Chibuzor Nelson Azubuike (born 9 October 1986), populary known as Phyno Fino, is a

Nigerian Nigerians or the Nigerian people are citizens of Nigeria or people with ancestry from Nigeria. The name Nigeria was taken from the Niger River running through the country. This name was allegedly coined in the late 19th century by British jour ...

rapper, singer,

songwriter A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music ...

and record producer. He started his music career as a producer in 2003, and is renowned for rapping in the Igbo language. His debut studio album '' No Guts No Glory'' was released in 2014. It was supported by four singles: "Ghost Mode", "Man of the Year", "Parcel" and "O Set". Before that he recorded singles like "What are you waiting for" and " Multiply" featuring M.I, Mr. Raw, Timaya and M.I Phyno has worked with artists such as Olamide,

Wizkid Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun (born 16 July 1990), known professionally as Wizkid, is a Nigerian singer and songwriter. A prominent figure in the modern-day Afrobeats music scene, Wizkid is regarded as one of the biggest and most influential Afri ...

, Davido,

Timaya Inetimi Timaya Odon (born 15 August 1980), better known by his stage name Timaya, is a multiple award-winning Nigerian singer and songwriter. He hails from Odi, Bayelsa state, South-South Nigeria. He is fondly called the Egberi Papa 1 of Bayels ...

, Flavour,

Ruggedman Michael Ugochukwu Stephens, known professionally as Ruggedman, is a Nigerian rapper from Ohafia, Abia State. Career A graduate of political science from Lagos State University, Ọ̀jọ́, Ruggedman started exploring music in 1999. He produ ...

, Bracket, J. Martins and Mr Raw.

Life and music career

Although a native of

Anambra State Anambra State is a Nigerian state, located in the southeastern region of the country. The state was created on August 27, 1991. Anambra state is bounded by Delta State to the west, Imo State to the south, Enugu State to the east and Kogi St ...

, Chibuzor Nelson Azubuike was born and raised in

Enugu State Enugu State ( ig, Ȯra Enugu) is a state in the South-East geopolitical zone of Nigeria, bordered to the north by the states of Benue and Kogi, Ebonyi State to the east and southeast, Abia State to the south, and Anambra State to the west. ...

. His stage name, given to him by one of his high school friend, was derived from the word phenomenal. Phyno developed an interest for music production during his secondary school days. He initially wanted to become a pilot, but was told he could be a

doctor Doctor or The Doctor may refer to: Personal titles * Doctor (title), the holder of an accredited academic degree * A medical practitioner, including: ** Physician ** Surgeon ** Dentist ** Veterinary physician ** Optometrist *Other roles ** ...

. Throughout secondary school, he learned to play the drums and piano. He also learned to create his own rendition of every recording he heard. He studied

public administration Public Administration (a form of governance) or Public Policy and Administration (an academic discipline) is the implementation of public policy, administration of government establishment (public governance), management of non-profit est ...

at the Institute of Management and Technology in Enugu, and started profiting from music during his second year there. Phyno told Ifeoma Onoye that Mr Raw is one of the few people he looks up to. Phyno started rapping in 2010 and relocated to

Lagos Lagos (Nigerian English: ; ) is the largest city in Nigeria and the second most populous city in Africa, with a population of 15.4 million as of 2015 within the city proper. Lagos was the national capital of Nigeria until December 1991 fo ...

to further his music career. Phyno began recording his debut studio album '' No Guts No Glory'' in 2012. The album features guest appearances from Stormrex, Omawumi, Olamide, Efa,

P-Square P-Square is a Nigerian music duo consisting of the twin brothers Peter Okoye and Paul Okoye. They produced and released their albums through Square Records (now Square Root Entertainment) In December 2011, they signed a record deal with Akon's ...

Flavour N'abania Chinedu Okoli (born 23 November 1983), better known by his stage name Flavour N'abania or simply Flavour, is a Nigerian singer. He began his musical career as a drummer for a local church. Flavour is popularly known across Africa and the world ...

, Mr. Raw, MI,

Ice Prince Panshak Henry Zamani (born 30 October 1984) better known as Ice Prince Zamani or just Ice Prince, is a Nigerian rapper, hip hop recording artist and actor. He rose to fame after releasing " Oleku", one of Nigeria's most remixed songs of all t ...

and

Runtown Douglas Jack Agu (born 19 August 1989), better known by his stage name Runtown, is a Nigerian singer, songwriter and producer. Biography Runtown was born on 19 August 1989 in Enugu but grew up partly in Abuja and Lagos, where he finished his ...

. It was primarily recorded in

Igbo Igbo may refer to: * Igbo people, an ethnic group of Nigeria * Igbo language, their language * anything related to Igboland, a cultural region in Nigeria See also * Ibo (disambiguation) * Igbo mythology * Igbo music * Igbo art * * Igbo-Ukwu, a ...

and Nigerian Pidgin. On 25 September 2012, he released the Olamide-assisted "Ghost Mode" as the album's lead single. It won Best Collabo at both the 2012 The Headies Awards and 2013 Nigeria Entertainment Awards. The music video for "Ghost Mode" was released on 7 December 2012. It was shot and directed in Lagos by

Clarence Peters Clarence Abiodun Peters (born 27 July 1978) is a Nigerian music video director, filmmaker and cinematographer. He is the founder and CEO of Capital Dream Pictures, a production company that specialises in the realms of the performing arts, fi ...

. Sputnet Records released the album's second single "Man of the Year (Obago)" on 23 March 2013. The song won Best Rap Single at the 2013 Headies Awards.The music video for "Man of the Year (Obago)" was uploaded onto

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...

on 20 August 2013. It was also shot and directed by Clarence Peters in Abakpa Nike, and features a cameo appearance from Illbliss. In September 2013, the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation banned the music video from being broadcast. The album's third single "Parcel" was released on 11 October 2013. It was originally titled "Parcel (a BIG Nwa)". The music video for "Parcel" was shot by Clarence Peters and released on 19 February 2014. "O Set" was released as the album's fourth single on 4 March 2014. The song was produced by

WizzyPro Nifu Haruna, also known by his stage name WizzyPro is a Nigerian record producer and sound engineer. Best known for his single titled "Emergency", WizzyPro is credited as the producer of Patoranking Patrick Nnaemeka Okorie (born 27 May, 1990 ...

and features vocals from

. The music video for the song was directed by Jude Engees Okoye. On 22 May 2014, Phyno released the music video for "Alobam", which was directed by Clarence Peters. Produced by Major Bangz, the song is an Igbo slang for "My Guy". On 2 September 2014, Phyno released the video for his "Authe (Authentic)" song with Flavour. On 7 October 2014, he released the Major Bangz-produced "Yayo". It debuted at number 8 on the Pulse Music Video charts. The Clarence Peters-directed music video for the song premiered on 5 January 2015. Opeoluwani Akintayo of '' The Daily Times of Nigeria'' gave the video an overall rating of 8 out stars of 10, commending its use of props. Phyno's collaborative album with Olamide, titled ''

2 Kings The Book of Kings (, '' Sēfer Məlāḵīm'') is a book in the Hebrew Bible, found as two books (1–2 Kings) in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. It concludes the Deuteronomistic history, a history of Israel also including the book ...

'', was released on 1 April 2015. Both rappers went on social media to announce plans for the album's release. In June 2013, Phyno performed for 25 minutes in

Owerri Owerri ( , ) is the capital city of Imo State in Nigeria, set in the heart of Igboland. It is also the state's largest city, followed by Orlu, Okigwe and Ohaji/Egbema. Owerri consists of three Local Government Areas including Owerri Municipal, ...

as part of the Star Music Trek tour. He toured with D'banj,

Burna Boy Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu (born 2 July 1991), known professionally as Burna Boy, is a Nigerian singer, songwriter and record producer. He rose to stardom in 2012 after releasing "Like to Party", the lead single from his debut studio album, ''L.I. ...

, Chidinma,

Vector Vector most often refers to: *Euclidean vector, a quantity with a magnitude and a direction *Vector (epidemiology), an agent that carries and transmits an infectious pathogen into another living organism Vector may also refer to: Mathematic ...

, Pucado, Seyi Shay, Show Dem Camp, Kay Switch and Sean Tizzle as a supporting act on the 2013 Hennessy Artistry Club Tour. He performed at the 2014 edition of the Star Music Trek tour in Nsukka, Enugu State. In November 2015, Phyno started a Festival titled Phynofest and picked the Chuba Ikpeazu stadium in Onitsha, Anambra State with an attendance of 12,000 people . The following year Phyno moved the venue of Phynofest to Nnamdi Azikwe Stadium Enugu in essence taking his festival back to the city he started his music career with an attendance of over 30,000 people featuring a star studded line up

, Onyeka Owenu, Olamide,

Mr Eazi Oluwatosin Ajibade (born 19 July 1991), better known by his stage name Mr Eazi, is a Nigerian-born, Ghana-based singer. He is a pioneer of Banku music, a fusion of sound he describes as a mixture of Ghanaian highlife and Nigerian chord progressio ...

, Lil Kesh, M.I, Burnaboy,

Kcee KCEE is a commercial radio station located in Tucson, Arizona, broadcasting on 690 AM. KCEE airs a Christian format and is owned by Calvary Chapel of Tucson, Inc. KCEE's programming is also heard on KAIC (88.9 FM), a station nominally licens ...

, Zoro and

Patoranking Patrick Nnaemeka Okorie (born 27 May, 1990), better known by his stage name Patoranking, is a Nigerian reggae-dancehall singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Ijegun-Egba Satellite Town, Patoranking hails from Onicha, Ebonyi State. He starte ...

. In November 2017, Phyno brought Phynofest back and put together the biggest concert in Africa by an Artiste at the Nnamdi Azikwe Stadium Enugu with an attendance of over 50,000 people . He had a mouth watering line up of star acts D'banj, Yemi Alade,

, Zoro,

Ycee Oludemilade Martin Alejo (born January 29, 1993), known professionally as Ycee (also stylized as YCee), is a Nigerian rapper, singer and songwriter. He gained popularity after his single "Condo", which features vocals by Patoranking, earned him ...

, Flavour, Lil Kesh, Mayorkun and Duncan Mighty. In March 2019, Phyno announced plans for the release of his third studio album ''Deal With It''. It has been supported by two singles: "Agu" and "The Bag". The album features guest appearances from Olamide,

Falz Folarin Falana (born 27 October 1990), better known by his stage name Falz, is a Nigerian rapper, songwriter and actor who began his career while in secondary school after forming a group called The School Boys with his friend before his profe ...

, Davido, Don Jazzy, Zoro,

and Teni. In July 2021, Phyno released a new single "Bia".

Artistry

He told the ''Nigerian Tribune'' he raps in Igbo because he respects his culture and loves being himself. Although he primarily raps in Igbo, he incorporates a bit of Nigerian Pidgin and English into his music. Phyno believes the elements of music makes it borderless.

Personal life

In a 2014 interview with ''

The Punch ''The Punch'' is a Nigerian daily newspaper founded On August 8, 1970. Punch Nigeria Limited was registered under the Companies Act of 1968 to engage in the business of publishing newspapers, magazines and other periodicals. It was designed to i ...

'' newspaper, Phyno denied reports about impregnating a woman named Rita Edmond.

Discography

Studio albums * '' No Guts No Glory'' (2014) * '' The Playmaker'' (2016) * '' Deal With It'' (2019) * '' Something To Live For (2021)'' Single * '' Never'' (2020) Collaborative albums * ''

'' (with Olamide) (2015)

Filmography

Awards and nominations

MTV Africa Music Awards !Ref , - , 2015 , Himself , Best Hip-hop , , Channel O Music Video Awards !Ref , - ,

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

, "Alobam" , Most Gifted Hip-hop , , City People Entertainment Awards !Ref , - , rowspan="2", 2014 , Himself , Rap Artiste of the Year , , rowspan="2", , - , '' No Guts No Glory'' , Rap Album of the Year , , - , rowspan="2", 2013 , "Ghost Mode"
(featuring Olamide) , Best Collabo of the Year , , rowspan="2", , - , Himself , Best Rap Artiste of the Year , Nigeria Entertainment Awards !Ref , - ,

, rowspan="2", Himself , Best Rap Act of the Year , , , - , rowspan="2",

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...

, Best Rap Act of the Year , , , - , "Ghost Mode"
(featuring Olamide) , Best Collabo , , African Muzik Magazine Awards !Ref , - , rowspan="2", 2013 , rowspan="2", Himself , Best Newcomer , , rowspan="2", , - , Best Rap Act , Nigeria Music Video Awards (NMVA) !Ref , - , 2013 , "Man of the Year" , Best Afro Hip Hop Video , , The Headies !Ref , - , rowspan="6",

, Himself , Artiste of the Year , , rowspan="6", , - , Phyno for "Alobam" , Best Street-Hop Artiste , , - , rowspan="2", ''No Guts No Glory'' , Best Rap Album , , - , Album of the Year , , - , "Parcel" , rowspan="2", Best Rap Single , , - , "Dope Money"
( Olamide featuring Phyno) , , - , rowspan="7",

, rowspan="2", Himself , Next Rated , , rowspan="2", , - , Lyricist on the Roll , , - , "Ghost Mode"
(featuring Olamide) , rowspan="2", Best Collabo , , , - , "Ezioku"
(Lynxxx featuring Ikechukwu, Illbliss, and Phyno) , , , - , "Man of the Year" , rowspan="3", Best Rap Single , , , - , "Anam Achi Kwanu"
(Illbliss featuring Phyno) , , rowspan="2", , - , "Ghost Mode"
(featuring Olamide) , , - , rowspan="2",

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...

, "Shutdown" , Best Rap Single , , rowspan="2", , - , Phyno (for "Shutdown") , Lyricist on the Roll ,

Net Honours

References

{{Authority control Living people Nigerian male rappers Igbo rappers Musicians from Enugu State The Headies winners Nigerian hip hop record producers 1986 births