2Baba is made of teflon, if a lesser artist had faced the kind of bullets that the legendary singer has had to withstand in his illustrious career, they would have been dead and gone, long ago.

Babies out of wedlock before they became fashionable, an intriguing love life that kept many Lagos tabloids in business and supplied Nigerian comedians with endless material, open hostility from some of his peers and colleagues, and most recently, having the motive behind his ill-fated nationwide protest questioned. What a career! Through it all 2Baba, the greatest Nigerian artist of his generation, always finds a neat escape route, shakes off the controversy and emerges on the other end elegantly.

When reexamining his life, through the music, the legendary singer is incredibly aware of his shortcomings as an individual and rather than living in self-denial, he embraces every single one of his imperfections. Still, there are those want to point his flaws out and harp on them. 2Baba always implores his detractors to look in the mirror  – he who is without sin cast the first stone.

It’s a message that the singer has continued to preach throughout the years. He sermonizes it once again on his latest single “Holy Holy” which contains references to his latest very public infraction. Listen to 2Baba’s new song, as well as 3 others in his catalogue, were he has words for the holier than thou folks of the world.

Holy Holy, 2017

“As you dey for there dey claim you holy so
I hope you holy pass Elijah sha
Hope you holy pass the prophet sha”

2Baba goes spiritual on this one to make a point. According to the Bible, Elijah was arguably the most powerful of God’s prophets in the Old Testament, there are only two people God took to heaven without them dying, the Prophet Elijah is one of them.

2Baba seems to be implying that as people criticize him for his life and for his ways, he hopes that they themselves are holier than Prophet Elijah, since he was seen to be so holy by God that he ascended into heaven without dying.

I Sing, Unstoppable – 2008

“Chai! Chai! Pass me the kpoli
It’s obvious that I’m not too holy
Na two-two chicks I go dey carry,
One in my bed, another one in my jacuzzi.”

Unstoppable was 2 Baba’s first album after leaving Kennis Music. In spite of all the rumors that were swirling around about his private life, his previous minders had always done an impressive job of upholding a wholesome image of the singer. Also, 2Baba’s tumultuous personal life and the pristine songs he sang seldom intersected.

On this album, however, there was a switch, the singer started talking a lot more about his extracurricular activities. He wasn’t that clean-cut singer that he was being marketed to be and 2Baba had no problems letting us know.

One Love, Grass 2 Grace – 2006

“Nobody holy pass ei
Look into my eye and tell you pass ei
Nobody holy pass ei
Nobody, Nobody.”

Even though in the early years, 2Baba kept his personal life away from the music for the most part, he never shied away from passing on his ideologies through his songs. In mapping out the singer’s ideologies over the years, one of the most important moments has to be “One Love”, a song that borrowed a leaf from 2Baba’s idol Bob Marley’s book and preaches equality and respect for humanity.

The message is simple – in going through life, we all may have differences with one another but none of us is greater than the other, no one ideology or belief system is more right or holier than the other one. The song preaches that love is the great equalizer.

U No Holy Pass, Face 2 Face 2004

“You go only do your best because you no go fit do all
So if you want to criticize me, talk small small
Cos you no holy pass, my brother
U no holy pass, my sister.”

“U No Holy Pass” was a song on 2Baba’s debut album and magnum opus Face 2 Face and is easily one of the edgier records on the project. The passive aggression in the song was presumably directed at the singer’s critics and know-it-alls at the time who questioned his every move. It also sounded like 2Baba’s way of letting people know that he’s a work in progress that he is also very content with that progress. This is the moment 2Baba started his personal Jihad against holy-holy behaviour, a fight that goes on till this day.