Nigerian singer and rapper Shallipopi has opened up on why he moved away from rap music to focus more on singing and Amapiano influenced sounds.
Speaking on a recent episode of the Afrobeats Intelligence podcast, the “Cast” hitmaker revealed that although rap was his first love, financial realities pushed him in a different direction.
According to him, Amapiano has proven to be more profitable in the Nigerian music industry compared to rap, making it a more sustainable path for his career.
He explained that he originally started as a trap and rap artiste but gradually embraced Amapiano because it “brings food to the table,” noting that he had to adapt to survive in the music business.
Shallipopi added that he struggled to achieve significant financial success through rap alone, attributing it partly to the preferences of Nigerian music aunces and limited support for rap music in the mainstream.
He also addressed his controversial decision to reject a Heas award for Best Rap Song, which he won with his hit track “Cast.” He said the decision was based on his belief that the organisers were trying to label him strictly as a rap artiste.
The singer insisted that he should be recognised across multiple categories, arguing that his music blends both singing and rapping rather than fitting into a single genre.
Shallipopi’s comments have reignited conversations about genre classification in Afrobeats and the growing dominance of Amapiano influenced sounds in Nigeria’s music scene.
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