Jude ‘MI’ Abaga, the Nigerian rapper, has recalled the year-long search that led him to discover and sign the enigmatic singer Brymo to Chocolate City.
Speaking on the Vbyz TV Cartel, Abaga explained that, after the commercial and critical triumph of his own projects, along with those of labelmates Jesse Jagz and Ice Prince, the natural next step was to broaden the label’s scope.
The 44-year-old record producer said his next move was to bring a singer into the fold to “fill out the group”.
Abaga said he randomly heard Brymo’s voice, adding that “it took me a year to find” him and sign him to Chocolate City.
“We were ready, and the rest, they say, is history. My album did really well, Jesse Jagz dropped an album after that, and it did really well, Ice Prince dropped after that, and it did really well,” he said.
“I started looking for how we could expand because I’ve always had this mindset of expansion, so I was like, we need a singer to fill out the group.
“I actually tried to get Yung6ix on board, the deal didn’t work out, and he ended up going to Storm Records. I tried to get Shaydee on board, and it didn’t work out; he ended up going to EME.
“In the middle of this, too, I met Wizkid; he was really young, and I put him on my first album.
“And all these were happening at the time, and then one day I heard a voice, and I was like, who is this kid?.
“It took me like a year to find him. His name was Brymo; he joined our label, and we became the Choc Boys that became the foundation of Chocolate City.”
Born Olawale Ibrahim Ashimi, Brymo signed with Chocolate City in 2010 and rose to prominence, notably after featuring on Ice Prince’s hit single ‘Oleku.
