Ahmedu Augustine Obiabo, the Nigerian singer better known as Blackface, has revealed how he introduced Faze and 2Baba to the now-defunct Plantashun Boiz.
The group, made up of Blackface, 2Baba and Faze, was formed around 2000 and broke up in 2004 after 2Baba exited to pursue a solo career under Kennis Music.
Speaking on the Fresh Off The Boat podcast, Blackface said he brought 2Baba into the group after they completed school.
The 50-year-old added that Faze’s voice and character stood out to him, and he persuaded 2Baba that Faze was the missing piece they needed.
He admitted there was some resistance, but it was resolved once they understood why Faze was needed, describing the move as recruiting the best of the best.
“At our tender age, we were hearing people who were already doing music. The image I created with the team was that we had to go international. And everything was geared towards going international,” he said.
“We met in secondary school. 2Baba was in a different team. Their group could have gone big if they had a mastermind. I listened to his (2Baba) voice, and I was like, these guys can go international.
“I finished school before 2Baba, and I went to him. Music and agriculture go hand in hand. My father was a soldier. When he finished, he returned to his farm. The music was always synonymous with me going to the farm. I was always singing, writing, creating, penning down. I had a radio at the back of the boys’ quarters.
“About Faze, I met him and I liked his vocals, and liked his personality. And I felt maybe he was the third member we never really had. That’s why I was like, can this guy join us? I was thinking we were already going international.
“We had (push backs) but we squashed that. We got to understand why we needed him. It was just like we needed to recruit the best of the best.”
Blackface also disclosed that he initially covered the cost of studio sessions until the group began earning money and collectively reinvested it into their music production.
“I started (paying for the studio sessions). Then we made money as a group, and we invested the money as a group into the production,” he added.
