Shallipopi: The Life Story Behind the Pluto Presido Star

Shallipopi is the Pluto Presido, and the title is not a joke, even though it sounds like one. It is a name his fans gave him, and a name he has lived up to, because his music sounds like it comes from another planet, a planet where the beat is different, the slang is different, and the energy is different. He is a singer from Benin City who became a star with a song called Elon Musk, and who has since become one of the most talked-about young artists in Nigerian music. His songs are playful, catchy, and full of street language, and they make you want to dance, to laugh, and to sing along, even if you do not understand every word.

He was born Crown Uzama, and he grew up in Benin City, in Edo State, in the south of Nigeria. He began by posting songs online, and he became famous in 2023 with Elon Musk, a song that went viral across Nigeria and beyond. He followed it with Ex Convict, Obapluto, and other hits, and he became the leader of a movement he calls Pluto, a world of his own making, with its own language, its own style, and its own fans.

His story is a story of a viral song, a new language, and a young man who turned his imagination into a career. This is the story of how a boy from Benin City became Shallipopi, the Pluto Presido.

Growing Up in Benin City and Dreaming in Slang

Crown Uzama was born on 12 April 2000 in Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria. Benin City is an old and historic city, known for its art, its bronze work, its culture, and its mix of peoples. A child growing up there hears many languages, many kinds of music, and many ways of life, and Crown heard all of that. He grew up in a family that valued hard work, and he was a normal boy, going to school, helping at home, and finding time for the music he loved.

He was interested in music from a young age, and he was drawn to the sounds around him. He listened to Nigerian pop, to street music, to hip hop, and to the music of Benin City, and he began to think about how to make a song that sounded like his life. He was not a child star, and he did not grow up on television. He grew up the way many Nigerian young people do, in a busy city, with big dreams and few resources, and with a belief that music could be a way out.

He went to school in Benin City, and he was a student who liked music more than his textbooks. He spent his spare time writing songs, recording, and sharing them online. He was not yet famous, but he was building a sound, a voice, and a way of writing that was his own. He sang in a mix of Pidgin, English, and Edo slang, and his lyrics were full of the everyday talk of Benin City, the kind of talk that young people in the south of Nigeria recognised at once.

His early songs were simple, playful, and full of humour, and they showed a young artist who was not afraid to be different. He was not trying to sound like the big pop stars of the day. He was trying to sound like himself, a young man from Benin City with a vivid imagination, and that was what made his music stand out. He was building a world, song by song, and he was inviting listeners to join him in it.

Elon Musk, a Viral Hit, and a Star Is Born

Shallipopi’s breakthrough came in 2023, with the song Elon Musk, which became a viral hit across Nigeria. The song is named after the American businessman Elon Musk, and it is a playful, catchy track about money, about success, and about living a good life. It was released online, and it spread quickly, shared by young people on social media, played on the radio, and sung at parties across the country. The song’s success was sudden, but it was not an accident. It was the result of years of writing, recording, and sharing music online, finally meeting a song that the whole country wanted to hear.

Elon Musk made Shallipopi a star, and it made him one of the most talked-about new artists in Nigerian music. He was no longer a young man from Benin City posting songs online. He was a hitmaker, with a song that everyone knew, and with a fan base that was growing fast. He handled the fame with a calm that surprised many people, because he had spent years working on his music, and he knew that a hit was not the end of a career. It was the beginning of a harder job, the job of staying relevant.

He followed Elon Musk with Ex Convict, another hit, and with other songs that kept his name on the radio. Ex Convict is a song about life, about freedom, and about the hopes of young Nigerians, and it showed a different side of Shallipopi, a singer who could write about serious things as well as about fun. His run of hits in 2023 made him one of the biggest new stars in Nigeria, and he won awards and nominations, including honours at Nigerian music awards.

He also became known for his collaborations, and for his voice on other artists’ songs. He worked with many Nigerian stars, and his playful, melodic style added a fresh touch to their records. He was a generous collaborator, and he was willing to share his sound with others, even when he was still a new artist himself. He was building a career, song by song, and his audience was growing with each new release.

Presido La Pluto, Shakespopi, and Building a World

In 2023 Shallipopi released his debut EP, Presido La Pluto, which marked a new stage in his career. The project was a mix of Afropop, street pop, and Amapiano, and it included songs that showed his range as a writer and as a singer. It was well received by fans, and it showed that he could make a full project, not just a run of singles. The title, Presido La Pluto, was a reference to his nickname, the Pluto Presido, the president of Pluto, a world he had created in his music, with its own language, its own style, and its own fans.

In 2024 he released his debut album, Shakespopi, which continued that world-building. The album was a mix of sounds that reflected his journey from Benin City to stardom, and it included songs that became favourites across Nigeria. It was well received, and it showed that Shallipopi was still growing as an artist, still willing to try new sounds, and still able to write a song that connected with listeners. He was not a one-hit star. He was a musician with a vision, and his vision was a whole planet.

His Pluto world is an important part of his story, because it shows his imagination. He did not only make songs. He made a language, with words like Pluto, Presido, and other slang that his fans now use every day. He made a style, with colourful clothes, playful videos, and a confident, relaxed manner. He made a community, of young people who call themselves Plutomanians, and who see in Shallipopi a reflection of themselves, young, bold, and full of dreams. That world-building is rare, and it is the reason his fans are so loyal.

On stage, Shallipopi turns a concert into a gathering of his Pluto world. The lights are bright, the beat is loud, and the crowd answers every line back to him, waving, dancing, and shouting his slang into the night. People come to his shows not only to hear the hits, but to step inside that world for a few hours, to forget the week, and to feel as if they belong to something playful and new. A young fan from Benin City can look up at that stage and see someone who started where she started, and that sight, more than any single song, is what makes the night feel special.

Laho, Later Hits, and a Career That Keeps Moving

In recent years Shallipopi has continued to release hit songs, including Laho, which became a favourite across Nigeria and beyond. Laho is a song about life, about money, and about the hopes of young Nigerians, and it showed that he could still write a song that made people dance and made people think. His music in recent years has mixed Afropop with Amapiano and other sounds, and it has shown that he is still curious, still willing to try new ideas, and still able to write a song that connects with listeners.

He has also continued to collaborate, and his voice on other artists’ songs has become a mark of quality. He has worked with many Nigerian stars, and his playful style has added a fresh touch to their records. He is respected by other musicians, not only for his hits, but for his work ethic, for his imagination, and for his willingness to help younger artists. He has also launched his own label, Plutomania Records, which gives him a platform to develop new talent and to control his own work.

He has performed in many countries, and his music has reached Nigerians living abroad, who hear in his songs a reminder of home. For many of them, a Shallipopi song is not only a song. It is a piece of Benin City, a piece of the south of Nigeria, and a piece of the joy they remember. His songs are playful, but they are also honest, and that honesty is the reason they travel so far.

He continues to make music, to perform, and to grow as an artist, and his story is still being written. He is no longer a young man posting songs online in Benin City. He is a star, a label boss, and the Pluto Presido, a leader of a movement that has become part of Nigerian pop culture. His career is a story of a viral song, a new language, and a young man who turned his imagination into a career, and who is still dreaming, still singing, and still building his planet, one song at a time.

The Pluto Language, the Fans, and a Movement

One part of Shallipopi’s story that deserves a closer look is the language he has created, because it is more than slang. It is a way of speaking that his fans now use every day, with words that mean something only to those who follow his music. Pluto is not only a planet in his songs. It is a place, a feeling, and a community, a place where young people can be themselves, where they can dream big, and where they can have fun without apologising. That community, which calls itself Plutomania, is one of the most loyal fan bases in Nigerian music, and it has helped his songs to travel far and fast.

His fans are mostly young, and they see in Shallipopi a star who is like them. He is young, he is from a city that is not Lagos, he speaks their language, and he sings about their life. He does not pretend to be something he is not. He is a young man from Benin City who became a star by being himself, and that honesty has made his fans trust him. They do not only listen to his songs. They live in his world, they use his words, they wear his style, and they defend him online, because they feel that he represents them.

His label, Plutomania Records, is another part of that world-building. He founded the label to give himself a platform, and to give other young artists a chance, just as he was given a chance when Elon Musk went viral. He knows how hard it is for a young artist from Benin City to be heard in Lagos, because he lived that struggle himself. He has tried to use his label to help those artists, to record them, to promote them, and to help them find an audience. That work is quieter than his own songs, but it is an important part of his legacy.

Today Shallipopi stands as the Pluto Presido, a singer who proved that a viral song could become a career, and that a young man from Benin City could build a whole world in music. He has won awards, he has filled venues, and he has made songs that are part of Nigerian life, from Elon Musk to Ex Convict to Laho. His story is a story of imagination, of slang, of a planet, and of a young man who is still building, still singing, and still dreaming.

Benin City, Edo Slang, and a Sound That Is Not Lagos

Shallipopi’s story is important because he did not come from Lagos, and he did not try to sound like he did. He came from Benin City, in Edo State, and he brought the sound, the slang, and the spirit of Benin City with him to the top of Nigerian music. That matters, because the Nigerian music industry is centred in Lagos, and many artists from other cities feel pressure to move to Lagos and to sound like Lagos. Shallipopi did not do that. He stayed true to Benin City, he sang in its slang, he told its stories, and he made the whole country pay attention to a city that the industry often overlooks. That is a brave thing to do, and it is a lesson for any young artist who feels that they come from the wrong place.

His Edo slang is an important part of his sound, because it gives his songs a flavour that no other artist has. He mixes Pidgin, English, and Edo words in a way that feels natural, and his fans, even those who do not speak Edo, learn his words and sing along. That is a powerful thing, to teach a whole country new words, and to make those words a part of everyday talk. Shallipopi has done that, and his language has become a part of Nigerian pop culture, a sign that a young man from Benin City can change the way a whole country speaks.

Plutomania Records and the Label He Built for His Planet

Shallipopi founded his own label, Plutomania Records, and that decision tells you a lot about him. He did not want to depend on another label for his career. He wanted to control his own work, to sign his own artists, and to build a platform that reflected his Pluto world and his vision. That is a brave thing for a young artist to do, because running a label is hard work, and it takes time, money, and patience. He did it anyway, because he believed in himself, and because he wanted to give other young artists from Benin City and from other parts of Nigeria a chance, just as he was given a chance when Elon Musk went viral.

His label is also a statement about independence and about imagination. He is not a singer who waits for someone else to tell him what to do. He is a singer who makes his own decisions, who chooses his own songs, and who builds his own team. That independence is part of his appeal, because his fans see in him a young man who is in control of his own life, who is not afraid to take a risk, and who is willing to work hard to build something that lasts. His label may be small, but it is his, and that ownership matters, in an industry where many artists lose control of their work.

Obapluto, the Street Anthem, and a Name That Became a Place

Obapluto is a song that shows how far Shallipopi’s world-building has gone. The title itself is a place, a king, and a planet all at once, and the song became a street anthem across Nigeria, played at parties, in cars, and on the radio. It is not a complicated song. It is a catchy, playful track, full of slang and melody, and it works because it sounds like Shallipopi, like Benin City, and like Pluto, all at the same time. A song that can be a place, a person, and a feeling, all in one chorus, is a song that has done something special, and Obapluto did that for him.

The song also shows how his fans have taken up his language and made it their own. Young Nigerians now use Obapluto, Pluto, and Presido in everyday talk, to describe a feeling, a place, or a person, and that is a sign that his world has escaped the music and entered the culture. He did not plan that in a marketing meeting. He invented a word, he sang it, and people liked it enough to use it themselves. That is a rare kind of influence, and it is the reason his name is known even by people who do not follow Nigerian music closely. They have heard the word, even if they have not heard the song.

Benin Bronze, Old Art, and a New Star From an Old City

Benin City is famous for its bronze art, for sculptures that have been admired around the world for centuries, and Shallipopi comes from that city, a place where art is not new. It is old, deep, and part of everyday life. He did not become a bronze sculptor, but he became an artist in his own way, by making songs, by inventing words, and by building a world called Pluto. That connection, between an old city of art and a young man of music, is worth thinking about, because it shows that creativity does not start from nothing. It starts from a place, from a history, and from a culture that values making things with your hands and with your imagination. Shallipopi’s songs are a new kind of Benin art, playful, colourful, and full of life, and they carry the spirit of his city, even when they are played in Lagos or in London.

He has also shown that a young artist from a historic city can be modern without forgetting his roots. He sings in Edo slang, he talks about Benin City, and he wears his home proudly, while also making music that sounds like the future, with Amapiano beats, with viral hooks, and with a style that young people everywhere recognise. That mix, old and new, local and global, is the heart of his art, and it is the reason his fans in Benin City feel proud of him, and his fans in other cities feel invited into his world.

My Take:

I think Shallipopi is the most imaginative young star in Nigerian music, and I think imagination is a gift that is easy to undervalue. So many singers make songs about the same things, in the same way, with the same words. Shallipopi makes songs about a planet, about a president, about a world that only he can see, and he invites us to join him there. When I hear Elon Musk, I do not just hear a hit song. I hear a young man who has built a whole universe in his head, and who is generous enough to share it with us. That is a rare thing, and it is the reason his fans are so loyal. They are not only listening to his songs. They are living on his planet.

What I love most about him is that he came from Benin City, not from Lagos, and he did not hide that. He put Benin City in his songs, in his slang, in his style, and he made the whole country pay attention to a city that the music industry often overlooks. I think that is a beautiful thing to do, and it is a lesson for anyone who feels that they come from the wrong place. There is no wrong place. There is only a story, and if you tell your story well, people will listen, no matter where you come from. Shallipopi told his story, and the whole country listened.

Elon Musk is the song that first made me a fan, and I still think it is a perfect viral hit. It is playful, it is catchy, and it is full of humour. It does not try to be serious or important. It simply says, in a fun way, that a young man wants to live well, to have money, to enjoy life, and to be like Elon Musk, a man who is famous for dreaming big. I love that, because it turns a serious dream, the dream of success, into a joke, and then into a song that everyone can sing. That is a clever thing to do, and it shows that Shallipopi understands how to make a song that is both funny and true.

Ex Convict is the song I think about when I want to understand his deeper side. It is a song about life, about freedom, and about the hopes of young Nigerians, and it shows a singer who is thinking about more than fun. He is thinking about the struggle of being young, about the pressure to succeed, and about the need to keep going even when life is hard. That is a serious subject, and he sings about it with a calm and an honesty that makes it feel real. I respect that, because it shows that he is not only a playful singer. He is also a thoughtful one.

His Pluto world is another thing I admire, because it shows his imagination in a way that few other artists have done. He did not only make songs. He made a language, a style, a community, and a planet. His fans call themselves Plutomanians, they use his words, they wear his style, and they feel as if they belong to something. That is not a marketing trick. That is a world, built by a young man with a vivid imagination, and it is a world that gives young people a place to belong. I think that is a beautiful thing to do, especially for young people who often feel as if they do not belong anywhere.

I also think his youth matters. He was born in 2000, and he became famous when he was only 23 years old. That is very young, and it means he has had to grow up in public, with millions of people watching his every move. That is hard, and I think he has handled it well. He has stayed focused on his music, he has kept making hits, he has launched his own label, and he has built a career that is already impressive. I hope he continues to grow, and I hope he has good people around him, people who care about him as a person, not only as a star.

If I have one wish, it is that Shallipopi keeps building his world, because I think his best work is still ahead of him. Shakespopi showed a mature artist, and Laho showed that he can still write a hit, and I want to hear more of that growth. I hope he keeps making albums, keeps collaborating, and keeps singing about Pluto, about Benin City, and about life, because his voice is one that Nigerian music needs. He is not a loud star, but he is a lasting one, and his songs will be played for many years to come.

What I take from his story, in the end, is a simple idea, that imagination can change a life. Shallipopi imagined a planet, he sang about it, and the whole country joined him there. That is a hopeful story, and it is a true one. You do not have to come from Lagos to be a star. You do not have to sound like everyone else to be heard. You have to imagine something new, sing about it honestly, and trust that people will follow you. Shallipopi did, and he became the Pluto Presido. I think that is a lesson worth remembering, whether you make music or not. Dream big, sing honestly, and build your own planet.

I will keep listening to his music, and I will keep recommending Elon Musk and Ex Convict to anyone who wants to understand Nigerian street pop. I will tell them to listen for the humour, for the imagination, and for the feeling underneath it, and to notice how much joy fits into songs that sound so playful. I think they will understand then what I have come to understand, that Shallipopi is not only the Pluto Presido. He is a boy from Benin City who became a star by dreaming big, a singer whose imagination is his greatest gift, and an artist whose planet is still growing, one song at a time.

I also think about his song Laho, because it shows that he can still write a hit, even after the first viral moment has passed. Laho is a song about life, about money, and about the hopes of young Nigerians, and it became a favourite across the country. It proved that Shallipopi was not a one-hit star. He was a hitmaker, a singer who could write a song that made people dance and made people think, again and again. I liked that song because it showed his growth, his confidence, and his ability to stay relevant in a fast-changing industry, where many viral stars fade after a few months.

His album Shakespopi is another work I like, because it shows a more mature and more confident artist. The album is a mix of sounds that reflect his journey from Benin City to stardom, and it includes songs that are playful, songs that are romantic, and songs that are thoughtful. It shows that he is still growing, still learning, and still able to make a record that matters. I hope he keeps making albums like that, because the world needs more music made by young people for young people, honest music that speaks to their hopes and their fears, and that does it with humour and with imagination.

What stays with me about his concerts is the feeling in the room, a mix of joy and belonging that is hard to describe. The crowd does not stand still and watch. It dances, it shouts his words back, and it turns the whole venue into a small piece of Pluto for one night. A fan who has travelled from another city to see him does not only hear Elon Musk or Laho. She feels as if she has been invited into a world that was built for people like her, young, bold, and full of dreams, and she leaves the show feeling a little braver than when she arrived.

I also want to say something about his youth, because it matters. He was born in 2000, and he became famous when he was only 23 years old. That is very young, and it means he has had to grow up in public, with millions of people watching his every move. That is hard, and I think he has handled it well, for the most part. He has stayed focused on his music, he has kept making hits, he has launched his own label, and he has built a career that is already impressive. I hope he continues to grow, and I hope he has good people around him, people who care about him as a person, not only as a star, because his music matters, but his life matters more.

If I have one wish, it is that Shallipopi keeps building his world, because I think his best work is still ahead of him. He has already built a planet, a language, a label, and a fan base, and he has done it all before the age of twenty-five. Imagine what he could do in the next ten years, if he keeps growing, keeps learning, and keeps dreaming. I hope he does, because Nigerian music needs artists who are imaginative, who are bold, and who are willing to build something new, rather than copying what has already been done. Shallipopi is one of those artists, and his planet is still growing.

When I look at his whole career, from a young man posting songs online in Benin City to Elon Musk to Shakespopi, I see a young man who has grown, who has learned, and who has stayed true to his imagination. He started as a student with a dream, he became a star with a viral song, he became the Pluto Presido with a whole world, and he is still growing, still singing, and still dreaming. I do not know what he will do next, and that is part of what makes him interesting. He could make another viral hit, or another thoughtful album, or another collaboration, and any of those would be worth hearing, because Shallipopi has never been content to stay in one place.

Obapluto is a word I hear now in places that have nothing to do with music, and that tells me how far Shallipopi’s imagination has travelled. He invented a name, he sang it, and young people took it up and made it part of their everyday talk. That is not a normal kind of fame. That is a kind of authorship, the authorship of a language, and it is a gift that very few artists have. He did not set out to change how people speak. He set out to make a song, and the song was so catchy, so playful, and so full of life that its words escaped the song and entered the street. I think that is a beautiful accident, and it is one reason his story will be remembered.

What I notice most about his rise is its speed. He went from posting songs in Benin City to a viral hit, to an EP, to an album, to his own label, all in about two years. That speed can be dangerous, because it does not leave much time to learn, to rest, or to make mistakes in private. Shallipopi has handled that speed with a calm that surprises me, by staying focused on his music, by building his Pluto world, and by keeping his sense of humour. I hope he keeps that calm, because the world will keep asking him for more, faster, and louder, and he will need to protect the quiet part of himself that makes his songs so imaginative in the first place.

Benin City’s bronze art is something I think about when I listen to Shallipopi, because it reminds me that his city has been making art for centuries, long before pop music existed. He is part of that long story, a young artist from an old city, making something new from something old. His songs are not bronze, but they are art, and they carry the same spirit, playful, skilled, and full of life. I like that connection, because it tells me that creativity does not start from nothing. It starts from a place, from a history, and from a people who value making things, and Shallipopi has taken that history and turned it into a sound that the whole country now sings.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Shallipopi’s real name and where is he from?

Shallipopi was born Crown Uzama on 12 April 2000 in Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria. He grew up in Benin City, where he began writing and sharing songs online before becoming famous.

What song made Shallipopi famous in Nigerian music?

Elon Musk, released in 2023, made Shallipopi famous, because its playful lyrics and catchy beat went viral across Nigeria and beyond. He followed it with hits including Ex Convict and Obapluto.

Why is Shallipopi called the Pluto Presido?

He is called the Pluto Presido because he created a fictional world called Pluto in his music, with its own slang, style, and fans who call themselves Plutomanians. The title means he is the president of that world, and his debut EP was called Presido La Pluto.

What are some of Shallipopi’s best-known songs?

Shallipopi is known for Elon Musk, Ex Convict, Obapluto, Laho, and songs from his debut EP Presido La Pluto in 2023 and his debut album Shakespopi in 2024.

What is Shakespopi and when was it released?

Shakespopi, released in 2024, was Shallipopi’s debut album, and it continued the Pluto world he had built with his EP. It included songs that showed his growth as a writer and singer in Nigerian street pop.

Does Shallipopi have his own record label?

Yes, Shallipopi founded his own label, Plutomania Records, which gives him a platform to develop new talent and to control his own music. He launched the label after becoming famous with Elon Musk.