V.I.P (Ice Prince song)

"V.I.P" is a song by Nigerian rapper Ice Prince. It was released on April 24, 2013, by Chocolate City.^[1][2][3] The song was originally intended to be included on Ice Prince's second studio album, Fire of Zamani (2013), but was ultimately removed from the final track list due to reasons that haven't been made public. It peaked at number 26 on Afribiz's Top 100 chart.^[4] "V.I.P" debuted at number nine on MTV Base's Official Naija Top 10 chart for the week of July 6 through July 13, 2013, and entered the music countdown along with "Personally".^[5][6]

"V.I.P"
Single by Ice Prince
Released	April 24, 2013
Recorded	2013
Genre	Hip hop
Length	3:10
Label	Chocolate City
Songwriter(s)	Panshak Zamani
Producer(s)	Chopstix
Ice Prince singles chronology
"Gimme Dat" (2013) "V.I.P" (2013) "I Swear" (2013)
Music video
"V.I.P" on YouTube

Music video

Background

The music video for "V.I.P" was directed by Clarence Peters at Dream Studios and uploaded to YouTube on June 21, 2013. The video features cameo appearances from several acts, including M.I, Dr SID, and Phyno.^[7][8] On June 11, 2013, a behind-the-scenes video from the filming of "V.I.P." was posted on YouTube.^[9]

Controversy

Peters came under fire for allegedly stealing the aesthetic of Slaughterhouse's "My Life" video and using it for the "V.I.P" video.^[10] In February 2014, Ice Prince defended Peters' actions and said he told him the ideas to shoot. He also stated that if anyone has a problem with the situation, they should hold him responsible.^[11]

Critical reception

Upon its release, "V.I.P" received mixed reviews from music critics. A writer for the website Jaguda.com criticized the song for sounding "eerily similar to Aboki".^[12] Aribaba, another editor for Jaguda.com, gave the song a rating of 5 out of 10, prasing its instrumentation and chorus, while denouncing it for lacking freshness and excitement.^[13]

Accolades

The music video for "V.I.P" was nominated for Best Use of Visual Effects and Best Hip Hop Video at the 2013 Nigeria Music Video Awards.^[14][15]

Release history

Region	Date	Format	Label
Nigeria	April 24, 2013	CD, Digital download	Chocolate City

References

1. "360Recommends: Ice Prince Zamani – VIP + Gimme Dat ft Burna Boy, Yung L and Olamide". 360nobs. Archived from the original on 23 October 2013. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
2. "The Fire of Zamani! Ice Prince Returns with "VIP" & "Gimme Dat" Featuring Burna Boy, Yung L & Olamide". Bellanaija. Archived from the original on 23 October 2013. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
3. "Ice Prince – VIP | Gimme Dat ft Burna Boy, Yung L & Olamide". tooxclusive. Archived from the original on 20 October 2013. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
4. "Afribiz - Top 100". Afribiz. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
5. "BellaNaija.com's Onos O Co-Hosts with MTV VJ Ehiz This Week! K-Cee remains Number One on the MTV Base Official Naija Top 10". Bellanaija. Archived from the original on 28 September 2013. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
6. "Ice Prince's 'VIP' and Psquare's 'Personally' make new entries on MTV's official Naija top 10". The Net Nigeria. Archived from the original on 18 November 2013. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
7. "New Video: Ice Prince – V.I.P". 360nobs. Archived from the original on 23 October 2013. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
8. "Video: Ice Prince – V. I. P". Prisoner of Class. Archived from the original on 13 November 2013. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
9. "BEHIND THE SCENES OF ICE PRINCE 's "VIP" SHOOT". Hiphopworldmagazine. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
10. "NET Exclusive: How Clarence Peters stole concepts, footage for Ice Prince and Tiwa Savage music videos | Nigerian Entertainment Today – Nigeria's Number 1 Entertainment Daily". Thenet.ng. Archived from the original on 28 March 2014. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
11. "'I don's see anything wrong' – Ice Prince says he told Clarence Peters to jack video concept | Nigerian Entertainment Today – Nigeria's Number 1 Entertainment Daily". Thenet.ng. 13 February 2014. Archived from the original on 28 March 2014. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
12. "New Music: Ice Prince – VIP + Gimme Dat ft. Burna Boy, Yung L & Olamide". Jaguda. Archived from the original on 23 October 2013. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
13. "Two To Review: Gunzz – Broken Heart, Ice Prince – VIP". Jaguda. Archived from the original on 3 November 2013. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
14. "The 2013 Nigeria Music Video Awards (NMVA 2013) Winners; Flavour and Olamide Win Big". Jaguda. 16 November 2013. Archived from the original on 20 November 2013. Retrieved 25 November 2013.
15. "2013 Nigeria Music Video Awards Nominees List: Flavour, Tiwa Savage, D'banj, Goldie, Waje, Kcee & More". Bellanaija. Archived from the original on 15 October 2013. Retrieved 23 October 2013.