Richard Olowaranti Mbu Isong (born 11 July 1987), known professionally as P2J is a Nigerian-British producer from London, England. He has produced for high-profile pop artists including Beyoncé, Wizkid, Stormzy, FKA Twigs, Burna Boy, Tems, and Doja Cat, among others.
Career
P2J started to solidify his production career at age 14, when an instructor recommended he transfer to music courses. His career kickstarted in 2007 on the television station, Channel U under the name P2J Project with the grime song "Hands in the Air". He formerly produced songs under the name Pro2Jay, for the likes of Tiwa Savage, Krept and Konan and Lily Allen. In 2017, he produced the song "Covered in You" for Chris Brown's album Heartbreak on a Full Moon.
In 2019, he became one of the go-to afrobeats producers, working with artists such as Burna Boy, Wizkid, GoldLink, WSTRN, Doja Cat, Davido and more. His largest collaboration in 2019 was with Beyoncé on the soundtrack album ' producing 6 tracks, earning him a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Vocal Album. In 2020, he won his first Grammy award for Best Global Music Album, on Burna Boy's album Twice as Tall. P2J was the primary producer on Wizkid's album Made in Lagos, which was nominated for a Grammy and included the song "Essence". The song became the first Nigerian song in history to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 and the Billboard Global 200 in 2021, and a remix featuring Justin Bieber was later released.
In 2022, he produced for FKA Twigs on the song "Jealousy" from her mixtape Caprisongs. He has also produced 5 songs on Young T & Bugsey's mixtape Truth Be Told and "Fallen Angel" on Ella Mai's album Heart on My Sleeve.
Artistry
P2J spoke on his production style in an interview saying, "Wizkid and I were on the same path in terms of musicality when we met, in terms of merging different genres together, like merging reggae with the Afro, R&B with the Afro. He's been trying to get towards that through Soundman Vol. 1. We just eased into it with Made in Lagos. If you listen to the album, there's like a specific bass line that I've done that's quite memorable." He also said that his goal to "infuse African music in anything I do. Whether it's African music like afro and R&B, afro and house, afro and pop, or afro and rap. I've always tried to infuse it in any way."
Production discography
2013
Nathan â Dark Room â single
2015
Krept and Konan â The Long Way Home
- 07. "I Don't Know" (featuring Rebecca Garton) (produced with Crumz)
- 17. "So Easy" (produced with Big Mike)
Tiwa Savage â R.E.D
2017
Stormzy â Gang Signs & Prayer
Tiwa Savage â Sugarcane
- 02. "Get It Now"
- 04. "Hold Me Down"
Star.One â Okay (P2J Remix) â Single
- 00. Okay (P2J Remix) (featuring Maleek Berry & Seyi Shay)
Gyyps â Killafornia
Yungen â All Night â Single
- 00. "All Night" (featuring Mr Eazi)
Reblah â Back to Glory
- 04. "Wabamilo" (featuring P2J)
Chris Brown â Heartbreak on a Full Moon
- 07. "Covered in You" (produced with Ayo & Keyz)
2018
Burna Boy â Outside
- 03. "Koni Baje"
- 11. "Devil in California"
Lily Allen â No Shame
- 04. "Your Choice" (featuring Burna Boy)
- 08. "Higher"
Rebecca Garton â '
Mario â Dancing Shadows
2019
KSI and Randolph â New Age
- 09. "Pull Up" (KSI featuring Jme) (produced with Sammy SoSo)
GoldLink â Diaspora
- 01. "//error" (produced with Ari PenSmith & GoldLink)
- 02. "Joke Ting" (featuring Ari PenSmith) (produced with Ari PenSmith)
- 03. "Maniac" (produced with OBR)
- 05. "Zulu Screams" (featuring Maleek Berry and Bibi Bourelly)
- 06. "More" (featuring Lola Rae)
- 07. "Cokewhite" (featuring Pusha T) (produced with Fwdslxsh, McKenzie, MD$ & Momberger)
- 09. "Yard" (featuring Haile of WSTRN)
- 10. "Spanish Song" (featuring WaveIQ)
- 11. "No Lie" (featuring WizKid) (produced with Ari PenSmith & Deats)
Beyoncé â '
- 06. "Don't Jealous Me" (Tekno, Lord Afrixana, Yemi Alade and Mr Eazi) (produced with Beyoncé & Dixie)
- 08. "Ja Ara E" (Burna Boy) (produced with Beyoncé & Dixie)
- 14. "Water" (Salatiel, Pharrell and Beyoncé) (produced with Beyoncé)
- 15. "Brown Skin Girl" (Beyoncé, Saint Jhn and Wizkid featuring Blue Ivy Carter) (produced with Beyoncé & Dixie)
- 17. "Keys to the Kingdom" (Tiwa Savage and Mr Eazi) (produced with Beyoncé, Northboi Oracle, GuiltyBeatz & Dixie)
- 25. "Scar" (070 Shake and Jessie Reyez) (produced with Beyoncé, Tim Suby, Hamelin, Ari PenSmith, Dixie & Mike Dean)
Burna Boy â African Giant
Mark Ronson â Don't Leave Me Lonely (featuring Yebba)
- 01. "Don't Leave Me Lonely" (featuring Yebba)
WSTRN â WSTRN Season, Vol. 2
- 14. "Switch It Up" (produced with AoD & PRGRSHN)
Snoh Aalegra â Situationship â Single
Odunsi (The Engine) â Better Days / Wetin Dey â Single
- 00. "Better Days" (featuring Wani)
Justine Skye â Bare With Me
- 02. "Secrets"
- 03. "Bulletproof"
- 05. "When You're Ready"
Wretch 32 â 10/10 â Single
- 00. "10/10" (featuring Giggs)
Krept and Konan â G Love â Single
- 00. "G Love" (featuring Wizkid)
Doja Cat â Hot Pink
- 08. "Addiction" (produced with Ari PenSmith)
Jaz Karis â Summer Stories
- 03. "Bad Memories"
- 03. "Come Around"
- 04. "Owe You"
- 06. "Unwritten Rules"
Davido â A Good Time
Skylar Stecker â Redemption
2020
Starboy â Soundman Vol. 1
- 01. "Jam" (Wizkid featuring Chronixx)
Skip Marley â Slow Down (P2J Remix) â Single
- 00. "Slow Down (P2J Remix)" (featuring H.E.R.)
Manny Norté â 4AM â Single
Lilah â Atlantis
- 01. "Atlantis"
- 03. "Summer Nights Fling"
- 04. "Oxymoron"
- 05. "Tired"
- 06. "Euphoria"
- 07. "Lilah's Lullaby"
Wretch 32 â Upon Reflection
- 04. "10/10" (featuring Giggs)
- 05. "Burn" (featuring Ghetts & Talay Riley)
Young T & Bugsey â Plead the 5th
Haley Cassidy â Stripped
- 03. "Beyond the Sun"
- 04. "Foolish"
- 07. "Life After You"
- 09. "So Gone (Interlude)"
- 10. "Still Stay" (featuring Tiggs Da Author)
- 11. "Why Didn't You Call?"
Aminé â Limbo
Burna Boy â Twice as Tall
Tiwa Savage â Celia
Alicia Keys â Alicia
Gorillaz â '
Wizkid â Made in Lagos
- 01. "Reckless"
- 02. "Ginger" (featuring Burna Boy) (produced with Kel-P)
- 03. "Longtime" (featuring Skepta) (produced with Sarz)
- 04. "Mighty Wine"
- 05. "Blessed" (featuring Damian Marley)
- 06. "Smile" (featuring H.E.R.)
- 07. "Piece of Me" (featuring Ella Mai)
- 08. "No Stress"
- 10. "Sweet One"
- 11. "Essence" (featuring Tems) (produced with Legendury Beatz)
- 14. "Grace"
- 16. "Mood" (featuring Buju)
- 17. "Steady"
- 18. "Essence (Remix)" (featuring Justin Bieber & Tems)
Griff â Say It Again â Single
Jessie Reyez â Before Love Came To Kill Us
Angel â Blessings (Remix)
2021
Dave â Titanium & Mercury â Single
Sinéad Harnett â Ready Is Always Too Late
Snoh Aalegra â Temporary Highs in the Violet Skies
- 14. "Dying 4 Your Love" (produced with Marco Bernadis, Malik Venner & Jack Nichols-Marcy)
Dave â We're All Alone in This Together
- 06. "System" (featuring Wizkid) (produced with Kyle Evans, Jae5 & Joe Reeves)
- 07. "Lazarus" (featuring Boj) (produced with Jae5 & Joe Reeves)
- 10. "Twenty to One" (produced with Dave & Kyle Evans)
Not3s â 3 Th3 Album
WSTRN â Wonder Woman â Single
Tion Wayne â Green with Envy
- 07. "West End" (featuring D-Block Europe)
- 12. "Realest One"
- 13. "Spend a Bag" (featuring 6lack)
- 15. "Homecoming"
Tamera â Afrodite
- 01. "Wickedest"
- 02. "New Hobby"
- 03. "Strong For Me"
- 04. "Angel Dust"
- 05. "Good Love" (featuring Tay Iwar)
Pa Salieu â Afrikan Rebel
- 01. "Shining" (featuring Tay Iwar & Zlatan)
Burna Boy â B.D'or featuring Wizkid â Single
- 01. "B.D'or" (featuring Wizkid)
Zhavia Ward â Big Girl$ Don't Cry â Single
- 01. "Big Girl$ Don't Cry"
2022
FKA Twigs â Caprisongs
Young T & Bugsey â Truth Be Told
- 02. "Big Bidness"
- 04. "Caliente" (featuring Aitch)
- 09. "Nice" (featuring Blxst)
- 10. "Roberto C" (featuring Unknown T)
- 11. "Glitter Ain't Gold"
Ella Mai â Heart on My Sleeve
- "Fallen Angel" (produced with Meko yohannes, Jahaan Sweet, Gaetan Judd, Mustard & Ari PenSmith)
Burna Boy â Love, Damini
- 02. "Science"
- 06. "Whiskey"
- 10. "Dirty Secrets"
- 12. "For My Hand" (featuring Ed Sheeran)
Omah Lay â Boy Alone
- 02. "i"
- 13. "tell everybody" (featuring Tay Iwar)
Beyoncé â Renaissance
Aitch â Close to Home
Santigold â Spirituals
CKay â Sad Romance
- 02. "Mmadu" (produced with Ckay)
M.I.A. â MATA
- 02. "Zoo Girl" (produced with Ckay)
A Boogie wit da Hoodie â Me vs. Myself
- 03. "Take Shots" (featuring Tory Lanez)
Wizkid â More Love, Less Ego
- 01. "Money & Love"
- 03. "Bad to Me"
- 04. "2 Sugar" (featuring Ayra Starr)
- 05. "Everyday"
- 06. "Slip n Slide" (featuring Skillibeng & Shenseea)
- 07. "Deep"
- 08. "Flower Pads"
- 09. "Wow" (featuring Skepta & Naira Marley)
- 11. "Plenty Loving"
- 13. "Frames (Who's Gonna Know)"
Stormzy â This Is What I Mean
- 02. "This Is What I Mean" (featuring Black Sherif, Amaarae & Ms Banks)
- 05. "Need You" (featuring tendai & Ayra Starr)
- 06. "Hide & Seek"
- 10. "Bad Blood" (featuring NAO)
- 11. "I Got My Smile Back" (featuring India.Arie)
2023
Kali Uchis â Red Moon in Venus
Chlöe â In Pieces
Jorja Smith â falling or flying
Tay Iwar â Summer Breeze
Masego â Masego
- 10. "Say You Want Me" (produced with E.Y. & Dan Foster)
J Hus â Beautiful and Brutal Yard
- 02. "Massacre"
- 03. "Who Told You" (featuring Drake)
- 04. "Militerian" (featuring Naira Marley)
- 19. "Playing Chess"
Lil Tjay â 222
Tori Kelly â Tori
2024
Kali Uchis â ORQUÃÂDEAS
- 02. "Me Pongo Loca"
- 05. "Diosa"
- 07. "Perdiste"
Tyla â TYLA
Ayra Starr â The Year I Turned 21
- 2. Goodbye (Warm Up" (with Asake)
Victony â Stubborn
- 3. Ludo (with Shallipopi)
- 4. Anita
- 15. Sunday School
Wizkid â Morayo
- 1. Troubled Mind
- 2. Karamo
- 3. Kese (Dance)
- 5. Time
- 6. Piece of My Heart (featuring Brent Faiyaz)
- 7. Break Me Down
- 8. Bend
- 9. A Million Blessings
- 10. Après Minuit (featuring Tiakola)
- 11. Bad for You (featuring Jazmine Sullivan)
- 12. Soji
- 13. Don't Care
- 14. Slow (featuring Anaïs Cardot)
- 15. Lose
- 16. Pray
2025
Lisa (rapper) â Alter Ego
- 08. "When I'm With You" (with Tyla)
J Hus
Odeal â The Summer that Saved Me
Burna Boy â No Sign of Weakness
J Balvin
Burna Boy â Everything Is a Lot
- 13. "City on Fire" - Odeal
Odeal â The Fall that Saved Us
- 09. "Nights in The Sun" - (with Wizkid)
Ed Sheeran â Play â Deluxe edition
Sasha Keable â Act Right
Tyla
2026
Sasha Keable â Act II
Awards and nominations
References