African Rockstar (Uchie) –

He has sojourned in the land of his birth, the United States of America for a whole decade, and now he returns to his motherland as a musician who has come of age.  Uchie left Nigeria bound for college at Purdue University in Indiana in 1996, a student of Business Administration. He was a good student and his grades couldn’t have been any better, but Uchie wanted to be master at something other than his academics. Campus life at Purdue also offered some the opportunities that he was looking for. They came in the form of karaoke performances and talent shows. Uchie plunged right in, making his mark and gaining recognition. Soon, he started doing club performances and local groups began to approach him to work with them. Notable among them in the Midwest back then was Big Cheef. Uchie did the back up vocals for the highly successful Album Cheef with Me, featuring prominently on the lead track Ghetto Strong.
In 1998, Uchie could see the finish line to graduation two years away, but the one to a career in music his first love, was only one step away. That year, He took that step, put university on hold and crossed over to a career in music. That move should not have come as a surprise to those that knew him because growing up as a child, his talent in music was evident. He was always ready to sing for any audience and his favorite toys were always musical instruments. He taught himself to play the piano, was in the church choir and wrote a number of praise songs. He had a mission in music which he never really made known until much later. He continued to receive offers to work and kept busy writing and producing songs.
At a point, there appeared to be a lull in work and if Uchie had been contemplating quitting the music scene, that thought perished one evening as he was walking on the streets of Chicago and a car drove by singing one of the songs he had recorded for an underground album. It was a song he had recorded miles away and here he was hearing it in far away Chicago . “I had renewed respect for the power of music”. He knew then that the beat must go on, that there was no going back. And yes, he has kept moving on.
From Indiana , he moved south to Texas where everything is reputed to be big. Uchie was to be no exception. With a mix of good luck and a whole lot of talent, he hooked up with Lucky Luciano, Ricsta, Paul Wall, Pimpsta, Big Tuck, Young Bleed, Dura Hale, Ching Bling, Jwan Gotti, Twin Beredaz, A13- but his biggest alliance was with South Park Mexican, SPM, the biggest artist in the Houston Hispanic community. He toured with the group all over the US and produced a good many songs. That collaboration however ended after the hugely successful Reverie Park album. Carlos, SPM was thrown into jail for sexually inappropriate behavior with a minor. The group fell apart and expectedly, things were not to be the same at Dope House, SPM’s recording studio.
Much as Uchie was inspired by SPM’s music, he cannot really point to a single mentor. He admires everyone who puts out good music in any genre and anyone who has a positive impact on the industry. If he is pushed hard enough though, he will single out Fela Anikulapo Kuti, Arrested Development, Wyclef Jean, and Sade. Uchie too, though versatile, has a style that is all his own – a mix of reggae, R&B and rap. Some of his work can be found on the web but right now, it is all about Uchie and his solo project. He is working with UzRelli Records owned by Uzo and Jordan. He is in the country to showcase his brand of music. One of his songs, a remake, is Mamashine, a tribute to his mother. He has other messages which he wants the world to hear through his music.
Uchie is impressed with the quality of music coming from his countrymen and has worked with a few. They include Dare Art Alade, Ikechukwu, Eldee D Don, Baron, and M. Trill.
Part of the future plans of this multi-faceted musician is to introduce a clothing line and to feature in movies. With the talent, imagination and creativity God has endowed him with, Uchie is ready and set to go – to go with the flow.
Uchie is the grandson of the country’s first military Head of State, General J.T.U Aguiyi-Ironsi. He was born Uchenna Ejike-Charles Jr.  He now goes by the stage name African Rockstar.