Panshak ‘Ice Prince‘ Zamani is a rapper, singer and song writer that is one of the pillars of the influences we have in Nigerian music right now. The rapper was born 21 days from now in 1986 and rose to fame after releasing Oleku, which would go on to become one of Nigeria’s most remixed songs of all times.
From Minna to Jos, Jos to Lagos, Lagos to the ends of the world, Ice Prince has traveled far and wide on the journey to make a name for himself. He dropped his debut album Everybody Loves Ice Prince in 2011, and 13 years later, the statement is still very much valid.
One would wonder why an artist would name his debut album like that and not something deep or thought provoking. He said to the media that the reason he named the album like that was the period when he lost his mum, and he got so much love and care from all around the world. He took the love and made the album, and decided to call it that.
Oleku, his first song off his debut album was met with great reception throughout the entire country. Released under Chocolate City and featuring Brymo, it went on to become a smash hit, provoking remixes and covers from artists around the country. It went on to be a platform that broke other artists through, as a lot of artists were discovered by many through their Oleku cover.
The other lead singles off the album Juju and Superstar, were smash hits and contributed heavily to Ice Prince holding the music scene to ransom. They also contributed to him being nominated and winning a lot of awards, like the Song of the year and best rap single at the 2011 headies, the best rap album at the 2012 headies. He was also nominated for the album of the year and artisty of the year at the 2012 headies and the next rated category at the 2011 headies.
His debut album also opened doors for him internationally, as he was one of the first in the current Afrobeats to the world movement to taste international recognition with his 2012 BET Awards nomination for the Best International Act. He was nominated for the same award in 2013, which he then went on to win.
A major reason why everybody loved Ice Prince was because he made us dance. He was never too serious even when he was. He gave is Aboki. More. Superstar. A personal favorite of mine was Whiskey with Sunny Neji. I personally had my own reasons why I loved Ice Prince. I fell in love with the way he rapped, the way he told stories, the way he carried us along. It was mesmerizing, to say the least. Every other rapper at the time was rapping to show they were the best, Ice was rapping to share with the audience.
He kept it going for a while, and his moment with Nasty C on Particula brought about a continental hit, and his moment with Oxlade on Kolo brought a feeling of nostalgia to those who know him from way back.
Today, we celebrate the genesis of one of the most important moments of Nigerian Rap. Ice Prince laid the template many rappers are feeding off right now, even down to the type of hit songs they create and chase. Today, 13 years ago the classic Everybody Loves Ice Prince dropped, and today we give it it’s flowers.
