Age Is Just a Number: 2Baba At 51 Proves His Best Era May Still Be Ahead

By Segun Adebayo

By the time the doors of the Balmoral Event Centre in Victoria Island opened for 2Baba’s 51st birthday celebration and album premiere on Saturday, September 19, it was clear this was not going to be an ordinary birthday gathering.

The red carpet, beautifully designed by Hennessy, shimmered under the lights as celebrities, family members, friends and colleagues arrived, turning the venue into one of the biggest entertainment gatherings of the weekend.

The anticipation for 2baba’s arrival was palpable. Many people looked forward to who would accompany him to the event given the fact that his mum and siblings had just walked in a few minutes earlier.

As soon as his black Toyota SUV arrived, paparazzis,  colleagues and others swam in to have a glimpse of his arrival.

Dressed in a black suit decorated with red dots, the music veteran walked onto the red carpet with his five children – three girls and two boys from different mothers.

He did not try to reduce the moment to a carefully arranged family photograph.

He simply stood proudly with all of them, smiling as the cameras captured a father celebrating his 51st birthday with his children.

It was perhaps one of the most revealing moments of the evening.

The mothers of the children, including his former wife Annie and his new wife Natasha, were not seen at the event, but 2Baba did not let their absence take anything away from the moment.

His children were there, and he was happy to have them beside him.

Inside, the Balmoral hall was already beginning to fill up. By the time the evening gathered momentum, the venue was packed, with conversations, laughter, music and the steady movement of guests creating the atmosphere of a major Lagos entertainment night.

2Baba’s mother was there. His siblings were there. And around them gathered faces from different generations of the entertainment industry, turning the birthday into something of a reunion.

Faze was among those who showed up, bringing with him memories of the Plantashun Boiz years and the beginning of the journey that eventually transformed 2Face into one of Africa’s most enduring music stars.

Wande Coal, Fave and Spyro were also present, alongside Tony Tetuila, Dare Art Alade, African China, Julius Agwu, Kogbagidi and Do2tun.

There were also familiar faces from behind the scenes. Kenny Ogungbe and D1, two former Kennis Music bosses who played important roles during 2Face’s formative solo years, were at the celebration, adding another layer of history to an evening already filled with it.

AY Comedian and Acapella kept the crowd engaged as hosts, while the glamorous Hennessy setting, the red carpet and the packed hall gave the occasion the polish expected of a milestone birthday celebration for one of Nigeria’s most celebrated artistes.

But beneath all the glamour was a much bigger statement.

At 51, 2Baba is still making music.

The album premiere for Oldest Young Man was a reminder that his story is not being presented as something that belongs entirely to the past.

The man who has spent decades making records, filling stages and producing songs that have travelled across generations was back in the room unveiling another body of work.

And he appeared comfortable with the journey that had brought him there.

“I have no regret about my life or actions from the past. I am happy and feel fulfilled,” 2Baba said.

There was something fitting about the statement coming at an event where his past and present were standing almost side by side.

The former Plantashun Boiz connection represented by Faze. The Kennis Music chapter represented by Kenny Ogungbe and D1. Younger artistes such as Spyro and Fave. His children. His family. And, at the centre of everything, a new album.

Even the absence of some familiar contemporaries did little to alter the atmosphere of a night that was ultimately about where 2Baba is now rather than who was not there.

The gathering still carried enough history to remind guests of how long the journey has been and enough new energy to suggest that it is far from over.

The title Oldest Young Man almost felt like a wink from the man himself. At 51, 2Baba is old enough to have watched the industry change several times over, but young enough to still walk into a room with a new album and make it feel like the beginning of something.

And perhaps that was the real beauty of the night. His past was everywhere, from Faze and the Kennis Music connection to the familiar faces scattered around the packed hall.

His present was standing beside him on the red carpet in the form of his five children. His future was in the music.

There was no retirement mood in the room. No sense that 2Baba was looking over his shoulder at everything he had already achieved and calling it a day. If anything, he looked like a man enjoying the ride all over again.

At 51, the story is still moving. The voice is still there. The songs are still coming. And with Oldest Young Man, 2Baba seems to be saying what the night itself quietly confirmed – the music can’t stop yet; It can only get better.