2Shotz

William Orioha (born 3 March 1979), known professionally as 2Shotz, is a former Nigerian rapper and songwriter who is now a US-based photographer and filmmaker.[2] He won the award for Best Collaboration at The Headies 2006.[3] His debut studio album Pirated Copy was released in 2004. It was supported by three singles: "Carry Am Go", "Odeshi" and "Delicious".[4] 2Shotz's second studio album Original Copy was released in 2005. He released his third studio album Commercial Avenue in 2007. His fourth studio album Music Business was released in 2008. 2Shotz released I am William and Loud Silence as his fifth and sixth studio albums in 2010 and 2016, respectively.[5] He is a hip hop artist who raps in English, Pidgin and Igbo.[6]

2Shotz
Born	William Orioha (1979-03-03) 3 March 1979 Surulere, Lagos State, Nigeria
Alma mater	Lagos State University
Occupation	Rapper songwriter photographer filmmaker
Home town	Umuahia, Abia State
Spouse(s)	Precious Jones ​ ( m. 2013; separated  2015) [1]
Children	1
Awards	Best Collaboration at The Headies 2006
Musical career
Genres	Hip hop
Instruments	Vocals
Years active	1997–2016
Labels	Umunnamu Music
Associated acts	2Ply eLDee Ruggedman Big Lo Timaya Brymo 9ice Terry G

Early life and education

2Shotz was born in Surulere, Lagos State, Nigeria, to a family of three members. He is a native of Umuahia, Abia State. He went to Government College Umuahia for his secondary education. 2Shotz graduated with a degree in industrial relations and personnel management from Lagos State University (LASU).[7]

Music career

2Shotz started singing while in secondary school and decided to pursue a career in music prior to enrolling at LASU. In 1999, he teamed up with 2Ply to form the group Foremen. They signed a record deal with eLDee's Trybesmen in 2000 and released their debut album Men at Work under the label. The album was supported by the single "For the Men". 2Shotz signed a solo deal with Trybe Records following the group's disbandment in 2000.[8] He later joined the group The Trybe and recorded the 2001 song "Oya" with them.[9] In 2005, he launched his record label Umunnamu Music.[2][10] He joined Obi Asika's record label Storm Records a year later, but exited the label to focus on Umunnamu Music.[11] In 2016, he quit music to pursue a career in photography and filmmaking and said he was under-appreciated in Nigeria.[12][13]

Personal life

2Shotz married his girlfriend, whom he met on Twitter, at the Ikoyi Marriage Registry on 12 April 2013.[14][15] They have a daughter who was born in Ireland on 12 March 2015.[16] 2Shotz separated from his wife in December 2015 after she accused him of domestic violence.[17]

Discography

Studio albums

• Pirated Copy (2004)
• Original Copy (2005)
• Commercial Avenue (2007)
• Music Business (2008)
• I AM William (2011)
• Loud Silence (2016)

Singles

• "Delicious" (2004)
• "Odeshi" (2004)
• "Carry Am Go" (2004)
• "Make Dem Talk" (2006)
• "Which Level" (2007)
• "Incase U Never Know" (2008)

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Recipient	Result
2011	The Headies	Best Rap Album	I Am William	Nominated
2009		Song of the Year	"Incase U Never Know" (featuring Timaya)	Nominated
2006		Best Collaboration	"Delicious" (featuring Big Lo)	Won

References

1. Tayo, Ayomide (22 December 2015). "2Shotz Rapper responds to domestic abuse allegations". Pulse NG. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
2. Okanlawon, Taiwo (16 November 2019). "Meet 10 Nigerian artistes who faded from the scene". P.M. News. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
3. "Winners - The Headies 2006". Hip Hop World Magazine. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
4. Sean, DJ (11 November 2013). "[TB] ~ 2shotz - Carry Am Go + Odeshi + Delicious Remix ft. Big Lo". AceWorldTEAM. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
5. Onyekwena, Chiagoziem (25 October 2010). "2-Shotz - the Veteran, the Visionary". Nigerian Entertainment Today. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
6. Sowoolu, Lolade (23 July 2010). "2Shotz drops album No. 5". The Vanguard Newspapers. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
7. Amaraegbu, Bridget (5 October 2008). "If you think piracy, think Alaba market — 2Shotz". The Nigerian Voice. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
8. Enisan, Daniel (24 May 2018). "Throwback: 2Shotz - "Incase You Never Know" ft. Timaya". tooXclusive. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
9. Sokunbi, Deji (18 June 2015). "Do You Remember This #ThrowbackTrack? Listen to Da Trybe - Oya". BellaNaija. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
10. Eribake, Akintayo (5 October 2014). "Stop calling me old school – 2shotz". The Vanguard Newspapers. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
11. Ohunyon, Ehis (20 November 2015). "10 Artistes Who Left Storm Records". music.informationng.com. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
12. Opa, Ogbeni (7 March 2018). "Nigerian Rapper, 2Shotz dumps music, Proudly a photographer, filmmaker now in US". WithinNigeria. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
13. "I Was Never Appreciated In Nigeria – Rapper 2Shotz". Naijaloaded. 8 April 2018. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
14. Omigie, Abiodun (13 April 2013). "Exclusive Photos: 2Shotz and partner Precious say 'I do'". Nigerian Entertainment Today. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
15. "2shots Tells How He Met With His Wife". Information Nigeria. 20 April 2014. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
16. "Rapper 2shotz welcomes daughter". The Nation Newspaper. 15 March 2015. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
17. "Rapper 2Shotz's wife Precious cries out about Alleged Domestic Violence". BellaNaija. 3 December 2015. Retrieved 24 November 2019.