Nigerian singer Crown Uzama, also known as Shallipopi, has shared his experience of facing rejection from friends when he first moved from Benin City to Lagos to pursue a music career.
However, he managed to find a group of boys who agreed to let him stay with them after he lied about only needing accommodation for four days.
Thankfully, he was able to secure a gig in Port Harcourt, which helped him earn some money to contribute towards the bills and expenses of his hosts.
Speaking in the latest episode of the Zero Conditions podcast, Shallipopi said, “Before my song ‘Elon Musk’ blew. I came to Lagos and I was looking for who to stay with. Then I started contacting some of my acquaintances in Lagos who have been flaunting their flamboyant lifestyle on WhatsApp statuses because some of them had told me before that they like my song, ‘Elon Musk.’ I contacted four people but they all said I couldn’t stay with them.
“I eventually found someone that 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 organisers paid for my flight. The people I was staying with insisted on going with me. It was my first flight.”
He also disclosed during the interview that there is “a lot of money in music, even an up-and-coming artist with just one hit song can make so much.”
Shallipopi rose to fame when his song ‘Elon Musk’ became a viral sensation on social media earlier this year. He collaborated with popular rapper Zlatan Ibile on a remix version, which further established the song as a street anthem.
