Name: Patoranking
Where He’s From: Lagos, Nigeria
When He Started: 2009
Genre: Dancehall/Hiplife
For Fans Of: Tiwa Savage, Davido, Shatta Wale, Samini
Sounds Like: Lagos pon de dance floor
This summer, dancehall-reggae deejay/singer
Patoranking (born Patrick Nnamemeka Okorie) has one of most popular
tunes in Nigeria, “Girlie O (Remix),” which features the vocal stylings
of Naija pop queen Tiwa Savage.
Prior to this year, he had been recording for years in the underground,
gaining a reputation for thoughtful, spiritual lyrics over airy
dancehall riddims and one-drop reggae.
His peek through the door before his big
break came in 2013, when his collaboration with singer Timaya,
“Alubarika,” made a few ripples. The reggae jam, whose title can be
translated to “god’s blessings,” features a sunny melody and
Patoranking’s magnetizing patois. He said in an interview that the song
was about “the transition from ghetto to hero and grass to grace”.
In February 2014, he signed a record deal
with Foston Musik and released the original verson of “Girlie O”
produced by WizzyPro. In its video, Patoranking
comforts a woman affected by domestic violence. Tiwa Savage was so
impressed by the track that she reached out to him to jump on the remix,
which adds some spit and polish to the song’s minimalist dancehall
beat. All and all, Patoranking’s romantic charm, positivism and
spirituality makes him a promising rising star in the global dancehall
scene.
0 comments: