Crown Uzama, professionally known as Shallipopi, recently shared the story of his modest beginnings when he faced challenges finding accommodation upon arriving in Lagos from Benin City. The rapper recounted this journey during an interview on the Zero Conditions Podcast, shedding light on the hurdles he overcame.
Shallipopi revealed that upon his initial move to Lagos, he struggled to secure a place to stay. Despite reaching out to acquaintances in the city who had previously expressed admiration for his music, he faced rejection from all four of them.
He began, “Before my song ‘Elon Musk’ blew, I came to Lagos and sought 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 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."
Undeterred by these setbacks, Shallipopi persevered and continued his accommodation search. Eventually, he found someone willing to offer him a place to stay, although it was under the pretense that he would only be there for a few days.
“I eventually found someone who said I should come stay with them. I told 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.
As fate would have it, Shallipopi's song "Elon Musk" gained significant popularity, leading to his breakthrough in the music industry. At just 23 years old, he has continued to ascend the ladder of success, establishing his record label and achieving success with subsequent hit songs.