Meet the 'Oshozondi' Shaku Shaku champion, who dreams of teaching the dance to Beyonce, Nicki Minaj, Usher

Slimcase had never seen so many people
working in a news room. He was astonished
with the number of computers that greeted
him as he stepped into the Pulse office
space. “Awon temi Shashe,” he spoke in
Yoruba, which translates into “my people who
are running things.”
It was a slang that was popular on the
streets of Lagos mainland, which referred to
people with laptop computers, perpetuating
internet frauds, and robbing people of
millions of dollars.
But it wasn’t his fault. Slimcase is from the
streets, and at the moment, his songs
Oshozondi’ and ‘Shepeteri’ are currently
pushing for mainstream penetration as part
of the viral ‘Shaku shaku’ movement and
wave currently dominating Nigerian music.
“I thank God,” he says. “ This is my first time of
being in this situation. To do something that the
world is listening to. It makes me feel fulfilled.”
He is a happy man through and through.
First he hugged me with excitement, declaring
his love and respect for my craft. He was
smiling from one end of his mouth to another
as he looked to the heavens and said: “I
didn’t know that I will meet a celebrity like you.
I watch your show all the time, and I ask
myself, when would you talk about me?”
He continues to shake my hand, and declare
his admiration. He isn’t accustomed to
mainstream coverage. Seeing himself walk
into the Pulse office and meet with me is a
personal mark of achievement. When I lead
him to the studio, and offer him a seat in
front of the camera, he feigned disbelief.
“So you, Joey Akan, wey sabi dis entertainment,
wan interview me like dis so?” he asked.
“Yes,” I replied, embarrassed and pleased at
the same time. This level of honesty and
simplicity is sorely lacking in the music
industry. It was new to me.
Before we started the conversation, he
hesitated for a bit and muttered something
under his breath. Concerned, I ask him what
the problem is.
“Your English is too much. You know say we na
street. Take am easy,” he pleads.
I smiled at how inconsiderate I was, and gave
him permission to flow in pidgin. On my part,
I promised to water down my ‘phonetics’.
Early Life and Discovery of Music
Slimcase, born Oluwafemi Oladapo Oko-Eko,
on August 21, 1985, grew up in Ikorodu, a
place on the fringes of life in Lagos state. He
was schooled and raised by the streets, where
he honed his talent as a comedian. At the
start of his career, music was a distant
dream, one that he had never considered. He
was a funny guy, who had designs to cash in
on that. And so he began, performing for
friends, family members, and the odd social
gathering. But music found him.
Slimcase stumbled upon the art by chance in
2011. His friend, who he refers to as ‘Beat by
Sars’, (not to be confused with Sarz on the
beat'), was the first person to ever record his
vocals for a song in Akoka, in a dingy studio
near the prestigious University of Lagos
(UNILAG).
“I loved his productions, and without voicing to
the beats, I had the urge to be a musician. His
beat was so banging, that I wanted to record on
it,” he says
His friend encouraged him, choosing to tell
him that “with this your style, you can just put
something on the beat.” Slimcase started
recording as a rapper, due to his early Hip-
hop influences, where he followed records
made by luminaries such as Eminem, Snoop
Dog, 50 Cent and Dr Dre and others.
Oshozondi, Discovering The Shaku Shaku
Sound, And Prominence
Back in 2017, Nigeria welcomed a relatively
new artist by the name of Small Doctor. The
singer was announced by his street record,
‘Penalty’, which found a way to cross into
mainstream recognition, and accelerated his
brand.
Small Doctor made music with a very
interesting sound, which was rooted firmly in
South African House, but with lesser
emphasis on percussion, and more on
intrusive drum breaks. ‘Penalty’ shot the
singer to prominence, where his stock grew
meteorically. By the end of the year, it would
feature as one of 2017’s top record.
Olamide would later utilize that ‘street sound’
and formula to create ‘Wo’, a record produced
by Young Jonn, which stylistically obeys all
the rules of Small Doctor’s successful record.
‘Wo’ would become the dominant street song,
heading into the holiday season, and into the
New Year.
But away from the mainstream music
industry, new songs following that specific
sound were dominating the streets. Songs
such as Mr Real’s “Legbegbe”, Idowest’s
“Omo Shepeteri” (featuring Slimcase and
Dammy Krane), Slimcase’s “Oshozondi”,
Zlatan Ibile’s “My Body” (featuring Olamide)
and others were holding the attention of the
public.
Backed by a dance style called ‘Shaku shaku’,
the songs were growing and attracting major
attention.
The Wobe sound is primarily a cross between
the South African House and Qgom sound.
It’s a hybrid sound which focuses on the
heavy drums as its most distinct feature.
Percussion, if it ever makes it into the record
is limited, with the arrangement designed to
make the drums emphatic enough to make
people move.
That’s the sound that Slimcase is utilizing to
rise beyond his station in Nigerian music.
“Shaku shaku has been around for a while on
the streets, but nobody paid attention to it,”
Slimcase says. “It originated from the Mushins
and Ageges of Lagos, and no one knew how to
tap into a sound for the dance.
“Until I drop this song titled ‘Oshozondi’, and
showed them that they can vibe that dance to
this song. It created a standard for them which
showed that this sound really goes with the
dance. It made me prominent. I didn’t start the
dance, my song created a platform for the
dance.”
Describing how he got the other record,
‘Shepeteri’, he says: “It’s a downloaded beat.
The chorus kept coming, and we decided to just
drop it. It wasn’t a single, it was just a mixtape
song. In three weeks, it was everywhere. In two
months, we saw Davido dancing to the song.”
Street Life And The Originality Of The ‘Lamba’
I ask Slimcase about the intricacies and
dynamic of street music, and he pauses for a
while. Deep in thought for a minute, I witness
his little conflict of emotion but don’t
interrupt it. How can you ask a man to
explain his ecosystem, and not wait for him
to collect himself?
Slimcase finally reached an agreement with
himself, raised his head, cleared his throat,
and shared it with me.
“The hustle is real. The hustle is so real that you
cannot fake in the street. It’s either you are in
the street or you are not in the street at all. You
have to go to the street, to write a street song.
You can’t sit in Lekki and write a street song.
You have to go to the den, and sit down in the
den. Even if you don’t join them in their acts,
you have to be there,” he says.
He explains that the best comedians and
creatives in Nigeria are grilled and
manufactured by the streets. He explains how
‘real’ the street is, and how everyday life and
slangs (which he refers to as ‘Lambas’) can
be turned into elements of pop culture.
Slimcase also explains that street artists are
primarily inspired by Fuji music.
“Most of them hardly listen to Hip-hop, and if
they do, they can’t relate to it. That’s why they
created their own language and their music. The
lamba is what they understand,” he says.
Slimcase further explains that due to the
poverty and lack of street exposure, the
original elements of the street are hijacked
and appropriated by pop musicians who have
a larger following, and bigger platforms. He
declines to mention any specific name, but
explains:
“These celebrities can’t come to the streets and
identify with people because of who they are.
Most of them go on Instagram, and also watch
Youtube videos. They will gather ideas from
these things and create their records,” he
explains.
Slimcase says the lack of censorship and the
crudity of the street ‘Lamba’ has been a
hindrance in the export of the music to
mainstream audiences via radio and TV. This
creates a barrier, which is exploited by pop
artists.
“They take these songs clean them, and release
it as their own. It has also happened to me,” he
says.
The way forward for him, is for street artists
to practice self-censorship to end this
practice.
D’banj, Yemi Alade And The Blessings Of
Shaku Shaku
Slimcase is having a ball right now. With the
explosion of the Shaku Shaku movement, life
has somewhat changed for him. He has seen
his stock rise considerably, with many
mainstream stars reaching out to him for
collaborations. Already, he has worked with
Afro-pop superstar, D’banj on a new record
titled ‘Issa Banger’.
“Wow!” he screamed in disbelief while talking
about D’banj. “Me, Slimcase, work with
D’banj!!”
Slimcase also has featured on a DJ Enimoney
record titled ‘Diet’. Interestingly, the single
also features Reminisce, and African pop
queen, Tiwa Savage. He also has another
record with Yemi Alade, titled ‘ Shakpati’ .
The Future Of Shaku Shaku
Slimcase is dreaming big. He isn’t limiting
the Shaku Shaku sound to just Nigeria or
Africa. He believes that he can champion this
genre, and export it across the oceans, down
to American pop markets.
“You know what I see? I see Nicki Minaj and
Beyonce dancing Shaku Shaku, and I’m there in
their middle, teaching them the dance,” he says.
“My vision is to take the song and sound to the
world, make records, and have my name
stamped on it.
“I’ll keep doing it until I knock the door of
Beyonce, someday, or Usher Raymond dancing to
a song that we have collaborated on.”
To wrap up the interview, he grabs a phone,
and proceeds to perform a min-skit, starting
with his alter-ego name 'Saint Sami Ganja',
and speaking in Lambas and Yoruba. As we
conclude, he asks for a photo, and whisper
into my ears, “This is just the starting point.”
I believe him.
Joey Akan
is the Music Editor at Pulse.
Multi award-winning writer,
journalist, critic and podcaster.
He leans on Music Journalism.
He lives for the art, sweaty parties, loud
music, snobbish celebrities and Tekno
rejecting awards. Reach me via Email:
joey.akan@ringier.ng, 09090404151 (SMS
only) Follow him on Twitter and Instagram:
@joeyakan
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Slimcase was born in Ikorodu, and makes