The P-square's split has been a large part of the conversation in the Afrobeats industry after it was announced in 2017. Before they became known as Mr P (Peter) and Rudeboy (Paul), P-square was a trailblazer duo who released five studio albums and performed at several sold-out concerts across Nigeria and abroad. 

Released in 2007, their third album, Game Over, is honest and a wee political. It reflects their inspiration of international acts like Micheal Jackson, Bobby Brown, and MC Hammer. The album weaves multiple romantic scenarios in the almost hour-long time sequence. One of P-square's biggest marketing values is their performance and Game Over was developed with visuals at its centre. The album had a music video for almost all the songs and this contributed to redefining African music videos for a modern audience. Game Over borrowed musical elements from RnB, hip-hop, and reggae. It is definitely one of their strongest works. 

The album comprises 10 songs. No One Like You opens the record, setting the tone for the romantic sojourn that defines it. Lyrics like, ‘You're the highest/When it comes to rating, you're the lead and No one be like you/Say they cannot replace you, 'cause you are a blessing,’ show the brothers confessing their undying adoration to their lover. The video of this track is almost crossing 70 million views and the song was sampled by Ugandan Reggae duo, Radio and Weasel, for their song Zuena in 2010. 

The title track of the album, Game Over, takes an angsty turn from the loving No One Like You as it explores a relationship on the brink of destruction. The mood of the album picks up in Do Me, a track that would definitely get you moving. The song features vocals from fellow Afro-pop star, Waje. Waje later claimed to not get paid for her vocals on the song. No formal contract was, apparently, signed to protect her copyright rights. This exposes the industry's shortcomings of failing to protect up and rising vocal talents through the right contractual agreements. The song's music video won many awards including Sound City Music Video Awards, Nigerian Music Video Awards, among others. 

Track number 4, Miss You Die, takes a somber detour on longing and romantic regrets. It's one of the songs that shows the group's singing capabilities. Why E Be Say reflects the struggles of the average Nigerian in 2007 but the sentiments that were addressed in the song still rings true for many Nigerians today. ‘In our society make we dey try to live like one family/What a tragedy with our wealth we still dey live in poverty/The wrong thing be said/As poor ones dey hala the rich ones dey hammer yes o.’ These lyrics expertly put the devastating class divide in Nigeria in a language that every Nigerian relates to. It's a tragedy for a nation rich in resources to be experiencing so much financial insecurity. 

More Than A Friend is another track with ambitious romantic storytelling. Am I Still That Special Man? sees P-square questioning a lover's infidelity over mellow RnB instrumentals. Ifunaya follows the same lyrical motives as No One Like You. Stand Up revisits the political instabilities of 2007, eight years after military rule. P-square is nostalgic about the great times of Nigeria and they encourage the common man to Stand Up to the corrupt government. Human Rights Watch published a paper on the 11th of October 2007, detailing Nigeria's worsening political crisis. They wrote that, "Violence, corruption and impunity are not just problems that the government has failed to tackle; they are systemic abuses that flow from the heart of the very same government institutions that should be working to combat them." 

The last track before the outro is Roll It. This is a club track and the lyrics doesn't deny it as P-square sings about admiring a girl dancing in the club. The album got a reissue with two remix tracks; Temptation and Bizzy Body. Both of those tracks featured Alaye and Weird MC respectively. Game Over is one of the timeless bodies of work from an African act, the album has more than 30 million streams on Spotify and is reported to have sold "nearly 8 million copies across Africa and the world." according to Native Magazine. 

Game Over gave us some of the most unforgettable hits of the 2000s. The singing and dancing twin duo released music under their records, Square Records but they have signed multiple record deals with labels, Akon's Konvict Records, Universal Music South Africa and Square Root Entertainment. P-square played a pivotal role in shaping Africa's music and entertainment landscape and as a duo, they've won multiple albums that crossed the continent. BET Awards, MTV Europe Music Awards, MOBO Awards, MTV Africa Music Awards and a couple more. 

Their single career paths as Mr P and Rude Boy continue to play an influence in Afro-pop. Mr P went on to create his record label, P-Classic Records and his 16-track album saw features from his peers in the industry, Tiwa Savage, Simi, Wande Coal,  and more. He won Best International Male Artist at the International Achievement Recognition Awards in 2018, his first award as a soloist. Rudeboy also founded his own label, Fire Department Inc. and he released his album Rudykillus in 2021. The video of one of his bonus tracks, Reason With Me has crossed 300 million views on YouTube. 

We might never get a P-square reunion after Peter's update on the group earlier this year. The update showed the audience how deep the familial disputes ran between the two brothers. Jude Okoye, their elder brother who was at the forefront of P-square's management, received criticism from Peter. 

He accused his two brothers (Paul and Jude) of mistreatment and harassment in the group regarding finances, management and a strong betrayal of their brotherhood. It was the nail on the coffin of P-square's future and it was a disappointment to fans who believed in their reunion. Paul and Jude are yet to issue an official response to his allegations. P-square's career might be over but their Afro-pop legacy is going to remain forever carved in stone. 

Cover Credit via Life And Times Magazine

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