It’s might be a surprise to some that some popular US Artists who you know are of Nigerian descent

Nigerians are commonly known worldwide to be well-travelled. As a result, we have families from Nigeria who have settled well into foreign countries like the US.

A lot of kids from these families later grow up to become celebrities who have become household names in various sectors like the Entertainment Industry.

In the case of some of these celebrities, their names give away their Nigerian roots while you’ll have to a little bit of research to connect the others to Nigeria.

On our list this week, we look at 10 of these US artists who are of Nigerian descent.

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Wale

From the first day, Nigerians heard about this rapper, everyone fell in love with him. Maybe because of his talent or his Nigerian roots. Born Olubowale Victor Akintimehin to Nigerian parents, Wale grew up in the United States of America.

Rotimi

Full name Olurotimi Akinosho, Rotimi was born in Maplewood, New Jersey in 1988, to Nigerian parents; his father an investment banker of Yoruba origin and his mother of Igbo origin.

Rotimi is a famous singer and actor in the United States of America. His break out role in Hollywood was his role as Andre Coleman on the popular TV series, ‘Power.’

Rotimi is a big fan of his home country, Nigeria and visits frequently. In 2019, the music star got for himself a penthouse in Nigeria for his birthday.

Jidenna

Unarguably one of the most fashionable celebrities in the world, Jidenna is a popular figure who needs little or no introduction. Born Jidenna Theodore Mobisson, Jidenna is a Nigerian-American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer.

Jidenna was born in the United States of America to a Nigerian dad and a Caucasian mom in 1985. His family moved back to the US after a few years in Nigeria when he turned 5.

The music star rose to fame in 2015 when he released the hit single ‘Classic Man.’ Since then he has dropped several hit singles.

Taio Cruz

For those who danced to the popular American hit single, “Dynamite“,  the singer behind it, Taio Cruz is a Nigerian. He was born Adetayo Ayowale Onile-Ere to a Nigerian dad and a Brazilian mom in London. Cruz can be credited to be the brain behind several hit songs for other top musicians in the United States of America and Britain.

Chamillionaire

If you are familiar with rap in the early 2000s, Chamillionaire is one name that one would have come across. However not many know that he is originally from Nigeria. His real name is Hakeem Seriki.

He signed to Universal Records in 2005 and released The Sound of Revenge. It included hit singles “Turn It Up” featuring Lil’ Flip and the number-one, Grammy-winning hit “Ridin‘” featuring Krayzie Bone of Bone Thugs-n-Harmony.

The rapper in recent years has taken a back seat from the music industry and focused on his entrepreneurial skills. He currently is part of Los Angeles-based venture capital firm Upfront Ventures.

Chika

Jane Chika Oranika known as Chika (often stylized CHIKA), is an American rapper, songwriter, poet, model, and actress. Chika was born in Montgomery, Alabama.

She first garnered attention on social media for her viral freestyles before signing to Warner Records in 2019. The following year, she was included in XXL’s 2020 Freshman Class and was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 2021.

Tyler the Creator

Tyler The Creator is an American musician, songwriter, producer, actor, and visual artist. Born Tyler Gregory Okonma, to a Nigerian dad and an American mother of mixed African-American and European-Canadian descent, Tyler’s love for music began at a very early age.

At the age of 14, he taught himself to play the piano. He rose to prominence in the early 2010s as the co-founder and de facto leader of the alternative hip hop group Odd Future.

Tyler has several awards to this credit including a Grammy Award, a Brit Award, and an MTV Video Music Award.

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Tobe Nwigwe

Tobechukwu Dubem Nwigwe, who also goes by Tobe Nwigwe was born in 1987, is a Nigerian-American rapper and singer. He is from the Alief neighbourhood of Houston, Texas.

Nwigwe is of Nigerian descent and hails from the Igbo ethnic group. He played high school football and then college football at the University of North Texas. He was being considered for draft by the NFL. However, a Lisfranc Ligament Tear left him unable to continue to play football.

He began to gain a following through his Instagram and YouTube posts and videos which he usually posted every Sunday.

His music has garnered a lot of attention, including Michelle Obama, who put his song “I’m Dope” on her workout playlist.

In 2020, Nwigwe went viral on digital platforms for his song “I Need You To (Breonna Taylor)“. His song, “Try Jesus” was his biggest song of 2020.

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Top 5 Naija Songs that were remixed by International artists

Blacks can be found in every area of entertainment and some of them are actually by birth, half parent, immigrant parent, or nationalization. Some of them can be found in the Music Industry and have gone to become international artists.

Here are the International artists you didn’t know were of Nigerian descent.

Jidenna

Popularly known for his February 2015 single, “Classic Man”,  Jidenna Theodore Mobisson, who is signed to Janelle Monae’s Wondaland Records label, was born in Wisconsin to a Nigerian father and a white mother and grew up in Nigeria.

In 1995 his family moved back to Boston Massachusetts.  His song “Classic Man” was nominated for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration at the 58th Grammy Awards.

Jidenna blends African Ankara prints into his outfit, a move that gives him up as an African.

NAS

Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones, who is the son of the popular Jazz musician, Olu Dara blues musician of Yoruba descent, is an internationally known American Rapper and producer.

He began his musical career in 1991 and released his debut album Illmatic, in 1994. Nas was popularly known for his legendary rivalry with Jay Z that was the talk of the early 2000s.

His popular tracks include, Hate Me Now” and “Ether”, “The World is Yours”, “NY State of Mind” amongst others.

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Skepta

Skepta’s real name is Joseph Junior Adenuga, he was born on September 19, 1982. He is an English Grime artist, songwriter, and record producer of Nigerian descent.

He released his debut studio album Greatest Hits in late 2007 and his second, Microphone Champion in 2009, both independently, while his third studio album Doin’ It Again was released in 2011 by AATW.

His fourth studio album, Konnichiwa, was released on May 6, 2016, to critical acclaim, winning the year’s Mercury Prize.

Wale

Olubowale Victor Akintimehin known by his stage name Wale was born on September 21, 1984.  He first rose to prominence in 2006, when his song “Dig Dug (Shake It)” became popular in his hometown.

His parents were both from the Yoruba ethnic group of southwestern Nigeria, and both of them came from Austria to the United States in 1979.

He’s is under the imprint of Maybach music, a record label owned by rapper Rick Ross but signed to Warner music.

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Tinie Tempah

Tinie Tempah whose real name is Patrick Chukwuemeka Okogwu born on the 7th of November 1988 was born to Nigerian parents from Ibusa, Delta State.

He is one of UK’s hottest rappers and his most popular track to date, “Written in the Stars”, was the official theme song for WWE’s Wrestlemania 27 and was also used to usher in the New York Giants for Super Bowl 46.

Seal

Seal whose real name is  Henry Olusegun Olumide Adelo Samuel was born to a Nigerian father, Francis Samuel, and mother, Adebisi Ogundeji.

He married model/TV personality, Heidi Klum, for seven years with three kids together before they separated in 2012.

He has won four Grammy Awards and an MTV Video Music Award amongst others. Seal has several hit songs which include “Kiss from the rose”, “Crazy, ‘Killer’, “Lips Like Sugar”.

https://mp3bullet.ng/top-11-nigerian-artists-who-have-their-own-record-label/

Sade Adu

English Singer and Songwriter, Sade Adu was born Helen Folasade Adu in Ibadan and brought up in  England.

She achieved worldwide fame and acclaim in the 1980s as the lead vocalist of the multi-platinum selling group, Sade, which was named after her.

She is the first Nigerian to win a Grammy award, a feat she achieved in 1986 with her band, Sade. Sade has sold more than 40 million units to date.

Her services to music were also recognized with an award of the Officer of the Order of the British Empire chivalry honor in 2002, and later the rank of the Commander of the same order in 2017.

Chamillionaire

The Grammy Award-winning rapper was born Hakeem Seriki in Washington DC to a Muslim father and a Christian mother, both of Nigerian extraction.

He is best known for his 2007 Grammy Award-winning rap single, “Ridin’”, which featured Krayzie Bone of the Bone Thugs-n-Harmony.

In addition to being a musician, Hakeem ‘Chamillionaire’ Seriki has embarked a business career and established himself as an entrepreneur in a number of industries.

Nigerian Artists that ventured into Politics

Lemar

Lemar Obika known professionally as Lemar was born in Tottenham, North London, England to Nigerian parents on the 4th of April 1978.

The Award winning singer is knwon for his hit songs like “If There’s Any Justice”,  “Time to Grow” and “Don’t Give It Up”

Lemar has also won two Brit Awards and three MOBO Awards . Not much has been heard of him since.

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