Ikechukwu Onunaku, known professionally as Ikechukwu and Killz is a

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

actor, rapper, and singer. He was a cast member in The Wedding Party and The Wedding Party 2: Destination Dubai.

Early life

Onunaku was born in

Manassas, Virginia Manassas (), formerly Manassas Junction, is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. The population was 42,772 at the 2020 Census. It is the county seat of ...

to Nigerian parents but was raised in

Lagos, Nigeria Lagos ( ; ), or Lagos City, is a large metropolitan city in southwestern Nigeria. With an upper population estimated above 21 million dwellers, it is the largest city in Nigeria, the most populous urban area on the African continent, and on ...

. He moved to the United States after completing high school at

King's College, Lagos King's College, Lagos (KCL) is a secondary school in Lagos, Lagos State, Nigeria. It was founded on 20 September 1909 with 10 students at Lagos Island, adjacent to Tafawa Balewa Square. The school admits only boys as pupils, although prior to ...

. He returned over a decade later to Nigeria shortly before the release of his first album ''Son of the Soil'' in 2006 which featured the smash hit ''My Name is Ikechukwu. Son of the Soil'' was followed by ''Life and Times of Killz Volume 1'' which featured production by

Don Jazzy Michael Collins Ajereh (born 26 November 1982), known professionally as Don Jazzy, is a Nigerian music executive, record producer, singer, songwriter, businessman, and philanthropist. He founded the record label Mavin Records in 2012, as a sub ...

and an appearance by DBanj and

Wande Coal Oluwatobi Wande Ojosipe (born 18 October 1985), popularly known as Wande Coal, is a Nigerian singer and songwriter. Early life Wande Coal was born on 18 October 1985 in Lagos Island, Lagos state, Nigeria, to Chief Ibukun Olufunto and Omolara ...

and frequent collaborator

Naeto C Naetochukwu Chikwe, stage name Naeto C, is a Nigerian rapper, Afrobeat artist and record producer. He rose to prominence with the track 'Kini Big Deal' which is credited for changing the Nigerian hip hop sound. Known for his catchy hooks and s ...

. His hit single "My name is Ikechukwu" from the ''Son of the Soil'' charted at No.1 in the East, in

Lagos Lagos ( ; ), or Lagos City, is a large metropolitan city in southwestern Nigeria. With an upper population estimated above 21 million dwellers, it is the largest city in Nigeria, the most populous urban area on the African continent, and on ...

and

Abuja Abuja (; , ) is the capital city of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, strategically situated at the geographic midpoint of the country within the Federal Capital Territory (Nigeria), Federal Capital Territory (FCT). As the seat of the Federal G ...

for 21, 6 and 5 weeks respectively. His third album ''The Alliance Reconstructed'' featured other hits like "Critical", and "Now is the Time". His other singles include "Bu Lie Oto, B.A.D.A, Carry Me, Balabala." He made his debut on the big screen in a short feature written produced and directed by Walter Taylaur's ''The Wages.'' It went on to garner critical acclaim, selected for screening at AFRIFF 2014 and subsequently winning best short feature at the AMVCA'S in 2015. Following that with a major appearance in the Ndani-produced ''Gidi Up'', Ikechukwu secured a major role in the blockbuster '' The Wedding Party'' in 2016. In 2017, he returned to the cast of the sequel '' The Wedding Party 2'' In 2019, Ikechukwu released another single, ''Nnukwu Azu''. In September 2019, Ikechukwu made a post on his

Instagram Instagram is an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...

page, alleging that he was pulled out of an Uber taxi, bundled into a police van and beaten by the operatives of the Nigerian Police Force. He said that he was taken to an ATM and forced to empty his bank accounts. Ikechukwu was traditionally married to British model Ella in May 2021. Ikechukwu was engaged to glamour model Sarah Ofili.

Nominations and awards

*Best New Artist in Africa at the 2006 Channel O Spirit of Africa Video Awards. *Revelation of the Year at 2007's Hip Hop World Awards *Best Lyricist on the Roll, and Best Rap Collabo with

for ''You Know my P'' at 2008's Hip Hop World Awards *Best Afro Pop Act of the Year and Best Music Video for Wind Am Well NEA Awards (2008) *Won best video MTV MAMAS, (2008) * Won Channel O Best Male, (2008) *Won Channel O Best Male West Africa (2009)

Filmography

*''The Wages'' (2013) as Rogers *''

Gidi Up ''Gidi Up'' is a Nigerian television and web drama series starring OC Ukeje, Deyemi Okanlawon, Somkele Iyamah, and Titilope Sonuga in lead roles. The series was created by Jadesola Osiberu and executively produced by Lola Odedina. It is prod ...

'' (2013) as Mo * ''Gbomo ''Gbomo Express (2015) as Nino *'' The Wedding Party'' (2016) as Sola Akinyemi *'' The Wedding Party 2: Destination Dubai'' (2017) as Sola *''When Love Comes Calling'' (2019) *''Powder Dry'' (2019) *''The Relationship'' (2019) as Chinedu *''By All Means'' (2019) *''

Òlòtūré ''Òlòtūré'' is a 2019 Nigerian crime drama film directed by Kenneth Gyang from a screenplay by Yinka Ogun and Craig Freimond. It stars Sharon Ooja, Beverly Osu, Ada Ameh and Blossom Chukwujekwu. Premise ''Òlòturé'' tells the story of Ò ...

'' (2019) as Chuks *''Men Money and Marriage'' (2019) *''

Your Excellency Excellency is an honorific style given to certain high-level officers of a sovereign state, officials of an international organization, or members of an aristocracy. Once entitled to the title "Excellency", the holder usually retains the right ...

'' (2019) as John *''The Little Black Book'' (2021) as Leo

Albums

*''Son of the Soil'' (2006) *''Life and Times of Killz Vol. 1'' (2008) *''The Alliance Reconstructed'' (2010) *''Hard'' (2019) *''Soft'' (2019)

References

External links