Shallipopi: I recorded ‘Ex-convict’ in prison… Evian is my family name

Crown Uzama, the Nigerian music rave of the moment fondly called Shallipopi, says his hit track ‘Ex-convict’ was recorded while he was in prison.

“I make my music for the vibe but the lyrics contain things that only a few people understand,” the singer said when he was featured on the ‘Oshikoya Speaks‘ podcast.

“I made ‘Ex-convict’ while I was in the cell and people that were with me there, they would understand what I was saying.

“And some people that have experienced the same thing will understand what I was saying. That ‘Elon Musk’, Edo people will mostly understand what I was saying so I make most of my songs for home but outsiders vibe to it too.”

In June, Shallipopi was handed a two-year prison term for online fraud.

In the interview, the singer also clarified the meaning of ‘Evian’ — a slang culled out from his song ‘Elon Musk’ — saying it is his family name.

He said the surname his forefather bore was originally Evian, but then he gave birth to three children, and one of them changed the last name to Uzama.

The ‘Elon Musk’ hitmaker said in the lyrics ‘Inside that your Evian another Evian dey inside,’ he was only talking about his cultural roots and family tree.

“Evian is not one serious thing. Evian is my family name. That song is freestyle. I come from the family of Evian. Evian gave birth to three children Osama, Oliah, and Ogame. Uzama is my surname. we are like kingmakers,” he said.

“So if I say ‘inside that your evian soap, another evian dey inside’ does not mean that it is what you think. Everyone has a different meaning for it and that is why I like it.”

Shallipopi’s rise to fame began when he released the song ‘Elon Musk’. He then followed it up with a six-track EP.