Parker Ibrahim Ighile (born Parker Oseomwan Ibrahim Ighile-Peters; 1 March 1990) is a British record producer, rapper, singer and songwriter. He was born in London. As of November 2012[update], he was signed to US rapper Nicki Minaj's record label.[1] As a producer, artist and songwriter, Ighile has worked with Quincy Jones, G-Eazy, Nicki Minaj, Rihanna, Jessie J, Ariana Grande, Grace, Delta Goodrem, Rita Ora, N-Dubz, Chipmunk, and Livvi Franc. At the age of 18, he started his professional music career, producing Chipmunk's song "Oopsy Daisy", which reached number one in the UK Charts.[2]
Parker Ighile | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Parker Oseomwan Ibrahim Ighile-Peters |
| Born | 1 March 1990 Pinner, London, England |
| Genres | R&B, pop, hip hop, grime, alternative hip hop |
| Occupation(s) | Producer, singer, songwriter, rapper |
| Years active | 2009–present |
| Labels | Heavy On It |
Life and career
editEarly life and career beginnings
editParker Ighile was born in London where he lived with his mother and sister Asabe Ighile. His father and mother are Nigerian, from Benin City and Kaduna, respectively. He began composing and producing at the age of 11 when he and numerous church friends formed a rap group. In his teens made grime music under the name Piztol.[3] The church his family attended was instrumental in Parker's early musical ventures and he studied music in college and university where he began learning music theory. Parker's music is influenced by a dynamic range of genres but more noticeably R&B, rap, garage and Bollywood music – due to frequent exposure to his grandmother's diverse tastes in music and cinema.
At 18, Ighile produced and co-wrote his first of many major releases; Chipmunk's first and number one single,[2] "Oopsy Daisy".[4] Parker produced and co-wrote seven songs in total on the I Am Chipmunk album which peaked at number two in the UK Albums Chart and was Certified Gold. He went on to write with The Invisible Men and Jessie J and co-wrote her debut single, "Do It like a Dude" as well as "Who's Laughing Now". More credits include a song on N-Dubz's Love.Live.Life album, which he cowrote with Ina Wroldsen. He used trans-genre influences to create a unique and dynamic sound and also produced Angel's "Wonderful", debuting at number 20 for the week ending July 21 — reaching a peak on top 10 at number nine several weeks later;[5] and Conor Maynard's "Vegas Girl".[6]
2012–present: Record deal and Young, Dumb & 21
editIghile teamed up with music strategist Efe Ogbeni, who was heavily involved in the success of producer RedOne, to help propel him further into the music business.[7] On 15 November 2012, American rapper Nicki Minaj announced that Ighile was signed as the first official artist to her as of yet, unnamed label. She has described his artistry as "lethal and dope".[8] He has since produced Minaj's "Hell Yeah" and Rihanna's "What Now". In late 2012, a song titled "So Beautiful" leaked on the internet, and Ighile announced some weeks later on Twitter that he was working on a mixtape, Young, Dumb & 21, which is set to be released in early 2013 and that "So Beautiful" would act as the first single. Ighile's artistry is usually compared to Sting's and Fela's; and his production to that of Kanye West.
On 22 February 2013, Parker released a music video for his mixtape's leading track, "So Beautiful", onto his official YouTube account. The video is set in black and white, which follows the story of a young couple. He would later release a remix to the song that features Nigerian musician MI Abaga.[9] Vibe Magazine[10] describes Ighile's sound as Electro-Soul.[11] Ighile defined his sound as Progressive Urban Pop, PUP, sometimes referred to as Progressive Afro Pop, P.A.P during an interview with [Billboard.com]. Speaking about "So Beautiful" Ighile tells Billboard.com, “This song is an introduction to my sound, Progressive Urban Pop (P.U.P) or Progressive Afro Pop (P.A.P).”[12]
Partnership with Samsung Galaxy
editParker Ighile, in collaboration with Quincy Jones and Samsung, produced his own version of "Over the Horizon", the official song of the Samsung Galaxy products. The official song and video performance have been released in August 2013 on the Samsung Galaxy Music website.[13]
Other projects
editAmong his projects, Parker Ighile is executive producing Australian singer Grace Sewell.
During Summer 2013, Parker Ighile took part of the Quincy Jones 80th Birthday Celebration in Asia with concerts in Korea and Japan.
Discography
editMixtapes
edit- 20?? – Young, Dumb and 21
Singles
editAs lead artist
edit| Song | Release date |
|---|---|
| "So Beautiful" | 2012 |
| "Heavens Playground" | 2013 |
| "Beneath The Silence" | 2013 |
| "The Opposition" | 2013 |
| "This Is America" | 2014 |
Other songs
editAs featured artist
edit| Song | Year | Artist | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Hell Yeah" | 2012 | Nicki Minaj (featuring Parker Ighile) | Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded – The Re-Up |
| "Remember Me" | 2024 | Nicki Minaj (featuring Parker Ighile) | The Pinkprint: Tenth Anniversary Edition |
Writing and production credits
edit| Title | Year | Artist(s) | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Oopsy Daisy" | 2009 | Chipmunk | I Am Chipmunk |
| "Saviour" | |||
| "Lose My Life" | Chipmunk featuring N-Dubz | ||
| "Beast" | Chipmunk featuring Loick Essien | ||
| "Business" | Chipmunk featuring Young Spray | ||
| "Uh Ay" | Chipmunk | I Am Chipmunk (Platinum Edition) | |
| "History" | Chipmunk featuring Wretch 32 | ||
| "What If You Knew" | 2010 | Gabriella Cilmi | Ten |
| "Invisible Girl" | |||
| "Love Sick" | N-Dubz featuring Ny | Love.Live.Life | |
| "Do It like a Dude" | Jessie J | Who You Are | |
| "Who's Laughing Now" | 2011 | ||
| "Foul" | Chipmunk | Transition | |
| "Wonderful" | 2012 | Angel | About Time |
| "Vegas Girl" | Conor Maynard | Contrast | |
| "So Beautiful" | Parker Ighile | Young, Dumb & 21 | |
| "What Now" | Rihanna | Unapologetic | |
| "Hell Yeah" | Nicki Minaj featuring Parker Ighile | Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded – The Re-Up | |
| "Heaven's Playground" | Parker Ighile | Young, Dumb & 21 | |
| "The World" | 2013 | Angel | About Time |
| "Piano" | Ariana Grande | Yours Truly | |
| "Heart Hypnotic" | Delta Goodrem | TBA | |
| "Beneath The Silence" | Parker Ighile | TBA | |
| "The Opposition" | Parker Ighile | Young, Dumb & 21 | |
| "Us" | 2014 | Angel | TBA |
| "This Is America | Parker Ighile featuring G-Eazy | Young, Dumb & 21 | |
| "Four Door Aventador" | Nicki Minaj | The Pinkprint | |
| "You Don't Own Me" | 2015 | Grace featuring G-Eazy | Memo |
| "Poison" | 2023 | NCT Dream | ISTJ |
Remixes
edit| Title | Year | Artist(s) | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| "This Girl" (Parker Ighile House Of Hausa Mix) | 2014 | Stafford Brothers featuring Eva Simons and T.I. | Non-album single |
References
edit- ^ "Parker is Nicki's sole signing". Mtvbase.com. 14 November 2012. Retrieved 15 March 2013.
- ^ a b "Chipmunk beats The Saturdays to No.1". Digitalspy.com. 11 October 2009. Retrieved 15 March 2013.
- ^ "A Twist of Fate | BNTL". Archived from the original on 2 January 2016. Retrieved 6 September 2015.
- ^ "Music | BMG Chrysalis US". Bmgchrysalis.com. 16 June 2013. Retrieved 2 August 2013.
- ^ "2012-09-01 Top 40 Official UK Singles Archive". Official Charts Company. 1 September 2012. Retrieved 2 August 2013.
- ^ Conor Maynard : Chart history, Billboard.com
- ^ "A&R, Record Label / Company, Music Publishing, Artist Manager and Music Industry Directory". Hitquarters.com. Archived from the original on 13 January 2010. Retrieved 2 August 2013.
- ^ "Nicki Minaj Interview Pt VI". Power 105.1 FM. Retrieved 2 August 2013.
- ^ "So Beautiful". Rap-up. 22 February 2013. Retrieved 15 March 2013.
- ^ "V Playlist: Juelz Santana, Cam'Ron, 2 Pistols x French Montana x Talib Kweli, And More". Vibe. 10 January 2013. Retrieved 2 August 2013.
- ^ "Music | Parker - So Beautiful". Singersroom. 10 January 2013. Retrieved 2 August 2013.
- ^ Lars Brandle (4 March 2013). "Parker Ighile, First Signing to Nicki Minaj's Label, Talks 'So Beautiful'". Billboard. Retrieved 15 March 2013.
- ^ "Quincy Jones | SPOTLIGHT | Play GALAXY Music". Archived from the original on 31 August 2013. Retrieved 26 August 2013.