Biography

Michael Ikenna Ozigbo, also known as NazB, is an Afrobeats artist who hails from Anambra State in Nigeria and is based in Zurich, Switzerland. NazB’s genre of music is heavily influenced by the native culture of his homeland, as seen in the West-African references in his songs. NazB grew up in a home heavily influenced by the art of music. His family members, both immediate and extended, sang and played musical instruments, which made it almost natural for him to be a musician. He thus began making music at a very early age. His persistence and perseverance eventually gained him the nickname Nazodobas, which eventually evolved into NazB and became his rapper alias, Now Based in Zurich, Switzerland.

In his early teens, NazB began performing at local clubs and slowly he built up a loyal audience. He soon sadly realized that he was unable to gain the support of his beloved parents at that time, so to fulfil his dream of becoming a successful rapper, at the age of 18, he made a tough decision to leave his home to pursue his burning music dream. Thus began NazB’s journey around the world as he lived in the street life of Mali, The Ivory Coast, Ghana, Senegal, South Africa, Surinam and Brazil. Independence fuelled his passion, music held the torch, and his hard life and hardships not only moulded a spirit of resilience and hard work but the places also honed his musical vision and talents.

The journey took him around the world and then he finally settled in Switzerland. Here in Switzerland his journey and everything he’s been through began to come together and push him into the world’s musical consciousness. He felt confident in his skills enough in 2006 to put out his debut album. He infused a clever combination of music and lyrics that enabled him to openly illustrate his personal story of pain and progress. In 2007, NazB had his breakout hit “Superfly” which took over the airwaves in Switzerland.

NazB began to feel at peace with his art and began to make music that celebrated love and joy while speaking strongly on poverty, racism, and religious discrimination. Stylistically he drew influences from some of the most respected hip-hop legends of his time including 2Pac, Nas, Dr Dre, 50 cent, Jay Z, and Notorious BIG, he also evolved and grew with Afrobeats and began to get inspired by Wizkid, Tuface, Tekno, Flavour and Burna Boy. While his style is unique to himself, it imbues a familiar, sonically enjoyable music form. NazB has developed a distinctive sound that blends funky rhythms, heavy-bass grooves, and elements of his African roots, making him a complete artiste for wherever his fans are located.

NazB continued to drop hits, his single “Attention” released in early 2015 under Bow Bowah Records Switzerland displayed how far he’d come as an artist. With a mix of dance sound, hip hop feel, and a female vocalist, he showed growth in songwriting, collaboration and delivery as an all-around musician, his full, rich voice serenading whoever listens.

He kept working hard and finally became recognized in his native land Nigeria in 2018 with his major hit “Ejeme uwa ole” and “From a distance” in 2019. Feeling a peak level in his abilities, NazB curated another amazing piece of work twitch he titled “Day Dreams”. At this point the talented musician was just flexing and his fans fell in love with it. He has also gotten notable recognitions around the world, including the “Billboard honourable mention”. He has recently gotten top exposure on big music houses like Soundcity TV (Nigeria), MTV Europe, The Source Magazine (USA) and Canadian Music Television. All these as well as TV/Radio Play worldwide and many other accolades have cemented his place as a renowned rapper and musician.

NazB is very socially conscious, in his track “Shame” he used his platform to shine the light on a rape victim, speaking against the cruelty of the brutal and senseless crime. He then donated all the revenue made from the song to local charity Wiesser Ring (Switzerland), an organization committed to supporting rape victims and creating awareness on the issue.

NazB is currently delving deep into Afrobeats. In 2021 he dropped Okada 20, an album that portrayed a rich flow of Afrobeats with tracks that wowed listeners, and he followed that with Egwu onwa in 2022. He also organised a tour that brought Buju BNXN and other Afrobeat stars to Switzerland.

Six (6) studio albums (from Money in the Game in 2006 to Okada 20), a plethora of hit singles, NazB is a certified superstar. While having a well-received album and experiencing the world is definitely a dream come true for this humble rapper, his heart is still set on finding something deeper. NazB knows there is a lot more for him to achieve.

With more credits and titles following his way, NazB says he never stops his love for music and keeps on exploring the joy and passion he finds in his music.

“Whether I’m rapping about love or poverty, racism or religious discrimination, or just telling the listener about something I’ve gone through, I find freedom and inspiration in the freedom of speech. I call it rap music from my soul.”