Ify Adenuga

Endless Fortune Ify Adenuga

How do you go from being a penniless student in a foreign country to raising four of the most successful creatives working in Great Britain today?

In 1980, Ify exchanged war-torn Nigeria for the strange streets of London. Having escaped death, hunger and extreme poverty, she had to start a new life as a working-class immigrant and student in an environment far removed from her own, in a city brimming with hostility.

Ify met her husband, Joseph, a Yoruba man, in 1981 at a bingo hall in east London where both were working immigrants. After the birth of their children, the couple returned to education before setting up their own businesses. Together they raised their family in the tough working-class area of Tottenham and encouraged them to explore their artistic instincts against the backdrop of sometimes violent situations and harsh environments.

Their children - Joseph Junior (aka Skepta), Jamie (JME), Julie (Former Beats 1 DJ and NME Awards 2020 co-host) and Jason (producer and graphic designer) - all achieved tremendous success.

This is the story of their remarkable mother.