Early Life

Jude Lemfani Abaga, known professionally as M.I Abaga or simply M.I, was born on 4 October 1981 and grew up in Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria. He first rose to local prominence in his hometown in 2006 with the single “Crowd Mentality,” a track that became popular around Jos before his career expanded nationally.

Career

Back in Jos, M.I teamed up with his brother Jesse Jagz, along with Ice Prince, Ruby Gyang, Threadstone and several others, to form the Loopy Music collective, a group that would go on to define a generation of Nigerian hip-hop talent. His critically acclaimed debut studio album, “Talk About It,” was released on 11 December 2008, and he went on to release “MI 2: The Movie” (2010), “The Chairman” (2014) and “The Guy” (2022). He won Best Hip Hop and Best New Act at the 2009 MTV Africa Music Awards, and was nominated for Best International Act at the 2010 BET Awards.

M.I served as CEO of Chocolate City, the Jos-founded record label that absorbed Loopy Music and its roster, from June 2015 to 2019. Beyond his own catalogue, he has produced for and mentored a wide range of Nigerian artists, and remains one of the most respected lyricists and executives in Nigerian hip-hop.

Personal Life

M.I Abaga married Eniola Mafe in 2022.

With a career spanning nearly two decades as both a rapper and a music executive, M.I Abaga remains one of the most influential figures to emerge from Jos’s rich musical history.