Jude Lemfani Abaga, (born October 4, 1981), professionally known as M.I Abaga, is a Nigerian veteran rapper and record producer. He came into the spotlight following the release of his song “Crowd Mentality” in 2006, which became trending all over Jos, Nigeria.
M.I Abaga’s first studio album, Talk About It, was released in 2008. MI 2: The Movie succeeded the LP (2010). He released The Chairman, his third studio album, four years later. In February 2018, Abaga released the playlist Rendezvous. He released his fourth studio album, A Study On Self Worth: Yxng Dxnzl, in August of that year.
Early Life and Education
M.I Abaga was born in Jos, Plateau State. His parents, Pastor and Mrs. Abaga, are both Jukun-Nigerian natives of Takum, Taraba State.
He went to Baptist High School in Jos, where his mother bought him a 7-key little piano that got him started in the music industry.
Jason Abaga and Jesse Jagz, who are both musicians in the Nigerian and African music scenes, are M.I Abaga’s two brothers. He listened to music by Lauryn Hill, Bob Marley, Sarah Maclachlan, Pablo Neruda, Jay-Z, and DMX during his adolescence.
M.I Abaga’s foray into the hip hop scene began in 1998 with the sampling of songs by DMX and Lauryn Hill. After attending Calvin College in Michigan, he pursued a career in business and economics while also writing poems.
He frequently played there at important hip hop performances and concerts held at the school. He came in third place at the only “hip hop show” Calvin College ever held, called “Hip Hopera,” in 2003 thanks to his impressive rap flows and attitude.
M.I. also made some clumsy attempts at humor, but he settled on sticking to music after feeling humiliated when no one else laughed.
Career
When Jude returned to Nigeria in 2003, he started his singing career. He rapidly started making mixtapes with his friend Djinee after finding his niche in a field dominated by people like Modenine, Ruggedman, and Eedris Abdulkareem.
This produced the widely praised track “Safe” (a song with lyrics that imitated well-known Nigerian songs), which received excellent rotation by African radio stations and music video outlets like MTV Vibe.
M.I Abaga received recognition for the song at several events, including the Nigerian Music Video Awards, City People, and N.E.A.
Because of the excitement around the release of Safe, his debut studio album, Talk About It, was released and the CD won accolades including Best Hip Hop Artist and Musician of the Year (Modemen Awards, 2008). (City People Awards).
PYERIBOY was his debut mixtape. Later, in 2009, he released a sample mixtape with the title Illegal Music, in which he fully displayed his poetic talent. Illegal Music II, which was released in 2012, came after the mixtape.
He founded Loopy Music back in Jos, Nigeria, with his brother, Jesse Jagz, Ice Prince, Ruby Gyang, Threadstone, Lindsay, Moses (Elbulk), and E Kelly.
After moving from Jos City to Abuja as a result of being signed to the renowned Nigerian music label Chocolate City.
Additionally, he has been honored internationally in South Africa by the well-known Channel O music Award, MTVbase Awards, and American BET Awards.
Along with his brother Jesse Abaga, he also co-owns a production firm called Rychus Era Productions.
Along with other Nigerian artists including Omawumi, Burna Boy, and others, he was chosen by the Nigerian telecommunications firm Glo Mobile to represent the company as a brand ambassador in 2013.
In 2013, he served as a judge for Glo X-Factor, the reality singing competition for Nigeria. On February 29, 2016, Illegal Music 3 – The Finale was made available.
The free online mixtape with ten tracks received over 400,000 downloads in just three days after being made available.
A seventh studio project called Rendezvous, a playlist with a generally unique aesthetic, was released on February 9th, 2018.
The rapper only revealed the release date for Yxng Dxnzl one day prior to the project’s unexpected release, which caught fans off guard.
On August 24, 2018, Yxng Dxnzl, which was the actual release, was made available. The single You Rappers Should Fix Up Your Lives from the album with the working title “A Study on Self Worth” received a lot of feedback.
With the intention of reviving rap music in Nigeria, the album was published as a part of a compilation of Nigerian rap albums called LAMB August.
M.I. Abaga served as executive producer for all three albums, including Crown by A-Q and Loose Kaynon, Yung Denzl by M.I. Abaga, and BadBoyBlaq by Blaqbonez.
The rapper revealed on March 6, 2020, that he was leaving Chocolate City after 13 years with the label.
M.I Abaga Net Worth
M.I Abaga is a top Nigerian rapper, record producer and label executive with a net worth of around $4 million.
Personal Life
M.I Abaga is engaged to Eniola Mafe, a Nigerian entrepreneur and the co-founder of SecureFarmer.com.. The rapper is not yet married.
Social Media
- Instagram: @mi_abaga
- Twitter: @mi_abaga
