There is no doubt that Shallipopi has a way of making the Benin City accent sound sexy with his heavy beats and rhythmic appeal which the youths can never get enough of. And I kept wondering, “Why is Shallipopi’s song so catchy?” I think I have watched “The Social Network” (2010) movie directed by David Fincher and written by Aaron Sorkin over a hundred times. And I just did not know why. Until Aaron Sorkin himself explained how he uses the principles of rhythm in music to write his scripts.
Certain keywords tend to appear in his script quite frequently. The human ear has a natural sensitivity to rhythm. We know a song that “just flows”. The same way we can sense when someone is being truthful and speaking from the heart. There‘s this “Je ne sais quoi” quality about it. It‘s quite primal and not something we can put into words. That‘s exactly how it is with Shalippopi’s music. Rhythm has an almost mystical effect on us, even upon the fact that music itself has a strong tendency to get under our skin. And that‘s what Shallipopi’s song capitalizes on: Addictive Rhythms. Not melody.
Let’s take “Elon Musk” for example. “Inside that your Evian so, another Evian dey inside”. Or the more recent “Obapluto” with Monday Edo. “Nogbaisi men N’ogie men oh. Nogbaisi.” “Clear road, eya mue obo yo”. There are so many catchy lines that just flow and they feel good and sound pleasant to the ears. Below are my 7 best reasons for Shallipopi’s success.
Firstly, WE LOVE HEAVY RHYTHM AND BEATS and no wonder we are Africans. Nigerians, especially the youthful demographic, are easily impressed by the quality of the percussion in your song. For example, try playing a song with just the piano, then play Shallipopi’s song and see the difference. Afro-Pop is quite heavily based on drums and percussive instruments. Drums: Kicks, Snares, Shakers, Hi-hats, Claps…all the musical hand work that makes music vibrate with life. I guess Shallipopi has invested his time to ensure we flow with his rhythm and well-timed beats.
Secondly, WE LOVE TO DANCE and really, who would not love that? We love to be happy. We are indexed as among the happiest people in the world. By the way, the opposite of depression is vitality, it is not sadness. Have you ever seen a depressed person? Play him any of Shalippopi’s song. I imagine Shallipopi wants us to gyrate to his songs.
Thirdly, as a people, WE LOVE GOOD VIBES. Shallipopi does not sing about depression or man‘s existential crisis or heartbreak or boring stuff like the Federal Government recurrent expenditure, budget, foreign reserve or Ministry of Health’s cancer research. Nah! What he sings about are light ideas that appeal to his generation. Positive Vibes. Feel Good Music. I believe Shallipopi wants us to be happy.
Not left out is the PHYSICAL ATTRACTIVENESS (FINE BOY) of Shalippopi. You cannot take that from him. He is actually a handsome guy that dances. Who would not want that? Think of Tu Face Idibia when he began. He was such a handsome songbird. And he was a massive success. That‘s what the ladies want from their star crush. A fine-looking handsome cute guy with talent and “Igho n’obun” (plentiful cash). Never Forget: Everything in life is judged by appearance. So always look your best for yourself and for your brand. I guess Shallipopi wants us to look good.
Also, CHARISMA is one tool that makes Shallipopi cool as well as his stage presence and charisma. If you love an artist, you want to see him performing at his best. Charisma is the innate ability to draw people to you. It‘s a psychological magnet that attracts people to stars. And it boils down to how confident you are. Your attitude will determine your altitude in life. I guess what we can learn from that is, to be confident doing what you love and it will draw people to you and to your art. This applies to business owners and scientists as well as artists. I guess Shallipopi just wants to inspire us to be confident.
Do always remember this key element, UNIQUENESS is one quality needed for success. The quality of being unique or being yourself is often underrated, especially since we live in a copycat world these days. No one can be more unique or “uniquer” than you. Shallipopi goes to the studio, he is given a beat and starts to rap. But like he himself once said, even his rap does not sound like rap. He just created his own style and sound that work for him, which, believe it or not, is actually rooted in the primary essential concept of art. “Just do your own thing”. Young artists tend to compete with and copycat other artists but those who do that actually insult themselves as they cannot develop the willpower to withstand the test of time since their motivation is not heartfelt and authentic. I guess the lesson is: “Just Be Yourself, And Who Knows, Even Your Critics Might Like You.”
Lastly, PROFOUND RESPECT FOR CULTURE has helped Shallipopi’s journey into limelight. He is a strict adherent of the motto, “Edo To The World”. From his lyrics, accent and even subtler forms of cultural representation, we see a young man who respects and is proud of his origins. He is proud of his heritage. I remember his line from his hit song, “Obapluto”, which sampled and featured Monday Edo’s song, “N’Ogbaisi” (an ode to the legendary Oba Ovonramwen): “Eya lemwan-lemwan. Ma ghi gualo iwina. Ore esagien, uru emwen ra?” He tends to use Edo lyrics to put that extra spice and garnish in his music. I guess the lesson from this is, to respect the source of your identity and tradition. Like we Edos believe, “If you don’t know where you are from, then you are lost.”
Conclusively, who knows, just like with Shallipopi who strongly believes in the slogan “Edo Ore Odion” and “Edo To The World”, your success might lie in knowing and embracing your identity and being yourself.
