They later formed an a cappella quartet called "MMMPP" (M Clef a.k.a. Itemoh, Michael, Melvin, Peter and Paul). Drawing inspiration from their music idol Michael Jackson, they began break dancing, formed the group called "Smooth Criminals" in 1997. They dropped M Clef from the group "MMMPP" which later was changed to "MMPP". Their artistic talent and precise dance routine soon made them household names in the city of Jos, where they performed at school functions and other occasions.
Later in 1999, Peter and Paul returned to music school to develop their skills on keyboard, drums, bass and rhythm guitar. Their work includes the soundtracks for a number of films like Tobi, Mama Sunday, Moment of Bitterness and Evas River.
Later in 1999, they applied to the University of Abuja to study Business Administration. The Smooth Criminals disbanded when its members left to various other universities. Subsequently Peter and Paul formed their own group, variously called "Double P", "P&P", and "Da Pees", until they eventually settled on "P Square". They are managed by Bayo Odusami aka Howie T, a seasoned concert promoter and the CEO of Adrot Nigeria Limited.
In 2001, "P-Square" won the "Grab Da Mic" competition, and hence Benson & Hedges sponsored their debut album, titled Last Nite, which was released under Timbuk2 music label. P-Square was also nominated as "Most Promising African Group" in the Kora Awards three months after the release of their debut album. They eventually won the 2003 Amen Award for "Best R&B Group".
In 2005, P Square released their second album, Get Squared under their own label, Square Records. This album was marketed nationwide by TJoe Enterprises, although they were still managed by Howie T of Adrot Nigeria Limited. The video for the second album held the #1 position on the MTV Base chart for four straight weeks.
They have an ever growing fan base across South Africa with a particular stronghold of diehard fans in Cape Town.
The group has performed alongside the following international artists like Ginuwine, Sean Paul, Akon and Busola Keshiro. The members of P Square are now located in Lagos.
Late in 2007, they released their best selling album so far, Game Over. It has sold 8 million copies worldwide.
In 2009, P-Square released their fourth studio album, Danger. The album features collaborations with 2 Face Idibia, J Martins and Frenzy. The first single called "Danger" is a hip hop song with cutting synthase and a frog bass baseline similar to an Eminem song. The video affirms this with the presence of clowns and staggered movements in front of the camera reminiscent of comical videos by Eminem. They are also known for the close resemblance which the twins have to American R&B Superstar, Usher Raymond.
On 4 April 2010, P-Square was named the Artist of the Year at the KORA All Africa Music Awards in Ouagadougou, Burkina-Faso while they were in London for a Concert at the Troxy, and they will receive a whopping sum of $1 Million Dollars as the Award Winners, in Ebebiyin City.
The history of Nigerian music industry will not be completed without the chapter of the group p-square. If achievements are one of the yard sticks to measure the success of artistes, P-square will remain number one on the chart of all research groups. They have defied the odds, weathered the storm and re-written the history of the Nigerian music industry; they have also proven that there are always differences between artistes and musicians. Arguable, p-square remain the most popular Nigerian artiste all around the globe. It is generally concluded that this set of twins PAUL & PETER OKOYE remains one of the greatest symbol of Nigerian entertainment industry alongside legendary Afro beat icon Fela. Setting record and re-written history is what the duo of Paul and Peter Okoye popularly known as P-square are recognized for. They are goal getters and pace setters in the music industry in Nigeria. P-square remains the only artiste that scores platinum with all their past three albums including the latest album titled Danger. The album which was released on the 15th of September 2009, was recorded to have sold one million copies in eight days after its release.
P-Square's entry into the Music Industry started during their school days at St. Murumba College Jos. They formed a dancing group called SMOOTH CRIMINALS and mainly danced and mimed Michael Jackson's, M.C. Hammer's and Bobby Brown's songs. The group existed for about 5 years. Peter, Paul and two other friends (Michael and Melvin) later formed an Acapella Group called MMPP. The group was unable to withstand the test of time so it disintegrated leaving behind the two Ps - Peter & Paul now known as P-Square. AS WE ALL KNOW, as of today, P-SQUARE HAS PROVEN TO BE A GOOD AMBASSADOR IN THE NIGERIA MUSIC INDUSTRY. P-Square's debut album titled LAST NITE was released in 2003 and it was recorded to have sold out, thereby making P-Square a household name in Nigeria music cycle. With hits singles such as Kolo, Igbedu and sinorita, the boys stormed the airwaves like cyclone and won the heart of the entire country and in the Diaspora. They did not only won the heart of the music enthusiast but also held them spellbound with their electrifying stage craft. In July 2005, P-Square independently released its second album titled GET SQUARED and the first collection of their music videos in Nigeria. The album GET SQUARED was widely accepted all around the geographical boundaries and also outside it shores making it to sell over ten million copies, thereby enabling it to hit number one on many chat e.g. Top 50 MTV Base Most Requested Video, MTV Base Hot list and number one on MTV Base charts for many weeks. Also, the track Bizzy Body 2 featuring Weird MC in 2006 was a hit track in Nigeria and all over Africa. THE ALBUM GET SQUARED WAS THE FIRST ALBUM IN A VERY LONG TIME IN NIGERIA TO BE PUBLICLY DECLARE A PLATINUM RECORD. Furthermore, in November 2007 P-Square released its third award winning platinum album titled GAME OVER with hits songs such as Do me and Roll it. The album GAME OVER received more accolades for it collections of breath taking videos directed by JUDE ENGEES OKOYE who happens to be the official Artiste Manager of P-Square till date.
P-Square´s Music is Afrocentric in that it combines western and African rhythms in creating a marvelous blend of R&B, Hip Hop and Dancehall songs. Their songs surprisingly cut across various age genders and geographical boundaries indirectly making them the most popular and sought after artiste in Africa and beyond. Since the release of the Get Squared and Game Over album, they have performed in several major concerts all around the Globe. ON THE 15TH OF SEPTEMBER 2009, P-SQUARE OFFICIALLY RELEASED THEIR FOURTH ALBUM TITLED DANGER INTO THE MARKET. THE ALBUM CONTAINS TEN TRACKS WHICH INCLUDES I LOVE YOU, TROWAY, BREAK IT FT. FRENZY, POSSIBILITY FT. 2 FACE, DANGER, E NO EASY FT. J MARTINS, BYE BYE, WHO DEY HERE?, GIMME DAT, SUPER FANS. THE LEAD SINGLE OF THE ALBUM TITLED DANGER IS ENJOYING HUGE AIRPLAY ON RADIO WHILE THE VIDEO IS ALSO RECIEVING LOT OF ROTATION ON TELEVISION. THE ALBUM IS MARKETED AND DISTRIBUTED BY CN MEDIA BUT THEIR LAST TWO ALBUMS WAS MARKETED BY TJOE WHO PUBLICLY DECLARED THEIR ALBUM WAS A PLATINUM ALBUM. Their latest effort titled Danger has gone platinum till date.
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