‘Is that an artiste?’ — Zlatan denies knowing DJ Cuppy despite ‘Gelato’ collabo

Zlatan Ibile, a Nigerian rapper, has finally broken his silence on claims by Florence Otedola, a disc jockey better known as DJ Cuppy, that he blocked her on social media.

In August 2019, the 28-year-old had enlisted Zlatan for ‘Gelato‘, a successful hit song of hers.

The pair also performed the song at Cuppy’s charity event which held in Abuja in November that same year.

Months after the colourful song raked in huge numbers on streaming platforms, Cuppy opened up on her strained relationship with the street singer.

Earlier this year, she revealed that Zlatan had blocked her on WhatsApp and Instagram since after the collaboration.

“10 months later and I sometimes still wonder why @Zlatan_Ibile blocked me on WhatsApp and Instagram without ever saying why; we were actually friends. And ‘Gelato’ was a hit!” the DJ had written.

But during a recent feature on Soudcity’s ‘The Switch‘ show, Zlatan was quizzed on his lingering feud with the DJ.

In response, the singer left the audience stunned when he asked if Cuppy was an artiste. He also claimed he doesn’t know the DJ.

“Is that an artiste? I don’t know who that is,” Zlatan can be heard saying as the observers visibly expressed shock.

The singer’s reaction comes after he had opened up about the difficulties he had faced before his music incursion.

“Before fame, things were hard. I was doing bricklaying, cutting grass for people’s foundations, working in a cold room, gambling at game centres so I could earn a living. Now I’m Zlatan Ibile,” Zlatan had revealed.

“I went to shows and they wouldn’t let me perform. I’d go submit my CD but when it’s time to perform, the DJ doesn’t find it. Even when you perform, the DJ scratches after your first verse to signal one’s time’s up.

“It was university education that eventually helped me, although I didn’t gain admission in time. Before my first semester exams, a competition came up. I won a car, something nobody had owned before in my generation.”