Nigerian singer, Crown Uzama, popularly known as Shallipopi, has revealed his life struggles before fame.

The ‘Oscroh’ crooner revealed that he faced significant financial struggles, forcing him to take on odd jobs to support himself and his family.

Shallipopi recalled performing at clubs in Benin for as little as N5,000 to help his mother pay bills.

He also shared that he worked as a bricklayer, and painter, and even did plastering work to make ends meet.

“I have been to the 36 states of Nigeria touring towns to eat, I nor know which part of Nigeria you come from, but u nor suppose dey talk to me about shame, buckle up this country nor dey laugh with anybody! Period!!!
“I don do bricklayer, painter, we don work for workshop, i don do POP, I don do plastering work, I don dey run commont house for night go club jokers for Benin go dey freestyle just to carry 5k reach house come give my mummy.”
Shallipopi

After being criticized for stating that money is essential for manhood, the singer opened up about his past struggles on his X handle.

The Nigerian music sensation also emphasized the importance of self-appreciation in music creation, stating that artists must first connect with their own music before expecting others to enjoy it.

He made this assertion during a recent interview, where he shared insights on his approach to music-making.

According to Shallipopi, the foundation of a great song lies in how much the artist resonates with it.

“If you record your own song, you must enjoy it first before the next person enjoys it. If you don’t enjoy your music and you play it to the next person, and they say it’s trash, you’ll agree because you also don’t like it.
“But if you do your song, accept it, and ensure it sounds good when you play it for the next person to judge and they like it, it means you’ve done a good job.”
Shallipopi

The ‘Elon Musk’ singer further explained that creating music with an audience in mind is important but secondary to an artist’s personal satisfaction with their work. “We all have our audience at the end,” the singer added.

Shallipopi Claims He Doesn’t Smoke

Nigerian singer, Crown Uzama claimed that he doesn’t smoke despite posing with cigarettes in his pictures and videos.

He claimed that he uses cigarettes for “aesthetics”.

The ‘Oba Pluto’ crooner disclosed that “One thing that my fans don’t know about me is that I don’t smoke. It’s just aesthetics.”

On what inspired him to do music, Shallipopi pointed to a universal struggle many Nigerians can relate to hardship.

“What influences me to do music is hardship. You don’t want to go through hardship in this country.”
Shallipopi

Recently, Shallipopi revealed he has parted ways with Dapper Music, the record label that helped catapult him to stardom in 2023.

Although rumors of a split circulated for some time, recent updates on the artist’s social media seem to confirm the separation.

Shallipopi has removed Dapper Music’s name from his bio and has unfollowed the label’s boss, signaling a likely end to their collaboration.

The breakup comes on the heels of Shallipopi launching his own label, Plutomania Records, earlier this year.

Plutomania has already signed two new artists, Zerry DL and Tega Boi, positioning itself as an emerging force in the Nigerian music industry.

This split follows a recent trend, as it marks the second high-profile departure from Dapper Music in just a few months. In August, another popular artist, Seyi Vibez, also left the label.