2Baba is king at TraceLive The Reign

On Thursday, February 21, 2019, Trace Live pays homage to the legend that is 2Baba with the fifth edition of its concert themed, 'The Reign.'

The Trace Live event series takes a giant step following its fourth edition that highlighted the journey of rapper Falz last year.

Previous editions have featured the likes of Omawumi, Flavour and Adekunle Gold.

The fifth edition held at the Terra Kulture, Victoria Island, Lagos and supported by Lord's Gin was one that promised something much bigger and the buzz from the crowd who buoyed perhaps by the public holiday announced for the following day had gathered excitedly in numbers at the venue hours before the event officially kicked off sending a signal that something special was about to take place.

As he stepped out unto the floodlights with his trademark smile and dressed in a shiny suit and black pants, the audience in the hall jumped to their feet, clapping and screaming as they heralded the appearance of the music 'King.'

For many, 2baba is not just a legend, but the perfect example of how to champion a timeless career.

From his days with the Plantashun Boiz when they made their debut on the scene in 1999 to his very successful career as a solo artist, 2baba's music resonates with both the young and old and in his two decades musical journey, he has been able to set a standard of consistency untouched by many from his generation.

Backed by a live band, 2baba captivated the audience during his set that lasted for over an hour taking the crowd on a trip of how it all started and bringing them up to date with his recent songs.

Running through his pretty and prolific catalog, he pulled out songs from his days as a Plantashun Boy for the first half of his set like 'Knock Me Off', 'You And I' and more to songs from his solo albums including 'Ole', 'Right Here', 'See Me So', 'Only Me', 'For Instance', 'Nfana Ibaga', and 'Rainbow.'

His set also briefly included performances of featured hit anthems like 'Street Credibility', 'Stylee', 'Sip Easy', 'Yori Yori Remix', 'Heart Robber' and 'Possibility' and even when he forgot some of his lines, he still found a way to playfully navigate the songs.

There was a brief interval where he responded to questions as sent in by his fans and displayed on a giant screen behind him.

The second set was filled with hit numbers from his newer albums from, 'Dance In The Rain', 'Implication', 'Gaga Shuffle', 'Amaka' with Peruzzi joining him on stage and 'Oyi.'

His ingeniousness and stage command was evident with the way he interacted with the crowd, covered every area of the stage, broke into a comical dance occasionally, shared lighthearted jokes and delivered stripped down versions of some of the songs.

The road to greatness has not been entirely smooth for the 43 year old singer, but he has been firm in bringing to light the fact that he is one of the greatest musicians around and on the night, he delivered a performance well worthy of his royal status.

As the lights faded on his last song and he bowed his head in thanks, the crowd were on their feet, applauding, dancing and singing, reactions was frenzied across faces as the intensely intimate and explosive concert offered a night that will be long remembered in the minds of everyone who witnessed the event.

The event had in attendance his wife, Annie Idibia alongside a number of his friends and top industry personalities like Sam Onyemelukwe, Head of Trace Naija, Obi Asika of Cabal Entertainment, Jimmy Jatt, Efe Omorogbe, Larry Gaaga, Sound Sultan, Timaya, Toke Makinwa, Victor AD among others.