A92 (group)

A92 is an Irish drill collective based in Drogheda. Named after the postal code of Drogheda town,[1] A92 was formed in 2020 and went viral following the release of "Plugged In Freestyle".

A92
OriginDrogheda, Ireland[1]
Genres
Years active2020 (2020)–present
LabelsMoves Recordings[2]
Members
  • Andre Fazaz
  • AO
  • BT
  • Dbo
  • Kebz
  • Ksav
  • Nikz
  • Offica
Past membersACE[3]

History

A92 was formed in 2020 by Joel Safo, a manager working for JS Management.[4][1] Prior to the formation of A92, Offica went viral following the release of "Naruto Drillings" in 2019,[5] alongside a remix of the single with British YouTuber KSI.[6] In an interview with Hot Press, Offica said that

We probably all live within eight minutes of each other's houses in Drogheda...we all support each other, and we maintain that when we're doing business as well.[7]

A92 released their debut single "A9 Link Up" in September 2020, featuring Offica, BT, Nikz, Ksav, ACE, Dbo and Kebz.[8] The group released "Plugged In Freestyle" in October 2020, which was produced by Fumez the Engineer;[9] the song peaked in the top five of the Irish Homegrown charts and in the top 40 of the UK singles charts.[10] The song rose in popularity due to its use on the social media platform TikTok, according to the BBC;[11] by September 2021, the song had over 34 million views on YouTube.[12] A92 released their debut mixtape 92 Degrees on 11 December 2020; the mixtape consisted of 15 tracks.[13]

In 2021, A92, alongside Rhythm Bombs, also known as Prodigy Sons, wrote separate singles for a double A-side release; the proceeds went to SOSAD Ireland. A92's single, named "Champion", featured BT and Dbo and was produced by Charles Abako, also known as C2, and Andre Fazaz. It was also announced that a gig between the two groups was to take place at the Tommy Leddy Theatre on 23 October.[14]

Members

As of April 2021, A92 consists of eight members:[13][2]

  • Andre Fazaz (Olamide Fazaz)[15]
  • AO[16]
  • BT/Trapboy BT[17] (Tobi Akinseloyin)
  • Dbo (Lloyd Olalere)
  • Kebz (Desmond Jibona)
  • Ksav (Israel Kenny Olajide)
  • Nikz (David Nkpa)
  • Offica (Tomas Adeyinka)

Discography

Mixtapes
  • 92 Degrees (2020)[18]

Charted singles
List of singles, with selected peak chart positions
Title Year Peak chart positions
IRE
[19]		 UK
[20]
"Plugged In Freestyle"
(with Fumez the Engineer and Offica)		 2020 29 39

References
  1. Murphy, Hubert (10 October 2020). "A92's rise to fame begins". independent.ie. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
  2. "A92 infiltrating every level of global rap with new single 'BITE'". droghedalife.com. 19 April 2021. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
  3. "A92 welcome new member Andre Fazaz & share new singles WAR & Popcaan". slightmotif.com. 4 December 2020. Retrieved 23 May 2021. Today A92 welcome singer/songwriter Andre Fazaz into the collective as they say goodbye to ACE who has decided to take a step back from the collective to focus on his football career after signing to a new club in Spain.
  4. "Temperatures Rise as A92 Share '92 DEGREES' Mixtape". imro.ie. Irish Music Rights Organisation. 11 December 2020. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  5. Archibald-Powell, Naimah (18 May 2019). "Offica drops "Naruto Drillings"". grmdaily.com. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
  6. Moodle, Alice (21 July 2019). "KSI joins Offica on the remix of "Naruto Drillings"". grmdaily.com. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
  7. O'Toole, Lucy (2 February 2021). "Interview: Offica and A92 On Drill & Drogheda". hotpress.com. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
  8. "Offica's A92 Make Their Collective Debut with A9 Link Up". imro.ie. Irish Music Rights Organisation. 18 September 2020. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  9. W, Courtney (7 October 2020). "A92's Offica, Ksav, Dbo & BT Join Fumez The Engineer On Latest "Plugged In" Session". grmdaily.com. Retrieved 6 May 2021.
  10. "A92 breaking records in Ireland and UK". independent.ie. 19 December 2020. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  11. Davies, Sam (7 June 2021). "The controversial music that is the sound of global youth". BBC. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
  12. Kazandjian, Robert (28 September 2021). "Meet the UK rap and drill engineers shaping the sound into a chart-topping phenomenon". djmag.com. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
  13. Dadalica, Jade (13 January 2021). "GRM EXCLUSIVE: A92 Discuss Their Chart-Topping "Plugged In Freestyle", '92 Degrees'; Mixtape & More". grmdaily.com. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
  14. Comyn, Alison (27 September 2021). "Drogheda bands joining forces in aid of SOSAD". independent.ie. Retrieved 1 October 2021.
  15. O'Toole, Lucy (23 June 2020). "Andre Fazaz and 1k3 share video for 'Royal Bike'". hotpress.com. Retrieved 30 October 2021. Fazaz, who was born Olamide Fazaz to a DJing father and a mother who sang in the church choir...
  16. Machin, Alex (24 November 2021). "A92'S AO Drops New 'Double or Nothing' Visuals". grmdaily.com. Retrieved 27 November 2021.
  17. Kazandjian, Robert (15 June 2021). "The rise of Irish drill". djmag.com. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
  18. Griffin, Alex (11 December 2020). "A92 unite for '92 Degrees' mixtape". grmdaily.com. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
  19. "Discography A92". irish-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  20. "FUMEZ THE ENGINEER/A92/OFFICA | full Official Chart history". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
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