To say 2kay, real name Abiye David Jumbo, has had to struggle for his break in the music industry is an understatement. Not that having to fight to get what you want is an alien concept to the newest arstise on the Grafton Streetz label.
He grew up in the violent regions of Port Harcourt and it is those experiences that 2kay started writing music about from a very early age.
But trying to focus on the music was difficult when he had turmoil in his private life that reflected that going on in his surroundings. At the age of 12 he had to hawk kerosene on the streets to help his struggling mother maintain the family. It is perhaps here that 2kay was able to understand the power of his music as he proved a popular salesman with a selling and singing pitch.
He attended Community Secondary School, Bonny Island and then moved to Port Harcourt in the bid to make it into the university. This bid proved unsuccessful because of lack of funds, another hurdle he had to overcome.
2kay then made his way back to his native Bonny Island to take advantage of the oil and gas boom and get a job that would help him save the funds for his university education. In the meantime, with music on the backburner, he made ends meet by drawing portraits of people and marketing it to them for cash. Eventually he landed that employment during the constructing of the Nigerian Nlng project and that helped him raise the money he needed to continue his education.
Finally 2kay did gain admission to the University of Port Harcourt on a part-time course in Visual Arts. However he had to relinquish his place again because he ran out of funds.
When dropped out of school he made a brave decision to finally pursue his true love - music.
As usual he went after the music industry with a typical fervour. He began attending talent search upon talent search in the hope of catching the eye of a producer or a label. He approached Grafton Records on several occasions during the yearly Bonny Beach carnival. Finally, through sheer persistence and the will for his talent to be seen and heard, he caught the attention of Grafton Records CEO Tonye Ibiama when he performed in a competition that picked the local acts that were to perform at the 2009 Bonny Beach carnival.
Needless to say, 2kay came first in the contest, at the same time blowing away Tonye who immediately invited him for serious talks. Finally when the deal was sealed, a delighted Tonye knew that he had found a diamond fit for the new Grafton Streetz label.
"This man had paid his dues where it really mattered, on the street. There was no fake with 2kay, it was all real-life experience going into that sound. That intertwined with his undeniable talent and hunger is why I had to have this guy on our label. There is nobody going to work harder to make his music work for the audience than 2kay. And people are really going to appreciate and love the passion and commitment he brings. And believe me, this guy can bring it big style."
With the forthcoming release of his debut single 'Run this Town', 2kay realises a lifelong dream. And after working so hard to get to this point, don't think 2kay is about to stop there. He is soon to release his as yet untitled debut album from the material he has been honing in the studio since joining the Grafton stable.
No doubt, 2kay is the new hardest working man in show business. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.