MI Abaga: Biography, songs, achievements, net worth

Jude Lemfani Abaga, better known by his stage name MI Abaga, is a rapper and music producer from Nigeria.

His song Crowd Mentality gained popularity in Jos, Plateau State capital, in 2006, catapulting him to fame. He released his first studio album, Talk About It, in 2008.

MI 2: The Movie replaced the LP in 2010. His third studio album, The Chairman, was released four years later. In February 2018, Abaga released Rendezvous. His fourth studio album, A Study On Self Worth: Yxng Dxnzl, was released in August of that year.

Table of Content hide 1MI Abaga Biography 2Career 3Songs 4Albums 5Achievements 6Net worth 7Family 8Wife 9Conclusion

MI Abaga Biography 

Jude Abaga was born in Jos, Plateau State, on October 4, 1981. His parents, Pastor and Mrs. Abaga, are both Jukun natives of Takum, Taraba State. He went to Baptist High School in Jos, where his mother bought him a 7-key piano that got him started in the music industry.

He has two brothers, Jason Abaga and Jesse Jagz, also musicians. Jude listened to music by Lauryn Hill, Bob Marley, Sarah Maclachlan, Pablo Neruda, Jay-Z, and DMX during his adolescence.

Jude’s foray into the hip-hop scene began in 1998 with the sampling of songs by DMX and Lauryn Hill. He pursued a career in business and economics after attending Calvin College in Michigan, United States. He frequently played there at important hip hop performances and concerts held at the school. His exceptional rap skills and positive attitude helped him come third in the first hip-hop competition, Hip Hopera, held at Calvin College in 2003.

MI also claimed to have tried comedy but settled for music after feeling humiliated when no one laughed.

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Career

MI started his musical career after moving back to Nigeria in 2003. He started making mixtapes with his friend Djinee after finding his niche in a field dominated by stars like Modenine, Ruggedman, and Eedris Abdulkareem. As a result, he wrote the critically praised tune Safe, parodied in the lyrics of well-known Nigerian songs, and received great airplay on African radio and music video outlets like MTV Vibe. He received recognition for the song at several events, including the Nigerian Music Video Awards, City People, and NEA.

Because of the hype around the release of Safe, his debut studio album, Talk About It, which Oye Akindeinde of 360nobs scored 8.5/10, received favourable reviews from critics. The CD won accolades, including Best Hip Hop Artist and Musician of the Year at Modemen Awards, 2008 and City People Awards.

In addition, he has received recognition from the prestigious Channel O Music Awards, MTV Base Awards, and American BET Awards in South Africa. Many have named MI a gifted producer, rapper, songwriter, and musician, the future of African hip-hop.

PYERIBOY was his debut mixtape. Later in 2009, he released a sample mixtape with the title Illegal Music, in which he fully displayed his poetic talent. The mixtape was followed by Illegal Music II, released in 2012.

He created Loopy Music in Jos, Nigeria, with his brother, Jesse Jagz, Ice Prince, Ruby, Threadstone, Lindsay, Moses (Elbulk), and E Kelly.

MI’s flourishing career started to take off when he moved to Abuja from Jos after signing with the renowned Chocolate City.

MI has collaborated with artists including Don Jazzy, Threadstone, Kel, Djinee, Shifi (Styl Plus), Jesse Jagz, Ice Prince, Hyce-age, Ruby, Lindsey, Leony, and Wizkid. He also shares ownership of Rychus Era Productions with his brother Jesse Abaga (Jesse Jagz).

He was selected, along with other Nigerian artists, including Omawumi and Burna Boy, to be a brand ambassador for Glo mobile in 2013.

In 2013, he served as a judge for Glo X-Factor, the Nigerian reality singing competition.

Illegal Music 3 – The Finale became available on February 29, 2016. Within three days of its release, the ten-track, free online mixtape had more than 400,000 downloads.

On February 9, 2018, a seventh studio project named Rendezvous, a playlist with a largely distinctive style, was launched. The rapper simply hinted at the release date for Yxng Dxnzl, a day before the project’s unexpected release, shocking fans.

The actual release, dubbed Yxng Dxnzl (pronounced Yung Denzl), went on sale on August 24. Many people expressed their opinions about the song You Rappers Should Fix Up Your Lives from the album tentatively titled A Study on Self Worth. The album was released as a part of a collection of Nigerian rap albums dubbed LAMB August to revitalise rap music in that country.

MI produced Crown by A-Q and Loose Kaynon, Yung Denzl, and BadBoyBlaq by Blaqbonez. On March 6, 2020, the rapper announced that he was leaving after 13 years with the label.

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Songs

Some of the rapper’s songs include:

• Safe.
• Anoti
• Teaser
• Crowd Mentality
• Undisputed Champion.
• Action Film.
• Bad Belle.
• Bullion Van.
• Monkey.
• Chairman.
• King James.
• Show Me.
• Your Father.
• You Rappers Should Fix Up Your Lives.
• The Guy.
• Playlist.
• Your Father.
• Human Being
• Nobody
• Number 1
• Beef
• One Naira
• Undisputed
• Wild Wild West

Albums

• Talk About It (2008).
• MI 2: The Movie (2010).
• The Chairman (2014).
• A Study on Self Worth: Yxng Dxnzl (2018).
• Judah The E.P. (2020).
• The Live Report (2020) with AQ.
• Behold The Lamb (2022) with AQ, Loose Kaynon and Blaqbonez.
• The Guy (2022).

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Achievements 

MI Abaga has aided the rise to fame of some up-and-coming performers, including Phyno, Vypa, Jesse Jagz, Ruby, Pype, Ice Prince, Brymo, and KhaliGraph Jones. 

Additionally, he established a Northern presence in the Nigerian music scene with his music. He is perceived as someone who seeks to unite Nigeria through music. As a result, he is referred to as Nigeria’s Hip Hop Messiah by Nigerian hip hop enthusiasts.

MI produced albums and songs for his label mates while working in the music industry with Chocolate City. The two songs he produced for Ice Prince’s album Everybody Loves Ice Prince in 2011 and Ruby Gyang’s Good Man from her This Is Love EP are the most notable. 

In 2012, MI received a designation as a goodwill ambassador for the UN. MI concurs with the Jostified movement. 

Net worth

MI has an estimated net worth of $5 million. His wealth is gotten from his music and his endorsement deals.

Family

He is not the only musician in his family. His younger brothers Jason and Jesse Jaggz, are also popular names in the music industry.

Wife

He is not married yet. However, he is in a relationship. The rapper took to his social media earlier this year to announce his engagement to his long-time girlfriend, Eniola Mafe, a Nigerian activist, entrepreneur, and co-founder of SecureFarmer.com. This social venture trains the next generation of farmers using precision data, technology, and mechanization.

Conclusion 

MI’s flow is described as “easy going but packed full of blows” by Tripol of Blaze-A-Mic. Due to stylistic similarities, comparisons have also been made to well-known rappers like Kanye West, Lil Wayne, and Jay-Z. People familiar with MI have also compared his ego to Jay-Z and Kanye West’s.

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