Shallipopi Credits Singer for Inspiring Edo Artists

Crown Uzama, popularly known as Shallipopi, has shared how fellow artist Rema served as a source of inspiration for him and other musicians from Edo State, encouraging them to believe in their talents.

Speaking on a recent episode of The Zero Conditions podcast, the Benin-born singer expressed that Rema, known for his hit ‘Calm Down,’ became a symbol of hope for artists from Benin. Shallipopi highlighted that prior to Rema’s success, there was a belief that musical stardom was mainly achievable for residents of Lagos and Abuja.

He shared, “Benin as a place, none of us get hope to blow. We thought musical stardom was only attainable for Lagos and Abuja residents. We didn’t had the hope that we too could achieve the spotlight. It was after Rema came, after D’Prince signed him to Jonzing World, that was when he realized that is also possible for Benin artists to hit stardom. There’s hope. If Rema cross over, we go fit cross over.”

Shallipopi continued by expressing the admiration and support that he and others from Benin had for Rema, emphasizing their journey as day-one fans. According to Shallipopi, Rema’s trajectory, from posting freestyle videos to his trap EP and subsequent success, served as a beacon of hope, proving that artists from Benin could also make it in the music industry.