''2 Kings'' is a collaborative

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

by Nigerian rappers

Olamide Olamide Gbenga Adedeji (born 15 March 1989) is a Nigerian rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. Widely regarded as one of the biggest and most influential artists in Africa, he has been instrumental to the launching of the careers ...

and

Phyno Chibuzor Nelson Azubuike (born 9 October 1986), populary known as Phyno Fino, is a Nigerian rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer. He started his music career as a producer in 2003, and is renowned for rapping in the Igbo language. His ...

. It was released through Cloud 9 and the

iTunes Store The iTunes Store is a digital media store operated by Apple Inc. It opened on April 28, 2003, as a result of Steve Jobs' push to open a digital marketplace for music. As of April 2020, iTunes offered 60 million songs, 2.2 million apps, 25,00 ...

with little announcement on 1 April 2015, by Penthauze Music and

YBNL Nation Yahoo Boy No Laptop Nation, popularly known as YBNL Nation or simply YBNL, is an independent record label founded by Olamide in 2012. History On 19 February 2020, YBNL Nation signed a distribution, and publishing deal with Empire Distribution ...

. The album features collaborations with producers and guest artists such as

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 ...

Lil Kesh Keshinro Ololade (born 17 March 1995), known professionally as Lil Kesh, is a Nigerian singer and rapper. He rose to limelight after releasing the hit single "Shoki". Early life and education Ololade was born and raised in Bariga, an area in L ...

, Storm Rex,

Pheelz Phillip Kayode Moses (born 5 June 1994), better known as Pheelz, is a Nigerian record producer, singer and songwriter who has worked with several artists and musicians, such as Olamide and Tiwa Savage. Born and raised in Lagos, Pheelz is credite ...

, Major Bangz, B.Banks and

Young John Young Jonn is a Nigerian singer, songwriter and record producer, currently signed to Chocolate City Music. He is also famed for his hit singles Dada and the remix with Davido. Before his full transition into songwriting, he had music production ...

. Prior to recording the album, Olamide and Phyno frequently collaborated with each other on several songs, including "Ghost Mode" and "Dope Money". The album produced the singles "Une" and "Confam Ni", both of which were released in the months leading to the album's release.

Background

Olamide first announced plans for a collaborative project with Phyno in January 2014. The album was initially scheduled for release in 2014, but was pushed back. While speaking to Yaw of Wazobia FM in October 2014, Olamide said the album was still being worked on.

Singles

Phyno released the album's lead single "Une" on 5 February 2015. Olamide released the album's second single "Confam Ni" on 8 March 2015. The song features vocals from Wizkid and was produced by Young John.

Critical reception

''2 Kings'' received generally positive reviews from music critics and consumers. Jim Donnett awarded the album 4 stars out of 5, characterizing it as "the battle axe, crafted and fashioned for the reawakening purpose" and commending Olamide and Phyno for "breaking the fetters and reigning supreme as kings." Ayomide Tayo of Pulse Nigeria granted the album 3.5 stars out of 5, describing it as a "project that had more promise and potential than impact" while applauding both rappers for not taking the "let's play it safe" approach. A writer for music blog Jaguda described the album as a "classic masterpiece" and commended its production and length.

Track listing

Personnel

Credits adapted from the album's cover. *Olamide Adedeji - Primary artist, writer *Azubuike Nelson - Primary artist, writer *Ayodeji Balogun - Featured artist, writer *Lil Kesh - Featured artist, writer *Storm Rex - Featured artist, writer *Pheelz - Producer *Major Bangz - Producer *B.Banks - Producer *Young John - Producer

Release history

References

{{Authority control 2015 albums Olamide albums Phyno albums Albums produced by Pheelz Albums produced by Major Bangz Yoruba-language albums Igbo rap albums Collaborative albums Albums produced by Young John (producer) Albums produced by B.Banks