Ikey

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“His delivery is cool and calm with a bite… Ikey takes this shit to the next level.” – Pigeons & Planes

For Ikey, it’s all about the story. Born in New York, with roots in both Spanish Harlem and Lagos, Nigeria, Ike Obioha connected with music at an early age. The diverse palette of his father’s music collection painted a musical canvas that pays homage to everything from Elton John and Journey to the Neville Brothers and Igbo Nigerian highlife singer Chief Stephen Osita Osadebe.

Ikey’s unique, 1.5 generation immigrant experience influenced both the subject matter and creation of his music. Despite pressure to embark upon a more scholarly career, Ikey would ultimately find himself opening for the likes of Big Sean and have his music covered in the Washington City Paper. He balances his penchant for music representing all aspects of the human experience over tracks representative of hip-hop’s golden era while maintaining his unique Nigerian-American identity. “I’m just a young kid straight out of Lagos,” Ikey says. “When I see people like Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie being sampled on Beyonce records, it makes me feel people want that true African story. I just feel there are a lot of Nigerian-Americans trying to tell that story, and I’m trying to tell it the right way.” His upcoming album, The Green Card, is slated to release March 2015.

Press Releases

Following His Green Card EP, Ikey Invites You To A Day In His Life With His Latest Video, Debuted By The Smoking Section
Premiered by i-D, the DMV via Lagos, Nigeria Rapper Shares a New Single Loosely Inspired by James Earl Jones
Nigerian-American Rapper Dissects the American Dream On Debut EP, Green Card, Premiered by Complex
Preparing For the April 7 Release of His Green Card EP, the Nigerian-American Artist Drops Triumphant Single, Premiered By HipHopWired
Preparing For the March 31 Release of His Green Card EP, the Nigerian-American Artist Reflects On Past Leaders In His Latest Visual, Premiered By Pigeons & Planes
Any Means Necessary and SaveMoney Team Up For a Soulful Cut Off Ikey’s Forthcoming Green Card EP
Premiered by DJBooth, Nigerian-American Rapper Ikey Sounds Like Royalty On the Third Single from His Forthcoming Green Card EP, Releasing in March
Premiered By Complex, 1st Generation Nigerian-American Rapper Ikey Delivers the Bombastic 2nd Video Single From His Forthcoming Green Card Project

Press Photos

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