Legendary Nigerian singer Innocent Idibia, better known as 2Face or 2Baba, has described his iconic hit African Queen as both a blessing and a burden in his music career.
Speaking on a recent episode of the Entertainment & Lifestyle show, 2Face reflected on the song’s lasting impact more than two decades after its release.
“African Queen has been a very huge blessing, and e come turn to problem join for me. But I am grateful for everything,” he said.
Released in 2004, African Queen catapulted 2Face to international fame, earning him historic wins at the BET, MTV Europe, and MOBO Awards, and positioning him as one of Africa’s most celebrated musical exports.
However, the song has long been surrounded by controversy over authorship, with 2Face’s former bandmate Blackface repeatedly alleging that the track was stolen from their time together in the defunct group Plantashun Boiz.
While 2Face has acknowledged that African Queen was originally a collaborative project, he has consistently denied any claims of theft.
The long-running debate resurfaced recently after Billboard ranked African Queen as the “greatest Afrobeats song of all time” in August 2025 — reigniting discussions about its legacy and ownership.
Despite the controversies, the song remains a timeless anthem of African music and one of the most defining records in Nigeria’s modern pop history.
