Phyno

Chibuzo Nelson Azubuike Ezege (listen; born 9 October 1986), who is known professionally as Phyno, is a Nigerian rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer. Phyno was born and raised in Enugu State but is a native of Anambra State. He started his music career as a producer in 2003, and is renowned for rapping in Igbo language. His debut studio album No Guts No Glory, which was released in March 2014, yielded the singles "Ghost Mode", "Man of the Year", "Parcel" and "O Set".

Life and music career

A native of Anambra State of the Igbo tribe, Chibuzor Nelson Azubuike was born and raised in Enugu State, southeastern part of Nigeria. His stage moniker came from the word phenomenal, which one of his friends from secondary school had given him. Phyno developed an interest in music production during his secondary school days. He initially wanted to become a pilot, but was told that he could be a doctor. He learned to play the drums and piano throughout secondary school and created his own rendition of every recording he heard. He studied public administration at the Institute of Management and Technology in Enugu, and started profiting from music during his second year there. Phyno told Ifeoma Onoye that Mr Raw is one of the few people he looks up to. Phyno started rapping in 2010 and relocated to Lagos State, southwest Nigeria to further his music career.

Phyno started recording his debut studio album, No Guts No Glory, in 2012. The album features guest appearances from Stormrex, Omawumi, Olamide, Efa, P-Square, Timaya, Flavour N'abania, Mr Raw, M.I, Ice Prince and Runtown. It was primarily recorded in Igbo and Nigerian Pidgin. The Olamide-assisted track "Ghost Mode" was released on 25 September 2012, as the album's lead single. The song won Best Collabo at both The Headies 2012 and 2013 Nigeria Entertainment Awards. On 7 December 2012, Phyno released the music video for "Ghost Mode", which was filmed in Lagos by Clarence Peters. Sputnet Records released the album's second single, "Man of the Year (Obago)", on 23 March 2013. The song won Best Rap Single at the 2013 Headies Awards.

In June 2013, Phyno performed for 25 minutes in Owerri as part of the Star Music Trek tour. As a supporting act on the 2013 Hennessy Artistry Club Tour, he toured with D'banj, Burna Boy, Chidinma, Vector, Pucado, Seyi Shay, Show Dem Camp, Kay Switch and Sean Tizzle. The music video for "Man of the Year (Obago)" was uploaded to YouTube on 20 August 2013. It was also shot and directed by Clarence Peters in Abakpa Nike and features a cameo appearance from Illbliss. In September 2013, the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation banned the music video from being broadcast. The album's third single "Parcel", originally titled "Parcel (a Big Nwa)", was released on 11 October 2013. The music video for "Parcel" was shot by Peters and released on 19 February 2014.

"O Set" was released as the album's fourth single on 4 March 2014. The song was produced by WizzyPro and features vocals by P-Square. The music video for the song was directed by Jude Engees Okoye. On 22 May 2014, Phyno released the music video for "Alobam", which was directed by Clarence Peters. "Alobam" was produced by Major Bangz and is an Igbo slang for "My Guy". On 2 September 2014, Phyno released the video for his "Authe (Authentic)" song with Flavour. On 7 October 2014, he released the Major Bangz-produced track "Yayo", which debuted at number 8 on the Pulse Music Video charts. Phyno performed at the 2014 edition of the Star Music Trek tour in Nsukka, Enugu State. The Peters-directed music video for "Yayo" premiered on 5 January 2015. Opeoluwani Akintayo of The Daily Times of Nigeria gave the video an overall rating of 8 of 10, commending its use of props.

Phyno's collaborative album with Olamide, titled 2 Kings, was released on 1 April 2015. Both rappers announced plans for the album's release on social media. Phyno announced plans to release his third studio album, Deal With It, in March 2019. Supported by the singles "Agu" and "The Bag", the album features guest appearances from Olamide, Falz, Davido, Don Jazzy, Zoro, Runtown and Teni. In July 2021, Phyno released the single "Bia".

Artistry

Phyno told the Nigerian Tribune he raps in Igbo because he respects his culture and loves being himself. Although he primarily raps in Igbo, he incorporates a bit of Nigerian Pidgin and English into his music. Phyno believes the elements of music make it borderless.

Discography

Studio albums

• No Guts No Glory (2014)
• The Playmaker (2016)
• Deal With It (2019)
• Something to Live For (2021)

Collaborative albums

• 2 Kings (2015)

Filmography

Awards and nominations

MTV Africa Music Awards

Channel O Music Video Awards

City People Entertainment Awards

Nigeria Entertainment Awards

African Muzik Magazine Awards

Nigeria Music Video Awards (NMVA)

The Headies

NET Honours