10 Things You Didn’t Know about Phyno

Azubuike Chibuzo Nelson (born 9 October 1986), better known by his stage name Phyno, is a Nigerian rapper and record producer. He started his musical career as a producer in 2003. He is renowned for rapping in the Igbo language. His debut studio album, No Guts No Glory, was released in 2014. It produced the singles “Ghost Mode”, “Man of the Year”, “Parcel” and “O Set”

10 Interesting Facts about Phyno

1. Azubuike Chibuzo Nelson was born and raised in Enugu State.

2. His stage name Phyno, which is derived from the word phenomenal, was the nickname given to him by one of his high school friends named Emeka.

3.  Phyno developed an interest for music production during his secondary school days. He initially wanted to become a pilot, but was told that he could be a doctor.

4. Throughout high school, he learned to play the drums and piano. He also learned to create his own rendition of every recording he heard.

5. He studied public administration at the Institute of Management and Technology in Enugu, and started profiting from music during his second year at IMT.

6. Phyno started recording his debut studio album, No Guts No Glory, in 2012. The album features guest appearances from Omawumi, Olamide, Efa, P-Square, Timaya, Flavour N’abania, Mr. Raw, M.I, Ice Prince and Runtown. It was primarily recorded in Igbo and Nigerian Pidgin. Phyno revealed in an interview that rapping in his native language is his strong suit.

7. On 25 September 2012, he released “Ghost Mode” as the album’s lead single. The song features Olamide and was released to critical acclaim. It won Best Collabo at both the2012 The Headies Awards and 2013 Nigeria Entertainment Awards.

8. Phyno is widely known as the ambassador of rap music in the Igbo Language

9. Although he primarily raps in Igbo, he combines a bit of Nigerian Pidgin and English in his music.

10. According to him, he respects his culture and loves being himself that’s why he raps in Igbo.