Popular singer Crown Uzama, aka Shallipopi, has credited his colleague Divine Ikubor, popularly known as Rema, with inspiring him and other young artists from Edo State to believe in their talents.
In a recent interview on The Zero Conditions podcast, the Benin-born singer expressed how Rema, the ‘Calm Down’ crooner, served as a beacon of hope for artists in Benin.
Shallipopi mentioned that prior to Rema’s emergence, there was a lack of confidence among artists in Benin, with many believing that musical stardom was only achievable for those in Lagos and Abuja.
He stated, “Benin as a place, none of us get hope to blow. We just leave am for the squad wey dey do am, the Lagos and Abuja people. We dey see everything, but we no get that hope to say we go dey that spotlight.
Rema’s journey to stardom began with the attraction of his freestyle videos on social media, capturing the interest of D’Prince, ultimately resulting in his signing with Mavin Records.
Shallipopi said Rema’s journey from posting freestyle videos to achieving new heights in the music industry gave hope to aspiring artists in Benin, illustrating that they too could make it in the music industry.
“Na when Rema come, wey D’Pince pick Rema, an when we come sey hope dey. If Rema cross over, we go fit cross over,” said Shallipopi.
He noted that Rema’s journey from Benin to Lagos served as a source of inspiration for artists in Benin, demonstrating that success was not limited by geographical location.
“We go cross over, Rema go Lagos, we dey watch am, we be day one fans. Before e blow, all of us dey watch am, we don be one number one fans since. we dey watch Rema wey dey do freestyle before he drop EP,” he said.
“Na Rema give us hope sey, we for Benin, we go actually make am and dem fit pick us from freestyle.”
Shallipopi, born Crown Uzama, is a Nigerian rapper, singer, and songwriter who first gained recognition with the debut of “Obapluto” in 2023. Shallipopi signed with Dvpper Music Distribution, a Nigerian music record distribution.
Internationally acclaimed for his 2023 hit single “Elon Musk,” Shallipopi reached the pinnacle by claiming the No. 1 spot on the Nigeria Top 100 Apple Music chart.
Shallipopi’s musical journey took off as he began crafting freestyles and sharing them on TikTok and various other social media platforms. His career saw a significant breakthrough with the release of the standout single “Elon Musk.”