Peter and Paul Okoye identical twin singers and recording artists popularly known by their stage name, P-Square were born on 18 November 1981in Jos, Plateau State in the northern part of Nigeria.
They rose to fame in the mid-2000s and became
one of the most successful musical acts in Africa, known for their unique blend
of Afrobeat, R&B, and hip-hop music. P-Square's music was characterized by
catchy melodies, energetic dance beats, and vocal harmonies.
They played a significant role in
popularising African music on the global stage. Their energetic performances
earned them a massive fan base, and their music continues to be celebrated and
enjoyed by millions of people.
The twins hail from Ifitedunu, Dunukofia LGA,
Anambra State, and attended St. Mulumba Secondary School. At St. Mulumba they
joined the school Music and Drama Club where they began singing and dancing.
At
first, they wanted to become footballers but later decided to establish a
career in music after admiring the American pop legend, Michael Jackson.
Inspired by Michael Jackson the twins began
their breaking dance routine and became a part of a larger dance group known as
"Smooth Criminals'' in 1997. They performed at schools and social
gatherings.
In 1999, they disbanded ''Smooth Criminals'' to
form P-Square in 2000, and in 2001 won the "Grab Da Mic" competition,
and hence Benson & Hedges sponsored their debut album, titled ‘’Last Nite’’
which was released under Timbuk2 music label in 2003. The album was a
commercial success, establishing P-Square as one of the emerging acts in the
Nigerian music industry.
The brothers established a record label known
as Square Records managed by their senior brother Jude Okoye and in 2005,
released their second studio album, ‘’Guest Squared.’’
P-Square released several albums over the
years, including, "Game Over" (2007), "Danger" (2009), and
"Invasion" (2011), among others. Their music resonated with audiences
across Africa and beyond, earning them numerous awards and accolades for their
performances and songwriting skills. P-Square's music videos also gained
widespread popularity, with their dynamic choreography and visually appealing
aesthetics.
The video for their second album held the
number one position on the MTV BASE chart for four straight weeks. Their third
album Game Over sold over 8 million copies worldwide.
After seven years of dating Peter Okoye got
engaged to his long-time girlfriend this Lola Omotayo and got married on
Saturday 17 November 2013 the wedding was attended by a prominent personality
among who was Aliko Dangote, Africa's richest man.
After 10 years of dating Paul Okoye got
engaged to his longtime girlfriend Anita Isama, they got married on Saturday 22
March 2014 in Port-Harcourt, Rivers State.
In 2016 rumours of their breakup began to
circulate. In 2017 the twins could not take it anymore and broke the brotherly
bond and musical bond between them going their separate ways.
Initially reports added that the problem was
coming from Peter in a video that alleged the brothers almost exchanged blows
as Paul threatened to beat Peter to a pulp, while Jude their big brother who
doubled as their manager promised to be the one to buy Peter's coffin.
After the brothers released their sixth
studio album titled ‘’Double Trouble’’ in 2014, speculations of the rift
between them gained attention on social media.
In 2015, Peter Okoye hinted at their separation following a rift between him on one hand and his twin brother. In 2016, they announced an official breakup, citing irreconcilable differences and pursuing solo careers.
After their breakup, Peter Okoye adopted the stage name
"Mr. P" and Paul Okoye adopted the stage name "Rudeboy."
They both continued to release music as solo artists, but their individual
careers did not achieve the same level of success as P-Square. Fans of the duo
expressed disappointment at their breakup.
Their music career has often been referred to
as a family business as they hire their elder brother Jude Okoye to be the
group's manager. Peter announced his
breakup from the group in an interview and initiated another name, Mr. P as his
stage name, while Paul adopted the Rude Boy as his stage name.
In an interview, Peter informed the media
that he had fired Jude for his inability to give the group a proper brand and
structure the fact that the duo shared all their career revenues equally with
him did not go down well with Peter.
According to Peter, managers get 15 to 25 of
an artist's income therefore the same should apply to Jude. Although Jude had
openly tweeted that he has stopped managing the group on March 17, 2016, and
begged that he should be at peace.
In an interview with media personality, Joey
Akan, published in June 2022 Rudeboy revealed that the split was caused by
family issues and was not music-related. According to him, P-Square was “the
sacrifice” that was paid for the family issue.
He said, “I kept silent. I never said
anything. I never said anything, because I knew what the problem was. It was a
family issue, and it turned out that P-Square had to pay for it. P-Square was
just the sacrifice.”
Rudeboy stated that despite the anger from
fans following the split, he kept mute and didn’t say anything because he knew
that the issue was family related.
Prior to their official breakup, the music
duo was among the top powerful celebrities in the country before their
separation the duo occupied the number one spot as the richest musicians in
Africa with a network of over $150 million and over $150 thousand per show in
Africa.
On November 18, 2021, they jointly celebrated
their 40th birthdays by letting their Instagram followers know they were back
together.
Their Instagram message read, Peter and Paul
said, "2 heads are better than 1".
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