2Shotz Biography

William Orioha (born 3 March 1979), professionally known as 2Shotz, is a former Nigerian rapper and songwriter who is currently a photographer and filmmaker based in the US. He was 2006 The Headies’ Best Collaboration winner. In 2004, his first studio album, Pirated Copy, was published. Three singles, “Carry Am Go,” “Odeshi,” and “Delicious,” served as its backbone. Original Copy, the second studio album by 2Shotz, was released that year. In 2007, he issued his third studio album, Commercial Avenue. Music Business, his fourth studio album, was released in 2008. I Am William and Loud Silence, 2Shotz’s fifth and sixth studio albums, were made available in 2010 and 2016, respectively. He is a rapper who raps in Igbo, Pidgin, and English

Early Life and Education

2Shotz was born on March 3, 1979, in Surulere, Lagos State, Nigeria, but is a native of Umuahia, Abia State, into a family of three. He had his primary and secondary school education in Lagos State, where he attended Government College Umuahia for his secondary education. 2Shotz earned a degree in human management and industrial relations from Lagos State University (LASU).

Career

Prior to enrolling at LASU, 2Shotz began singing in high school and made the decision to pursue a career in music. He joined forces with 2Ply to create the band Foremen in 1999. They obtained a record deal with eLDee’s Trybesmen in 2000, and the label hosted the release of their first album, Men at Work. The track “For the Men” helped to promote the album. After the trio split up in 2000, 2Shotz inked a solo contract with Trybe Records.

Later, he became a member of The Trybe, and the two of them collaborated on the 2001 song “Oya.” He established Umunnamu Music, a record company, in 2005. A year later, he joined Obi Asika’s record label, Storm Records, but left to concentrate on Umunnamu Music. He gave up music in 2016 to focus on a career in photography and cinematography and claimed that Nigerians did not value him enough.

Personal Life

On April 12, 2013, 2Shotz wed his girlfriend, whom he had met through Twitter, at the Ikoyi Marriage Registry. On March 12, 2015, their daughter was born in Ireland. 2 Shotz and his wife divorced in December 2015 after she accused him of abusing her.

Discography

Studio Albums

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

Selected Singles

• “Delicious” (2004)
• “Odeshi” (2004)
• “Carry Am Go” (2004)
• “Make Dem Talk” (2006)
• “Which Level” (2007)
• “Incase U Never Know” (2008)
• Delicious
• Kpef Dey Go
• Attention

Awards and Nominations

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

Net Worth

He has an estimated net worth of $5 million.

Social Media Handles

Twitter: @iam2shotz