P-square feud: Mr. P accuses Rudeboy of discrediting his efforts
P Square
P-square feud: Mr. P accuses Rudeboy of discrediting his efforts
Abdullateef Fowewe
Nigerian musician, Peter Okoye, now acknowledged as Mr. P has accused his twin brother, Paul Okoye now known as Rudeboy of consistently undermining his contributions to P-Square.
P-Square is a Nigerian music team formed by twin brothers Peter and Paul Okoye in 2003. They gained fame for their energetic Afrobeat music and are known for co-writing and co-producing their songs. However, despite their popularity, they faced internal conflicts leading to separations and solo careers.
Mr-P in a note on Monday titled “Open Letter To My Dear Brother Paul Okoye aka Rudeboy” alleged that Rudeboy and their brother Jude have turned the group into a laughingstock instead of collaborating for success.
He wrote, “Just like I have told you several times, I am not in any competition with you or anybody else. However, seeing you grant countless interviews where you constantly discredit my efforts in the group that we both created and built together really speaks volumes.
“In your recent interviews, you claimed that you wrote and sang 99% of all P-SQUARE songs and discredited me by saying that our song with TI “Ejealo,” which I wrote, was a failure. You went as far as using the YouTube views to discredit me once again.
My Mr-P stated that despite writing hit songs like “Get-Squared,” “Bizzy Body,” “Personally,” “Roll It,”
“Temptation,” “Alingo,” “More than a Friend,” “Shekini,” “Say Your Love,” “Gimme Dat,” “Senorita,” “IGBEdu,” and others, his twin brother has never acknowledged his songwriting skills, stating that Rudeboy always personalised their success making him feel as if he has never existed.
He further noted, “Every time | have spoken in interviews about P-SQUARE, I have always used ‘we’ and ‘us’ because I saw us as a team. But whenever you speak, it’s always ‘I’ and “me,” even when I’m standing right beside you. It’s as if I never existed.”
He however expressed frustration over their public feud and questioned their individual success compared to their achievements as a duo.
“My brother, neither of us is the most talented artist in the world, but you fail to understand that God gave us this talent and even granted us another chance to excel after our last breakup. Instead, you chose to turn the most awarded and decorated music groups in Africa into a laughingstock again.
“One thing you need to understand clearly is that the fans didn’t fall in love with P-SQUARE because of who sang or danced the most. What made us special was the magic that came from our combined effort – us two! P-SQUARE was a force, and the fans fell in love with P-SQUARE because of our uniqueness and unity. We both have talent, no doubt, and I have often praised you in our interviews for your songwriting ability. I have also praised anyone who has ever written a song for us or even for me as Mr. P. But instead of showing gratitude for my kind words, you seem to find satisfaction in rubbing it in my face, forgetting that it is by God’s grace that we have come this far.
“Rather than joining forces with me to reclaim our number 1 spot in the music industry, you chose to team up with Jude to claim the number 1 spot in the P-SQUARE group, always looking for opportunities to marginalize and humiliate me.
“You are always claiming to be P-SQUARE’s songwriter, composer, producer, singer, backup vocalist, in fact you are everything including P-SQUARE’s video director, band, promoter, manager, even the choreographer. You are the Author and Finisher of P-SQUARE! In fact, I dash you 100% of everything instead of the 99% you claim,” Mr-P added.
Mr-P in the letter regretted listening to the family’s plea in 2015 when his twin brother falsely claimed that he wrote and sang all of P-SQUARE’s songs.
Mr-P however push some queries to his twin brother, asking “Is Rudeboy or Mr P bigger and more successful than P-SQUARE today?
Are we individually selling out arenas and stadiums like P-SQUARE used to? Are we topping world music charts with our songs as solo artists? Do we command crowds and entertain massive audiences like P-SQUARE?
“I often find myself wondering, what do you truly gain by constantly disrespecting and belittling me all the time. You have disrespected my wife, disrespected my family, disrespected my talent, disrespected my ideas, and even sided with Jude when he was clearly trying to oppress me. Now, it feels like you have taken it even further by trying so hard to turn the fans against me by making them believe I’m jealous of you.
“You have been doing everything for the fans to hate me, but guess what? They will never hate me; instead, they will hate us both because we have disappointed and failed them.
“I hope you are happy now. I genuinely wish you nothing but the best, bro! As for those who believe these lies and false narratives and come to my page to drop negative comments, I understand because you have been fed the wrong narrative for a long time. Please allow me to focus and do my music in peace.”
However, it would be on record that the duo achieved substantial success with albums like ‘Get Squared’ and ‘Game Over’ becoming influential figures in African music.
On August 3, Dailyeconomy reported that Rudeboy revealed the reason behind Psquare’s disbandment noting creative differences and personal issues caused their department.
