Jude Abaga, better known by stage name M.I, (Mr. Incredible) is a Nigerian Hip hop Artist. Jude was born in Jos Plateau State .Though not much is known about his upbringing; it is believed that he was an active participant at a local church choir his father pastored in Jos.
Jude's venture in the Hip Hop world started with the sampling of works from DMX and Lauryn Hill as early as 1998. After his stint at Calvin College, Michigan, USA, he delved into Poetry while pursuing a career in Business and Economics. There, he performed regularly at the school's Hip Hop concerts. His impressive rap style won him a third place finish at the Calvin College show tagged 'HipHopera' in 2003. M.I. also made some amateur attempts at comedy, but decided to stick to music because he was embarrassed when nobody laughed but him.
Upon returning to Nigeria in 2003, M.I made his presence felt in the Nigerian Hip Hop industry dominated by the likes of Modenine, Ruggedman and El Dee. He commenced the production of mixtapes with his friend Djinee. This led to the critically acclaimed single "Safe", which got impressive airplay. The hype surrounding the release of Safe led to the buzz given to his debut studio album titled “Talk About It”.
M.I's role in the Nigerian music industry cannot be overstated. MI has done a lot to bring a Northern presence to the Nigerian music industry, mostly dominated by southerners. His lyrics are well laced and quite audible. He currently has a new album out (which I would be featuring soon). He is the founder of Loopy Records, and he is signed to Chocolate City.
Here is his debut “Talk About It” Enjoy!
PS: For those who don't know, MI is the one on verse 2 of this blog's theme song (Waving Flag remix)
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