The New Africa Magazine/ Dr Filomena Mathins

If there is a lesson to be learned
from Nigerian rapper Zlatan, it
is that you should never give up
on your dreams, even if it takes a
while to achieve them.
From humble beginnings, he grew
up in Ilorin, in Kwara state, where his
parents were both pastors. “I used to
play drums in the church, so I kind of
understood rhythm,” he tells me.
After graduating from secondary
school he failed the entrance exam to
take him on to further study, but he
set to work and passed the following
year.
The only trouble was that there was a
deadline looming and school fees had
to be paid in just a few days - or else
he’d be refused admission.
Although the fees were less than
£200 ($265), Zlatan remembers that
this was a huge amount for his family
to find in such a short space of time.
“There was nothing at home” he
recalls. “My Dad was not working.”
Zlatan’s father had an old broken
down Mercedes Benz that sat outside
their house. “The only thing my Dad
knows how to do well is to pray. He
prayed, and a couple of days before
the fees were due, this person - we
don’t know if this person was a ghost,
a Ninja or a human being - he just
came from nowhere and said he
wanted to buy the car without testing
or starting it. He wanted to pay a
deposit.” The money went straight to
paying Zlatan’s school fees.
While studying for a diploma in
business administration, a friend put
him forward for the 2014 edition of
the “One Mic Campus Tour” music
competition, which he won. The prize
was a brand-new car. From then on
everything changed.
People wanted to know more about
Zlatan and his music. His parents
too became more supportive of his
musical ambitions.
He began following established artist
Olamide on social media, messaging
him regularly in order to create some
familiarity: “I just said some crazy
words to gain his attention.” One day
Olamide called him, and made his
first breakthrough record “My Body”
with him, along with a video.
Zlatan built on this success, with
further collaborations with Chinko
Ekun and Lil Kesh on the single “Able
God”. Then came the hit song “Zanku”
which was accompanied by the
popular Zanku dance.
“There were all kinds of dances going
around at the time. The Ghanaians
had Azonto, and I said to myself that
if I ever get recognized by people, I
want to invent my own dance.”
Further collaborations with big stars
such as Davido and Burna Boy only
added to his reputation, and in
January 2020 Zlatan launched his
own record label - Zanku Records. He
says it’s a dream come true to be able
to promote other artists, and his new
album “Rosan” (The Journey) has just
been released.
There were all
kinds of dances
going around
at the time. The
Ghanaians had
Azonto, and I
said to myself
that if I ever get
recognized by
people, I want to
invent my own
dance.