2017. The tracks were a massive success with millions of views on YouTube. They were an instant success and proved that he that he is an outstanding singer. Kingrudy also released another banger, ‘Reason with Me,’ in 2019. The song, which Nigerians related to so well, was in popular demand. Produced by Lord Sky, Reason with Me garnered over 70 million views on YouTube and tons of likes.

In November 2020, Rudeboy gave Nigerians yet another single titled ‘Woman.’ It was yet another hit track that garnered tons of views on his Youtube channel rudeboyvevo. The ace singer and entertainer in the song encouraged all not to look out for perfection in their partners but rather embrace them for who they are.

Of course, the time for an album seemed overdue, and Rudeboy did not hesitate to deliver. In July 2021, the talented singer announced the release of his debut solo album Rudykillus. With a total of twelve tracks, the album was finally released on 5 August 2021 and had no featured artists. The album was written and directed by Paul himself and had his older brother Jude Okoye as the project supervisor.

Some Of His Major Collaborations

One of his first collaborations was with reggae-dancehall singer and songwriter Patoranking in the dancehall-infused ‘Together’ in 2018. Rudeboy didn’t stop there; he went on to join forces with many other ace artists in the industry and made a couple of amazing songs with them.

Paul Okoye was featured by ace Tanzanian singer and songwriter Alikiba in the song ‘Salute’. The military-themed song showed the tough and strong side of the Nigerian singer and was a massive hit. Kingrudy was also featured by the famous Nigerian entertainer, Yemi Alade, in the comic-themed song titled ‘Deceive.’

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