Four Years After, Is Rudeboy’s Success Vindicative Of His Decision To Go Solo?

P-Square, one of Nigeria’s favourite music duo, broke up in 2016 after a prolonged rift and social media squabble. Undoubtedly, they were Nigeria’s musical pride and joy, so even though we knew deep down that it wasn’t really much of our business, we all unashamedly waited for the juicy gists while we speculated on why they shattered our hearts into as many rubbles as those who danced to Peter and Paul’s upbeat, Afropop tunes.

Rumours came in from different angles, claiming, and in most cases, asserting that P-Square broke things off because their Manager and brother – Jude Okoye – was favouring one twin over the other.

Some others believed it was all Paul’s doing because he was tired of carrying the weight of the team alone while all his twin did was breakdance and attempt to look like Usher Raymond as much as he could.

Even still, some passionate and overtly dramatic ones believed that it was all Lola Omotayo’s (Peter’s wife) fault; she was the beautiful “white witch” who sat Peter down and told him to turn his back on his family.

Mr P and Lola Omotayo 

While this multi-shaded drama was ongoing, things went awry with the brothers. They went as far as airing their linens to the world… well, that was mostly Peter, but hey… who did what doesn’t really matter anymore because PSquare eventually became Mr P and Rudeboy; two totally separate musical acts. 

Going by all the evidence around, Peter Okoye aka. Mr P, since the split, isn’t cashing out as much as Rudeboy. Only recently, Rudeboy’s “Reason With Me” video amassed a whopping 40 million views on Youtube. The song itself was on every music hitlist and chart for some time. 

“Audio Money” came quickly on its heels and it shattered all tables as it addressed people flaunted fake money on social media. It became an immediate chart-topping tune. Seeing as it was very relatable, lines from the song quickly began to make it into many conversations off and online. Even though “Audio Money” was said to be a jab at his twin brother, it totally certified all conditions of becoming the hit song that it became.

His prayer tune “Chizoba” and his collaborative effort “Together” featuring Afro Dance-hall artiste Patoranking both made waves too. He maintained his consistency by releasing “Reality”, a mid-tempo song about being stuck in a toxic relationship. 

For yet another banger, he teamed up with the street king, Olamide and Phyno to create “Double Double”. As you would expect, the coming together of these three musical lords was nothing short of an explosion. The video has hit an impressive 13 million views on YouTube, showing it up to be a solid hit. Rudeboy has, to the joy of his fans, even announced that he is set to drop an album in 2020.

According to sources close to him, Rudeboy strongly believes that he “broke out of a rut” when he left his twin. This gives some credence to those who speculated that he carried the weight of the team alone. Even though a great singing voice isn’t what he is widely known for, he has proven time and time again that he knows just what his fans want and is very equipped to serve them as e dey hot!

Mr P’s solo musical career, on the other hand, has not been as stellar as his brother. Even though “Cool It Down”, Mr P’s first single after P-Square went solo enjoyed nationwide airplay, a return of about 5.2 Million views on YouTube is at best average considering the numbers his twin brother is racking up. Of the duo, he is the king of social media, with 7.1 Million followers on Instagram, and 1.9 Million on Twitter. On YouTube, however, the highest views he’s garnered is 8.7 million on “One More Night” which he did with Niniola. 

A while after his brother released “Audio Money”, Mr P released what is believed to be a response to the jab Rudeboy threw at him. This got fans of both sides pitching tents., as always Despite the controversy that came with it, the song died a premature death before it could become the hit it must have been intended to become. 

For his third output for 2019, Mr P decided to jump in on the major campaign going on against domestic violence with his single “Too Late”. The slow-beat track bears an uncanny resemblance to Adele’s “Hello”. In a little over 1 month, the video has been viewed more than 1 million times on YouTube.