P-Square: From Grass to Grace

I tuned my radio yesterday morning to listen to some cool jams from one of my favourite radio stations and oh my! It was a new drop titled ‘Bank Alert’ by P-Square getting me shaking all my body.

  

Anyone in Nigeria or if I’m to add, Africa, is not new to the beats of these singing sensations who have long become ‘a household name’. From ‘Last Night’ to ‘Get Squared’, to ‘Game Over’, to ‘Danger, to ‘Invasion’ and down to ‘Double Trouble’, our radios, televisions, smartphones etc in Nigeria, Africa and indeed the world over have all graced the awesome tunes of P-squares’s songs.

Every day we listen to talks about them, read about them in magazines or news papers, follow them on social networks as we see the designer clothes, expensive sneakers, smooth skin, etc, and hear the rumours of breakups, trips to the U.S, London  or Dubai etc, we cannot help to notice that the boys are made. But what many do not know is that unlike Davido whose father is a billionaire and started off on a silver platform, P-square had to endure a very humble beginning, rising from absolutely nothing to becoming titans. 

Who are P-Square?

Born  identical twins on 18 November, 1981, with the names Peter and Paul Okoye, from Ifite-Dunu in Dunukofia Local Government Area of Anambra State, Nigeria, P-Square are an R&B duo. According to a source revealed by P-square Biography on Biographyroom.com, P-Square grew up in Anambra before relocating with their family to Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria. While at Jos, Peter and Paul joined St Lumumba Secondary School where they took to dancing, singing and mimicking of songs done by notable artistes after joining the music and drama group. According to mypsquare.com P-Square are quoted to say that, “joining the group wasn’t a waste of time for us because we mastered our dance steps from the group back in the days. Right from the onset we have no doubt of our talents and that has helped us to take over Nigeria music scene, making us to dominate Nigeria Entertainment Industry and African music.”

Later, P-Square would go on to form an acappella quartet called “MMMPP”, getting its name from the first names of the members- (Melvin, Michael, M Clef, Peter and Paul). Taking it to another level, in 1997 they formed the group “smooth criminals”, drawing inspiration from their Idol Michael Jackson. This saw them performing at different occasions around the city of Jos where they became a household name.

With the breakup of “smooth criminals” in 1999, after P-Square applied to study Business Administration in the University of Abuja, the duo formed their own group and took up different names until they settled for “P-Square”. This enabled P-Square to focus solely on their music carrier and so in 2001, they released their first album ‘Last night’ under Timbuk2 music label. That same year, P-Square won the ‘grab tha mic’ show sponsored by Benson and Hedges and were nominated for ‘most promising African group’ in the Kora Awards.

They have an elder Brother Jude ‘Engees’ Okoye who is also their manager and owner of NorthSide Entertainment.

Rise to Super Stardom

After the release of their second album ‘Get Squared’ which became a massive success, the singing twins were fully lunched into the Nigerian music industry having made hits that took Nigeria and Africa by storm and attracted them a large fan-base as ‘P-Square’ became a household name. They finally reached super stardom in 2007, with the release of their third album ‘Game Over’ having sold more than 8million copies globally.

Having achieved huge success with the release of ‘Game Over’, P-Square would go on to release three more studio albums- ‘Danger’ in 2009, ‘The Invasion’ in 2011 and ‘Double Trouble’ in 2014 –till date and a compilation album- ‘Greatest hits’ in 2013,  have sold millions of copies from those albums. The two since then have participated in many tours and concerts around the world. Their success has seen them win multiple awards including being named Artiste of the year at the 2014 ‘Kora Awards’ for which they were to receive one million dollars ($1million) as winners.

P-Square has often been listed among the richest musicians in Nigeria and Africa according to Forbes magazine. 

Personal Life and Controversy

The two are married with kids. Peter Okoye is married to Titiola Loretta Omotayo with whom he has two kids: their son Cameron and daughter Aliona, while Paul Okoye is married to Anita Isama with whom he has a son Andre. The two are reported to have bought mansions close to each other in Atlanta, Georgia.

P-Square has been faced with different controversies. Critics cited their sampling of western songs, especially popular hits in their own songs. The two have addressed the issue on different occasions.

The duo have in the past been reported to have gone their separate ways with rumors claiming that the cause of the split was due to perceived de-satisfaction in personal input of songs in their joint albums. The two have gone on to release their latest single ‘Bank alert’, fuelling rumours of a reunion.

Having passed through different stages of life, difficulties, disappointments and hard-work, Peter and Paul today are putting smiles on the faces of millions of people across the world. Although the nature of their childhood is still a matter of debate, what is sure is that the Square brothers had a poor background. But, whether that is the case or not, the private jet, mansions, fan base, cars, expensive trips, show fees etc are all testament to the fact that something tremendous has taken place since the St Lumumba days. Their work ethic and dedication and innovation added to their music is there for all to see. Even the critics cannot overlook the fact that P-Square is and will remain if I’m to say, the best R&B duo Nigeria have witnessed.

"Everyone Loves P-Square."