5 Nigerian Boy Bands That Made My Childhood Memorable

Music was a vital part of my life while I was growing up. There’s no way to describe my childhood without music. It was the last thing I heard before going to bed and the first thing I heard when I woke up in the mornings.

It was constantly in the background; different genres, from Jazz to Pop to R n Bs to Classicals and Operas, and it just made sense to love the art. At some point, I thought about things in the language of lyrics, can you relate? I had a song for every occasion, even at the risk of getting into serious trouble, I’ll still sing. 😂

Some of those songs were by Nigerian artists and at that time, boy bands were killing it! Some of the Nigerian boy bands that made my childhood memorable are: 

Junior and Pretty

Junior(Junior Okechukwu Azike) and Pretty(Pretty Okafor) have got to be one of the earliest popular boy bands in Nigeria. I’m sure some millennials and most Gen Zs cannot relate. They were the hit boy band of the late ‘80s with their first hit song; “Monica” and then “Bolanle”(a story of how Junior fell in love with the Pastor’s daughter) which is still their biggest hit till date.

They stood out easily because of the originality they brought to the table. Back then, everyone was trying to imitate foreign rap music artists but they only came across as jesters because they were not getting it right.

However, Junior and Pretty had this unique but comical edge to their style; with Pretty giving us some reggae/dancehall vibe and his signature split and dance steps while Junior would rap in pidgin English.

They actually pioneered Pidgin English rap and Afro hip hop (debatable) in Nigeria and the trend has grown over time. They were quite promising but the death of Junior in 2005 due to severe injuries from a power bike accident brought an abrupt end to their musical career as a band. 

The Remedies 

The Remedies were a Nigerian music group of 3 guys; Eedris Abdulkareem – the rapper, Eddy Remedy – the singer and there was Tony Tetuila – he was the everything in between guy, doing backups and giving us vibes back in the day.

They had us dancing and singing along whenever their music was played. The rap parts of their songs had people in awe because hearing Nigerians rap so fast, more so in local dialect (like Hausa), was novel at the time.

At some point, we were doubting the authenticity of the rap lyrics, I mean, except you paid keen attention, all you’ll hear was: “e-gi-di-me-gi-di-bi-gi-di-she-gi-di-fi-kpo”..lol. We loved them regardless and those were fun times.

Sadly, the group has split and gone their separate ways as solo artists. In recent times, Eedris Abdulkareem granted an interview where he made some triggering comments about other members of the band and this caused some steam across social media, a few stakeholders intervened and brought some sort of closure for the members of the remedies band and their fans. 

Plantashun Boiz

“My father used to tell me that dreams come true….” that was the plantation boys anthem back then. Plantashun Boiz were the most popular Nigerian Boy Band back in the day, with a largely loyal fan base that has stuck with them over the years through thick and thin.

The now defunct group was a hip hop and RnB music group, formed by 3 guys- 2face Idibia, Faze and Blackface. The group was formed while they were in school at Enugu and they eventually relocated to Lagos where they became popular. Giving us back to back hits since their first album release in 2000. Some of my favourites were: “You and I,” “Knock Me Off,” “If Life,” “Plantashun Boiz.”

The sheer nostalgia of recalling these songs is everything! For some reason, the band split up after 2Face decided to go solo and with a lot of intervention, they came back together briefly around 2007 and eventually went their separate ways. All 3 of them have gone on to do big things as solo artists but their fans are hopeful that they’ll come back together again. 

Styl Plus

Styl Plus was another Nigerian Pop/RnB boy band that made our childhood really memorable. Both adults and children were crooning to their songs. Do you remember the song: “Olufunmi ooooo, ma pa mi lekun ooooo.” I’m sure the song brings back some memories. I can still sing a couple of their songs offhands, that’s how good they were!

They were referred to as the African “Boyz II Men” and they lived up to the name as most of their songs were heart touching and emotional love songs wrapped into great stories told by voices that could easily pass off as divine. Their lyrics were a combination of English and Yoruba. 

Originally named as STYL, which was an abbreviation of the names of the founding four members; Shifi Emoefe, Tunde Akinsanmi, Yemi Akinwonmi, and Lanre Faneyi. The group eventually changed their name to Styl Plus after the death of Lanre Faneyi in 1998 and the addition of Zeal Onyecheme.

The group went on to achieve some remarkable feats and win some national and international awards.  Their singles “Olufunmi” and “Runaway” were the most requested love songs on RnB radio stations while “Iya Basira” and “4 years” were campus hits right after their release and students still play “4 Years” at their graduation ceremonies till date. 

Unlike other boy bands of their time, they didn’t all part ways; Yemi Akinwonmi pulled out of the group quietly and Tunde Akinsanmi also left to become a solo artist. Leaving only Zeal and Shifi to carry on the name and the affairs of the band. 

P Square

This was another boy band that took music and entertainment to the next level. With their energetic songs and dance steps to match, they had everyone dancing to their songs at every party. If you attended their live events, it was something to brag about.

Their showbiz influenced a lot of young minds and everyone was suddenly interested in “break” dance or at least wanted to imitate their moves. They caught the hearts of many Nigerians and Africans.

People fainted at their shows just out of sheer love and admiration. They bagged all the awards and gave us hit songs; from RnB/Love songs like ‘Senorita’ to dance hall songs like ‘Busy body’s & ‘Enemy Solo’.

Did I mention that the duo are not just band members/friends, they’re brothers; as a matter of fact, Twins! This made us feel they were immune to the separation pandemic that was taking boy bands apart.

Nothing prepared us for the shocker that they gave us, the band parted ways and fans were sad but they’re back together and today, they still make hit music. They inspired a lot of dancers in Nigeria & Africa and their music would always be a classic.

Apart from the ones listed, we still had a couple of other Nigerian boy bands back then like; Earthquake, Mamuzee, Zule Zoo, X Project, Danfo Driver…the  list is endless. Some of them might not be in the game anymore but we would always appreciate them for their contributions via music and entertainment and how it made growing up more fun and memorable. 

Which of these Nigerian boy bands were your favourite? Tell us in the “Music for Melophiles” Community on Fusion where we share our love for music with each other and share resourceful materials on music.