Crown Uzama, professionally known as Shallipopi, has told the story of his humble beginnings.
In an interview with the Zero Conditions Podcast, the rapper revealed that when he first moved to Lagos state from his hometown of Benin City, he didn’t have a place to stay.
As a result, he decided to ask around, but people who claimed to like his music turned him down.
He began,
“Before my song ‘Elon Musk’ blew, I came to Lagos and was looking for a place to stay. Then I started contacting some of my acquaintances in Lagos who had been flaunting their flamboyant lifestyle on WhatsApp statuses because some of them had told me before that they liked my song, ‘Elon Musk.’ I contacted four people, but they all said I couldn’t stay with them.”
As a result, Shallipopi found himself having to ask around for new lodging arrangements. He eventually found someone, but only under the guise of staying at his house for a couple of days.
“I eventually found someone who said I should come stay with them. I deceived them that I was going to stay for just four days. After I stayed there for four days, I got a show in Port Harcourt just with my song ‘Elon Musk,’ which wasn’t gaining much traction then. But the fee was N50,000, and the organizers paid for my flight. The people I was staying with insisted on going with me. It was my first flight,” he added.
Elon Musk, his hit song, became increasingly popular, and Shallipopi got his big break shortly after.
At only 23 years old, he has continued to climb the success ladder with hit after hit and his own record label.
