Entertainment Label, Artist Management, Event Management, Music Production and Talent Hunters
Grafton Entertainment is a record label operating out of the UK and Nigeria. It was founded in 2004 by Tonye Ibiama, also known as Big T, a UK-based Nigerian. Tonye was initially inspired to create Grafton by the talent he saw emerging in his native Port Harcourt. He wanted to tap into the vast musical p
otential of the area, bring it to the boil in Nigeria and then export its sound to the world. Big T’s mission from the outset was quite simply to claim a stake for Grafton and its stable of undeniable African talent in the international mainstream. To get the ball rolling and partner up with its first artiste, the Grafton label organised a talent search competition in Nigeria. Grafton teamed up with local Port Harcourt radio station Rhythm 93.7fm to create the Grafton Entertainment Music Hunt. The standout performers were De Indispensables. They were duly signed in 2004 as Grafton’s first artists. The competition launched not only De Indispensables but illustrated that Grafton were a serious label with a definite plan. It proved this and at the same time further enhanced its reputation with the signing a year later of M.Trill. Tonye had wasted no time getting M.Trill on board when he heard the smooth rapper’s mix tape and was blown away by his distinctive flow on the radio. Now the real work started for Tonye and the Grafton crew. They supported the release of three hugely popular singles by De Indispensables – ‘Sweet Mama’ and ‘Cinderella’ in Nigeria and ‘I Love You’ in the United Kingdom. De Indispensables were a runaway success and it was fair to say Grafton had now become a new and formidable force in the Nigerian music industry. For Tonye though only a quarter of the mission had been completed. It was now time to spread the vibe worldwide - starting in the UK. The first step was to place ‘I Love You’ in HMV stores. Then Tonye and his team saw their efforts pay off after the same track made a big splash on the DJPages chart – achieving a very credible No.3 placing in the RnB charts and No. 37 in the main U.K top 40. The rapid production and promotional strategies employed by the joint UK-Nigerian Grafton Entertainment team had lit a fuse in UK. Back in Africa the flame had already hit the dynamite. De Indispensables took the Best West African Act at the 2007 Channel O African Music Awards after being ranked No.1 on the Channel O charts for three weeks with their single ‘I Love You’. Another De Indispensables single, ‘Peace Song’ featuring M.Trill, stayed at No. 1 on the MTVBase Africa chart for 4 weeks. Within the space of just three years Grafton has well and truly confirmed its status as a top African label. Now with the firm foundations in place at home and a big foot in the UK, it is ready to deliver the global assault that Ibiama Tonye has promised from the outset. One of the reasons why Grafton will succeed on the international stage is their recognition of the potential in a cross-fertilization of African and international styles and sound. In their short lifetime they have already worked with top calibre international artists, who in turn have played their part in guiding and mentoring the raw African talent on the label. As early as 2004 Grafton partnered up with ALL-IS-ON to book and promote Jamaican Dancehall legend Beenie Man’s highlight concert in Lagos. In 2006 Grafton teamed up with the First Lady of UK hip-hop Phoebe One. The Poetess, as she is dubbed, is the only European female to win the Best Hip-Hop Act at the Mobos. She employed those award-winning skills for Grafton Records in collaboration with De Indispensables on a song titled ''I Am Sorry'. Grafton have also hooked up with Junior Reid, the US-based Jamaican super star of former Grammy award winning group Black Uhuru. It was Junior that provided vocal support on De Indispensables No.1 smash, ‘I am Free’, which was ranked No. 1 on the MTVBase Africa chart in February 2008. In February 2010 Grafton signed Mr 2kay, Jesus boy, Tha Ibz and Big mouf
Mr 2kay A young vibrant and Nigeria's new revelation in the industry. His song Bad girl special features Patoranking, Seyi shay and Cynthia morgan on 2 different mixes. Bad girl special have been on charts all over Nigeria and finally got on MTV Europe playlist
Grafton now has an established presence in both Nigeria and the Europe. We are determined to use this base to launch record-breaking success for our stable of talent. To this end we are open to collaborations with other like-minded companies hoping to carve out their own piece of the mainstream. From our end we can call upon our diversity and our wider experience in the entertainment industry. We have additional skills in the fields of audio recording, production, promotions, event and artiste management and media support. Concrete plans are also in place for a publishing company to handle royalties from the UK and worldwide. In 2019, we inked a joint venture deal with Universal music Nigeria under the umbrella of Universal Music Group (UMG) to bring our singer, songwriter and producer Idahams in
their fold as part of that agreement. If our mission is your mission, then join your skills with us at Grafton and help us plant the roots of Africa in the global musical mainstream.
