Legendary Nigerian musician Innocent Idibia, popularly known as 2Face or 2Baba, has described his hit track “African Queen” as the song that gave his career the breakthrough it needed but also admitted that it became a burden along the way.
Speaking in a recent episode of the Entertainment & Lifestyle Show, the music icon reflected on the success and challenges that came with the timeless record that defined his career.
“African Queen has been a very huge blessing, and e come turn to problem join for me. But I am grateful for everything,” 2Face said.
Released in 2004, African Queen became an instant classic and remains one of the most iconic Afrobeats songs ever made. The song catapulted 2Face to international fame, earning him multiple global recognitions, including becoming the first African artist to win the BET, MTV Europe, and MOBO Awards.
Despite its massive success, the song has been at the center of controversy for years. 2Face’s former bandmate, Blackface, has repeatedly accused him of stealing the song from their time together in the defunct group Plantashun Boiz.
In previous interviews, 2Face acknowledged that African Queen was originally a collaborative effort with his former bandmates but denied claims of theft, insisting he had the right to release it as part of his solo debut album, Face2Face.
The long-standing debate over the song’s authorship resurfaced in August 2025, after Billboard named African Queen the “Greatest Afrobeats Song of All Time.”
More than two decades later, the record continues to define 2Face’s legacy and remains a cultural anthem across Africa and beyond.
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