There was a time when musicians were looked upon as school dropouts or music was seen as a profession for people who are not academically sound.
In fact, one could be reprimanded by parents, family members and friends for choosing a career in music. But through the years, many Nigerian musicians have shown that one can attain higher academic qualifications and still have a successful music career. LEADERSHIP Sunday highlights 7 Nigerian music stars who are Master’s Degree holders:
- Onyeka Onwenu
Nigerian music icon Onyeka Onwenu, fondly called the Elegant Stallion, began her music career in 1981 with the release of ‘For the Love of You’ and ‘Endless Life’ which was produced by Sunny Okosun in 1982, ‘The Morning Light’ in 1984, ‘One Love’ in 1986 and ‘Dancing In The Sun’ in 1988. She Bagged her first degree in International Relations and Communication from the Wellesley College of Massachusetts, USA, and has Master’s Degree in Media Studies from The New School for Social Research in New York.
- Naeto C
Nigerian rapper Naetochukwu Chikwe, famously known as Naeto C, gave the hint that he is a Masters Degree holder in his 2011 hit song ‘Ten over Ten’, when he rapped “The only MC with an MSc
So don’t be surprised when they jealous me”. Naeto C, graduated in 2004 from the George Washington University with a BSc. in Biology,and in 2010 Naeto pursued obtained a Master’s Degree in Energy Studies at the University of Dundee in Scotland.
- eLDee
Lanre Dabiri, better known as eLDee is a retired Nigerian-American rapper, singer, and record producer but now an IT Consultant based in the United States. eLDee is credited as one of the pioneers of the afrobeats music genre. In 1998, he started a band called Trybesmen which went on to be one of the music groups that popularised the fusion of Hip-hop, highlife, pop and traditional afrobeat music.
Trybesmen were a continental hit by the year 2000 and played a pivotal role in the shaping of the new music genre.He has a Master’s Degree in Architecture from the University of Lagos.
- Lara George
Lara George is a US-based Nigerian gospel recording artiste, songwriter and producer.George began her music career at the University of Lagos , where she joined the campus fellowship choir. She was a member of the disbanded musical group Kush, which included TY Bello, Dapo Torimiro and Emem Ema.
Her debut album, titled Forever In My Heart, included the hit single “Ijoba Orun” which was released in 2008. The album earned her several awards and nominations. In 2008, she won Voice of the Year at the Nigeria Music Awards.She has a Master’s Degree in Architecture from the University of Lagos.
- Nonso Amadi
Nonso Amadi is a Canadian-based Afro-R & B, Soul singer, songwriter, and producer from Nigeria. He embarked on his music career in 2012 while in Covenant University where he studied BSc. Chemical Engineering. In 2014, he discontinued studying in Nigeria and moved to Swansea University, U.K. and completed his degree. He is currently also a Master’s Degree holder from McMaster’s University, Canada.
- Ric Hassani
Nigerian Pop star Ric Hassani, stared his music career in 2013.In 2015 he released three projects – a compilation album called “African Tour Select Singes 2015” and an acoustic EP tagged “Ric Hassani” and the single “Gentleman”.He obtained his Bachelor’s Degree from Covenant University,and proceeded to England for his Master’s degree in Energy Economics.
7.L.A.X
Nigerian singer Damilola Abdul Razaq Afolabi famously called L.A.X. or Lax Starboy is a recording artiste, a songwriter and a stage performer from Nigeria’s capital, Lagos. Lax released his first single music titled Jaye in 2012 featuring vocal performances from Chocolate City rapper, Ice Prince.He released his debut album in 2018 ‘Rasaking’ featuring Davido, Maleek Berry, Duncan Mighty, and Yemi Alade.He bagged his Bachelor’s Degree from Salford University, Manchester, England and also obtained his Master’s Degree from the same University in August 2014.
