Joe El Amadi, a Nigerian singer, has recently spoken out about the difficulties he’s faced in his career due to his notable resemblance to fellow artist 2Baba. During an appearance on the Hoha podcast, Joe El shared how being frequently compared to 2Baba has impacted his journey in the music industry, even affecting his access to key platforms.
According to Joe El, some industry professionals, including music executives and media personalities, have restricted him from performing or promoting his work solely because of his similarity to 2Baba. He recounted incidents where presenters from Cool FM and Sound City, along with an event organizer for Festac Carnival in 2013, actively blocked his opportunities.
“The downsides of 2Baba comparisons almost broke me down,” Joe El revealed. “Some presenters at Cool FM and Sound City, and an event planner at Festac Carnival 2013, denied me access to their platforms for looking like 2Baba,” he said.
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In one instance, Joe El recalled being confronted by a Sound City presenter who took credit for barring Joe El’s songs from playing on the station, accusing him of mimicking 2Baba. The presenter reportedly told him, “he was the one that ordered presenters at his station not to play my songs because I was mimicking 2Face.”
At the Festac Carnival, the event planner allegedly blocked his performance, claiming, “I won’t perform because I look like their King 2Face.” Joe El encountered similar resistance at Cool FM, where he says a presenter refused to interview him, stating, “he can’t interview someone who imitates 2Face.”
Seeking support, Joe El spoke with his mother and his record label executive, Baba Keke, who advised him to remain calm and persevere. He described situations where even when he tried to greet 2Baba respectfully in public, some members of 2Baba’s entourage would prevent him from approaching.
Despite these struggles, Joe El’s fortunes shifted after he collaborated with 2Baba on the track “Hold On” in 2015, which helped people start seeing him in his own light rather than as just a 2Baba lookalike.
