The Nigerian music industry certainly did not anticipate the emergence of 23-year-old Afro-pluto crooner, Shallipoi, born Crown Uzama, who popped into the limelight following the virality of his hit single, “Elon Musk”.
Shallipopi has grown to be a force to reckon with in only a couple of months as his songs keep doing great numbers on digital streaming platforms, at parties, and even at kiddies’ functions. It’s evident that no one had an indigenous Benin singer with the use of heavy Benin lingua, becoming the biggest breakout star in 2023 on their Bingo card, and this article spotlights several ways by which the Edo-born star has successfully shocked the music industry.
1. HIS LYRICS AND SLANGS
Shallipopi is different from your regular singer. We have cause to believe that an entire Benin dictionary is required to decipher his lyrics, considering the viral “Evian” slang adopted from the song “Elon Musk”. Many assumed it translates to mean a form of superpower, but the singer revealed in an interview that “Evian” is his family name and could mean anything you want it to.
More recently, he rolled out his single, “Oscroh (Pepperline)”, and once again his fans embarked on an assignment to learn the meaning, only to find out after having had the song on rotation that it translates to “sex workers”- yet another Benin slang. This brings to a head the fact that more than we care to admit, the mystery behind Shallipoi’s lyrics and slang makes his artistry even more intriguing.
With several chart-topping hits in the bag, it’s evident that before his emergence, the Nigerian music scene did not have a widely successful indigenous Edo musician, Shallipopi is, however, changing that narrative.
2. HIS CADENCE
“My sound is called “Afro-pluto”, these were Pluto Presido’s words when Factory78, a UK online entertainment platform asked him if his style of music can be referred to as Afrobeats. He further shed some light on the reason for the choice of name, adding that “his music is more of talking than singing and there is no one else that does that.”
Interestingly and despite this, he currently has 821,663 monthly listeners on Spotify.
3. HIS NEW RECORD LABEL
Shallipopi may be on the rise, but his self-assertiveness is next to none. The music talent launched his new record label, Plutomania Records on the 18th of October, 2023. Not many musicians have it in them to be label owners and not all label owners are successful musicians as a result, we are pumped to see what the future holds for him.
In an interview with Billboard, he stated; “I want to create a label that is a family. I want to find artists who are talented and passionate about their music. I want to help them achieve their dreams.”
He has now embarked on a journey to reinforce that narrative as he not only floats his label but also announces two new label mates – ZerrydI (his younger brother) and Tega Boi DC.
4. HIS FANBASE – PLUTOMANIA
The planet Pluto was downgraded to a “dwarf” planet in the year 2006. Shallipopi, aware of this fact decided to conceptualize the dwarf planet as a fanbase.
Shallipopi’s self-styled planetary citizens consisting of his fanbase have shown to be a force to reckon with. They propel his songs on digital charts. “Oscroch”, after its release, charted on local Apple Music top 100 as number 3 and “Obapluto” as number 33.
With the strong backing of his fans, he is sure to take the world of music lovers by storm. Of course, with his consistency, style, and uniqueness.
5. HIS BROTHER
We had no idea that the Uzama clan would dish us another Edo-lingua slanging popstar. The singer stunned us with the revelation of his look-alike brother, Zerrydl, who could easily pass for his twin.
Zerry began his musical career in 2021, showcasing his talent by constantly uploading rap videos of himself on TikTok. He sprang to prominence in 2023 with his hit song “Puff & Pass”. Its remix with his brother which at the moment, has earned him north of 400,000 monthly listeners on Spotify.
Zerry DL is signed to Plutomania Records, owned by his brother.
