2Face Idibia Opens Up: ‘African Queen’ Has Been Both My Greatest Blessing and My Biggest Burden

Legendary Nigerian musician Innocent Idibia, widely known as 2Face (or 2Baba), has given a candid assessment of his career-defining hit, ‘African Queen’, describing the iconic song as the pivotal spark that propelled him to stardom while simultaneously admitting it has become a major burden over the years. The veteran singer shared his reflections on the decades-long impact of the single during a recent appearance on the Entertainment & Lifestyle show.

Dependable NG reports that 2Face acknowledged the monumental role the song played in his career and his deep personal connection to the music. He stated: “African Queen has been a very huge blessing, and e come turn to problem join for me. But I am grateful for everything.” This bitter-sweet summary encapsulates the duality of the song’s legacy—one that brought him unprecedented global recognition but also enduring controversy.

Released in 2004 as part of his debut solo album Face 2 Face, ‘African Queen’ instantly became a continent-wide anthem, cementing 2Face’s status as a music icon. The track was instrumental in his rapid ascent to international stardom, where he made history by becoming the first African artist to secure multiple prestigious global awards, including the BET Award, the MTV Europe Music Award (MTV EMA), and the MOBO Award. This unprecedented success helped to pave the way for the global acceptance of Afrobeats as a mainstream genre.

However, the song’s enormous popularity has been consistently overshadowed by controversy surrounding its authorship, which has remained a subject of public dispute for over two decades. His former Plantashun Boiz bandmate, Blackface (Ahmedu Augustine Obiabo), has repeatedly and publicly claimed that 2Face stole the song from him—an allegation that has been the basis of a long-running feud. 2Face has consistently denied outright theft, having previously admitted in interviews that ‘African Queen’ was a collaborative effort during their time together in the band, though he claims to have written most of the lyrics.

The controversy reignited most recently in August 2025 after the prominent American music magazine, Billboard, ranked ‘African Queen’ as the “Greatest Afrobeats Song of All Time” on its definitive list. This major international accolade reaffirmed the song’s status as a foundational Afrobeats classic but also brought the long-running dispute back into the public spotlight, adding to the “problem” 2Face now associates with the track despite its huge benefits to his enduring musical career.