Grafton Entertainment, sometimes referred to as Grafton Records, is an artist management company and record label, with dual-headquarters in both

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

and

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

History

Grafton Entertainment was formed in 2004 by Tonye Ibiama, who created the company with the intention to bring the vast talent pool in

Port Harcourt Port Harcourt (Pidgin: ''Po-ta-kot or Pi-ta-kwa)'' is the capital and largest city of Rivers State in Nigeria. It is the fifth most populous city in Nigeria after Lagos, Kano, Ibadan and Benin. It lies along the Bonny River and is locate ...

into the national and global spotlight. The first artists to join the label's roster were De Indispensables, a

hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

duo consisting of members Lenny B and Tick Lips. They were signed to the company in 2004 following their impressive performance on the Grafton Entertainment Music Hunt. The competition, which was organized by the record label in collaboration with Rhythm 93.7 launched not only De Indispensables but demonstrated the company's professionalism and efficiency.

M Trill Teria Yarhere known by stage name M Trill (stylized as M-Trill or M.Trill), is a Nigerian rapper from Delta State. He released his debut studio album ''Number One (M Trill album), Number One'' in 2008 along with a follow-up mixtape entitled ''L ...

became the second artist to be signed to Grafton Entertainment, after De Indispensables. Grafton endorsed the release of three hugely popular singles by Lenny B and Tick Lips – "Sweet Mama", "Cinderella" (in Nigeria) and "I Love You" (in the United Kingdom via

HMV HMV is an international music and entertainment retailer, founded in 1921. The brand is owned by Hilco Capital and operated by Sunrise Records, except in Japan, where it is owned and operated by Lawson. The inaugural shop was opened on Lo ...

stores). Throughout 2005, "Sweet Mama" topped various mainstream charts in Nigeria. In the UK, it charted at number 16 on the UK DMC Urban chart. The other single titled "I Love You" debuted at number-three on the R&B charts and at number thirty-seven on the UK Top 40. In 2007, De Indispensables won Best West African Act at the

Channel O Music Video Awards Channel O Africa Music Video Awards, once known as Spirit of Africa Music Video Awards, are Pan-African music awards organised by South Africa -based Channel O television channel. The awards were first held in 2003 under the name Reel Music Video A ...

after "I Love You" entered the

Channel O Channel O is a South Africa–based music channel that started transmission in 1997. Its main concept is African music in Africa and the diaspora. Channel O can be accessed via DStv, a satellite pay TV service for pan-African households. The ch ...

Chart at number one and stayed at the top for three weeks. "Peace Song" which was recorded alongside M Trill also managed to clinch the number-one spot on the MTV Base Africa Chart for four weeks.

Artists and producers

Current

Former

References

{{Authority control Record labels based in Port Harcourt Pop record labels Hip-hop record labels Record labels established in 2004 World music record labels Port Harcourt hip-hop Companies based in Port Harcourt 2000s establishments in Rivers State Nigerian companies established in 2004