Twin-X
Encyclopedia
Twin-X are a Nigerian pop
duo made up of identical twin brothers Tywo and Keni Akintoye.
. They grew up listening to their father's favorite musicians like Ebenezer Obey
, Orlando Owoh
and Bob Marley
blended with their own love for Shalamar
, Michael Jackson
, Chaka Khan
, Stevie wonder
, Sonny Okosun
, Lijadu Sisters
and Diana Ross
and they all greatly influenced their music style.
their home town, leading several groups including a highlife band they set up with their friends in 1997.
Their journey into the Nigerian music mainstream however started in the year 2000 when they met Big Bamo of XL House, the man made popular for discovering another Ibadan based boy group Maintain. At several shows, the duo provided vocals for Maintain who could only rap while they recorded their own songs and on May 27, 2001 their debut Mother mi was released to wide acceptance, the video of which can be remembered for featuring many celebrities like Tony Tetuila
, Uche Jombo
, Kenny Ogungbe of Kennis Music
, Steph Nora Okere, ID Ogungbe, Kwamé
, Jennifer Eliogu and others paying tributes to their mothers.
Their first major publicized performance at the Gulder Mic Check 2001 where they surprised the organizers and Dan Foster the MC with their stage presence and soulful singing established their identity as a group totally different from the then highly criticized Maintain. The show also featured Nigeria's biggest boy band then Plantashun Boyz
and defunct girl band Kush
and Maintain.
While the song Mother mi was only released by XL House as a single, Twin-X enjoyed patronage from show promoters and for many years they shuttled between staying in school and traveling for live shows with Tywo then studying Economics at University of Ado Ekiti
while Keni studied Computer Science at Lagos State University
.
Their fan base grew significantly across Nigeria
and their name became synonymous with Motherhood especially among students in Nigerian tertiary institutions. The track Mother mi also continued to receive high ratings across the African continent and was at a time referred to as the best Mother song of the new generation of Nigerian music and second only to Sweet Mother
by Prince Nico Mbarga
in the all time rating.
In 2003 they parted ways with Big Bamo and by 2004 they released the album Plenty Money on M&C Music and shot more videos including their 2003 remake of Chief Ebenezer Obey
’s Miliki. The album consolidated on the success of their debut as they continued to grace many big stages across Nigeria including the 2005 Star Mega Jam along with Ja-rule.
In 2006 they started their own label - Deuce Records and were made the official voice of a Nigerian Telecom company called O'net, the track Plenty Money was adopted as soundtrack for a BBC
radio drama The Estate and they also went back to the studio and teamed up with Don Jazzy
and K-Solo
to record Oya.
In 2007 they released Oya and traveled to the United States as African representatives at a Conference of Entertainment entrepreneurs organized by America’s Hoodhard DJ coalition, they also recorded a duet with American rapper Stone
a former member of Lil’ Wayne’s Cash Money Records
and member of the D’boyz group, and between 2007/08 with the song Oya getting more popular in the diaspora, they had a tour of few states in the US and shot the video for the song in Atlanta and New York
. They also promoted their home soccer team, Shooting Stars FC
in the video, spotting the club jersey and featuring some of the players.
In year 2010 they launched a new venture under their brand name Twin-X and the Deuce Band, it is called Your Wedding MCs
, then of Trybesmen
, Eedris Abdulkareem
, Sound Sultan (with whom they were nominated for few awards in 2001 as new artistes), their inconsistency has been their major flaw.
Twin-X after the highly successful Mother mi took three years to release Plenty Money and except starring in a cameo alongside Africa’s afro-soul super star Lagbaja
in the video of his song “dream come true” in 2006, they did not make any major appearances on Nigerian TV until 2009 when they released the video of their single “Oya” – a song recorded as tribute to their hometown Ibadan
.
It is also believed that their dreadlocks which they had for six years inspired Lil Wayne
’s reference to the strength of the Nigerian hair in his track “A milli” while the trio were in the studio together in downtown Atlanta during Christmas in 2007. Nigerians enjoyed the buzz and anticipated a musical collaboration with the American superstar and just as the Oya video in 2009 seemed to be a signal announcing their return, Twin-X went silent again returning to school for post graduate studies and are yet to release an album since then.
Tywo has a Bachelors degree in Economics
from the University of Ado Ekiti
Nigeria and an Executive Masters in Project Management
from the Project Management College UK, while Keni has his Bachelors in Computer Science
from Lagos State University
and a graduate Certificate in Creative and New Media
from the prestigious Pan-African University, Lagos
.
While they remain active performing musicians but unseen on Nigerian TV except for few publicized events where they appear as special guest, they have both since been involved in the other fields of professional competences they acquired through their long academic pursuits.
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
duo made up of identical twin brothers Tywo and Keni Akintoye.
Early life
Twin-X, were born Taiwo and Kehinde Akintoye in Ogun State to a father that worked in the Military, which meant they lived in different parts of Nigeria and attended several Army Children Primary Schools. Their mother being a teacher however helped them not to lose too many academic years to the transfers before being able to settle finally in IbadanIbadan
Ibadan is the capital city of Oyo State and the third largest metropolitan area in Nigeria, after Lagos and Kano, with a population of 1,338,659 according to the 2006 census. Ibadan is also the largest metropolitan geographical area...
. They grew up listening to their father's favorite musicians like Ebenezer Obey
Ebenezer Obey
Ebenezer Obey , nicknamed the "Chief Commander," is a Nigerian pop musician.- Biography :Obey, whose full name is Ebenezer Remilekun Aremu Olasupo Obey-Fabiyi, was born in Idogo, Ogun State, Nigeria of Egba-Yoruba ethnic background. He is of the Owu subgroup of the Egba. He began his professional...
, Orlando Owoh
Orlando Owoh
Orlando Owoh was a highlife musician and band leader. He was a member of the Yoruba ethnic grOwoh was born Oladipupo Owomoyela in Osogbo, Nigeria, but he later became known to his fans as Chief Dr. Orlando Owoh...
and Bob Marley
Bob Marley
Robert Nesta "Bob" Marley, OM was a Jamaican singer-songwriter and musician. He was the rhythm guitarist and lead singer for the ska, rocksteady and reggae band Bob Marley & The Wailers...
blended with their own love for Shalamar
Shalamar
Shalamar was an American music group, primarily of the 1970s and 1980s, that was originally a disco-driven vehicle created by Soul Train booking agent Dick Griffey and show creator Don Cornelius. They went on to be an influential dance trio, masterminded by Soul Train producer Don Cornelius...
, Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
, Chaka Khan
Chaka Khan
Chaka Khan , frequently known as the Queen of Funk, is a 10-time Grammy Award winning American singer-songwriter who gained fame in the 1970s as the frontwoman and focal point of the funk band Rufus. While still a member of the group in 1978, Khan embarked on a successful solo career...
, Stevie wonder
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
, Sonny Okosun
Sonny Okosun
Sonny Okosun was a musician from Nigeria. His surname is sometimes spelled Okosuns and first name Sunny. He was one of the leading Nigerian musicians from the late 70's to mid 80's....
, Lijadu Sisters
Lijadu Sisters
The Lijadu Sisters, Taiwo and Kehinde Lijadu, are identical twin sisters from Nigeria who were an important music duet from the mid-1960s to the 1980s. They achieved success in Nigeria and had modest influence in the United States and Europe. They were notable for being a West African version of...
and Diana Ross
Diana Ross
Diana Ernestine Earle Ross is an American singer, record producer, and actress. Ross was lead singer of the Motown group The Supremes during the 1960s. After leaving the group in 1970, Ross began a solo career that included successful ventures into film and Broadway...
and they all greatly influenced their music style.
History
They like most other young men started music by singing in their church choir then in IbadanIbadan
Ibadan is the capital city of Oyo State and the third largest metropolitan area in Nigeria, after Lagos and Kano, with a population of 1,338,659 according to the 2006 census. Ibadan is also the largest metropolitan geographical area...
their home town, leading several groups including a highlife band they set up with their friends in 1997.
Their journey into the Nigerian music mainstream however started in the year 2000 when they met Big Bamo of XL House, the man made popular for discovering another Ibadan based boy group Maintain. At several shows, the duo provided vocals for Maintain who could only rap while they recorded their own songs and on May 27, 2001 their debut Mother mi was released to wide acceptance, the video of which can be remembered for featuring many celebrities like Tony Tetuila
Tony Tetuila
Anthony Olanrewaju Awotoye better known as Tony Tetuila is an Afro hip hop artist from Nigeria. His name, Olanrewaju, means "My wealth is the future". Formerly a member of The Remedies , he split with the group and has been successful as a solo artist...
, Uche Jombo
Uche Jombo
- Early life :Jombo was born in Abiriba, Abia State, Nigeria. She is a graduate of Mathematics and Statistics from the University of Calabar, and Computer Programming from the Federal University of Technology Minna.- Career :...
, Kenny Ogungbe of Kennis Music
Kennis Music
Kennis Music is a record label, specializing in R&B, pop and hip-hop music, founded by popular Nigerian radio DJ Kenny Ogungbe in the late 1990s. The company's slogan is "Africa's No 1 Record Label"...
, Steph Nora Okere, ID Ogungbe, Kwamé
Kwamé
Kwamé Holland is an American emcee who enjoyed brief popularity in the late-1980s and early-1990s. He is currently a music producer sometimes credited as K-1 Million or K1 Mil.-Biography:...
, Jennifer Eliogu and others paying tributes to their mothers.
Their first major publicized performance at the Gulder Mic Check 2001 where they surprised the organizers and Dan Foster the MC with their stage presence and soulful singing established their identity as a group totally different from the then highly criticized Maintain. The show also featured Nigeria's biggest boy band then Plantashun Boyz
Plantashun Boyz
Plantashun Boyz was a very successful Nigerian hip hop band whose members were Ahmedu Augustine Obiabo , Innocent Ujah Idibia and Chibuzor Oji...
and defunct girl band Kush
Kush (band)
Kush is an American rap metal band formed in 2000 by rapper B-Real, Deftones guitarist Stephen Carpenter and former Fear Factory members Raymond Herrera and Christian Olde Wolbers.-History:...
and Maintain.
While the song Mother mi was only released by XL House as a single, Twin-X enjoyed patronage from show promoters and for many years they shuttled between staying in school and traveling for live shows with Tywo then studying Economics at University of Ado Ekiti
University of Ado Ekiti
The University of Ado-Ekiti was established on March 30, 1982 by the administration of late Chief Michael Adekunle Ajasin, the first civilian governor of Ondo State.The university is a member of the Association of Commonwealth Universities....
while Keni studied Computer Science at Lagos State University
Lagos State University
The Lagos State University - also known as LASU - was established in 1983 by the enabling Law of Lagos State of Nigeria, for the advancement of learning and establishment of academic excellence. The university caters for a population of over 61,000, enrolled in full-time and part-time programmes at...
.
Their fan base grew significantly across Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
and their name became synonymous with Motherhood especially among students in Nigerian tertiary institutions. The track Mother mi also continued to receive high ratings across the African continent and was at a time referred to as the best Mother song of the new generation of Nigerian music and second only to Sweet Mother
Sweet Mother
"Sweet Mother" is a highlife song by the Nigeria/Cameroonian singer Prince Nico Mbarga and his band Rocafil Jazz. Released in 1976, it remains one of the most popular songs in Africa....
by Prince Nico Mbarga
Prince Nico Mbarga
Prince Nico Mbarga was a highlife musician, born to a Nigerian mother and a Cameroonian father in Abakaliki, Nigeria...
in the all time rating.
In 2003 they parted ways with Big Bamo and by 2004 they released the album Plenty Money on M&C Music and shot more videos including their 2003 remake of Chief Ebenezer Obey
Ebenezer Obey
Ebenezer Obey , nicknamed the "Chief Commander," is a Nigerian pop musician.- Biography :Obey, whose full name is Ebenezer Remilekun Aremu Olasupo Obey-Fabiyi, was born in Idogo, Ogun State, Nigeria of Egba-Yoruba ethnic background. He is of the Owu subgroup of the Egba. He began his professional...
’s Miliki. The album consolidated on the success of their debut as they continued to grace many big stages across Nigeria including the 2005 Star Mega Jam along with Ja-rule.
In 2006 they started their own label - Deuce Records and were made the official voice of a Nigerian Telecom company called O'net, the track Plenty Money was adopted as soundtrack for a BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
radio drama The Estate and they also went back to the studio and teamed up with Don Jazzy
Don Jazzy
Michael Collins Ajereh , better known as Don Jazzy, is a Nigerian Multi award-winning record producer, singer-songwriter, musician and CEO of Nigerian record label Mo' Hits Records founded in 2004...
and K-Solo
K-Solo
K-Solo is an American rapper from Central Islip, New York who, along with EPMD, Redman, Das EFX, and Keith Murray, was part of the Hit Squad in 1990s.-Late years:...
to record Oya.
In 2007 they released Oya and traveled to the United States as African representatives at a Conference of Entertainment entrepreneurs organized by America’s Hoodhard DJ coalition, they also recorded a duet with American rapper Stone
STONe
is a Japanese manga written and illustrated by Sin-Ichi Hiromoto. Kodansha released the two bound volumes of the manga on April 23, 2002 and August 23, 2002, respectively.The manga is licensed for an English-languague released in North America be Tokyopop...
a former member of Lil’ Wayne’s Cash Money Records
Cash Money Records
Cash Money Records is a record label founded by brothers Bryan "Birdman" Williams and Ronald "Slim" Williams. Today it operates as a subsidiary of Universal Music Group, and is distributed by Universal Republic Records as of 2011...
and member of the D’boyz group, and between 2007/08 with the song Oya getting more popular in the diaspora, they had a tour of few states in the US and shot the video for the song in Atlanta and New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. They also promoted their home soccer team, Shooting Stars FC
Shooting Stars FC
Shooting Stars Football Club is a Nigerian soccer club based in Ibadan.-History:The club was one of the founders of the Nigerian Premier League in 1972, when they were called WNDC Ibadan .The nickname "Shooting Stars" was added with the suggestion of team foundation members the late Jide...
in the video, spotting the club jersey and featuring some of the players.
In year 2010 they launched a new venture under their brand name Twin-X and the Deuce Band, it is called Your Wedding MCs
Inconsistency
While Twin-X remains one of the respected first generation of Nigerian pop musicians alongside Tuface Idibia, ELDeeEldee
Lanre Dabiri, better known by his stage name Eldee, stylized as eLDee, is a Nigerian American rapper, record producer and architect. "Lanre" is a diminutive for the Yoruba name "Olanrewaju" . eLDee studied Architecture at the University of Lagos, Nigeria...
, then of Trybesmen
Trybesmen
Trybesmen is an African hip-hop group from Lagos, Nigeria. The Nigerian newspaper NEXT describes them as "one of the pioneers of hip hop in Nigeria" and the BBC called the group "legendary" in 2005....
, Eedris Abdulkareem
Eedris Abdulkareem
Eedris Abdulkareem, born Eedris Turayo Abdulkareem Ajenifuja, is a Nigerian hip hop artist.Born to a polygamous family in Kano, Nigeria, his father was from Ijesha, Osun State, and his mother was from Ogun State. Raised in Kano, he adopted Kano State as his state of origin. His father resides in...
, Sound Sultan (with whom they were nominated for few awards in 2001 as new artistes), their inconsistency has been their major flaw.
Twin-X after the highly successful Mother mi took three years to release Plenty Money and except starring in a cameo alongside Africa’s afro-soul super star Lagbaja
Lagbaja
Lagbaja is a Nigerian Afrobeat musician.-Name and mask:According to Lagbaja, his mask is used as an icon of man’s facelessness. Lagbaja is a Yoruba word that means "nobody in particular". It depicts the anonymity of the so-called “common man”. The mask and the name symbolize the faceless, the...
in the video of his song “dream come true” in 2006, they did not make any major appearances on Nigerian TV until 2009 when they released the video of their single “Oya” – a song recorded as tribute to their hometown Ibadan
Ibadan
Ibadan is the capital city of Oyo State and the third largest metropolitan area in Nigeria, after Lagos and Kano, with a population of 1,338,659 according to the 2006 census. Ibadan is also the largest metropolitan geographical area...
.
It is also believed that their dreadlocks which they had for six years inspired Lil Wayne
Lil Wayne
Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr. , better known by his stage name Lil Wayne, is an American rapper. At the age of nine, Lil Wayne joined Cash Money Records as the youngest member of the label, and half of the duo, The B.G.'z, with B.G.. In 1997, Lil Wayne joined the group Hot Boys, which also included...
’s reference to the strength of the Nigerian hair in his track “A milli” while the trio were in the studio together in downtown Atlanta during Christmas in 2007. Nigerians enjoyed the buzz and anticipated a musical collaboration with the American superstar and just as the Oya video in 2009 seemed to be a signal announcing their return, Twin-X went silent again returning to school for post graduate studies and are yet to release an album since then.
Tywo has a Bachelors degree in Economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
from the University of Ado Ekiti
University of Ado Ekiti
The University of Ado-Ekiti was established on March 30, 1982 by the administration of late Chief Michael Adekunle Ajasin, the first civilian governor of Ondo State.The university is a member of the Association of Commonwealth Universities....
Nigeria and an Executive Masters in Project Management
Project management
Project management is the discipline of planning, organizing, securing, and managing resources to achieve specific goals. A project is a temporary endeavor with a defined beginning and end , undertaken to meet unique goals and objectives, typically to bring about beneficial change or added value...
from the Project Management College UK, while Keni has his Bachelors in Computer Science
Computer science
Computer science or computing science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems...
from Lagos State University
Lagos State University
The Lagos State University - also known as LASU - was established in 1983 by the enabling Law of Lagos State of Nigeria, for the advancement of learning and establishment of academic excellence. The university caters for a population of over 61,000, enrolled in full-time and part-time programmes at...
and a graduate Certificate in Creative and New Media
New media
New media is a broad term in media studies that emerged in the latter part of the 20th century. For example, new media holds out a possibility of on-demand access to content any time, anywhere, on any digital device, as well as interactive user feedback, creative participation and community...
from the prestigious Pan-African University, Lagos
Pan-African University, Lagos
The Pan-African University, Lagos is a private, non-profit educational institution in Lagos, Nigeria.The university had its origin as the Lagos Business School , established in 1991...
.
While they remain active performing musicians but unseen on Nigerian TV except for few publicized events where they appear as special guest, they have both since been involved in the other fields of professional competences they acquired through their long academic pursuits.
Honors
- 2007 Most Outstanding African Stars on the rise - Trendsetters Awards in Houston Texas USA.
- 2005 Winner for Best Duo – Gbedu Awards
- 2005 Winner Niche Viewers’ Choice Awards Abuja Nigeria
- 2001 Nominee for Best Upcoming Act - The Era Awards
Discography
- 2001 – Mother mi (EP)
- 2003 - Miliki (Single)
- 2004 – Plenty Money (Album)
- 2006 – Purple Jamz (Special Album for the O'net Brand Marketing)
- 2007 - Oya (Single)