This Is How Shallipopi Came Up With His Unique Stage Name

Nigerian singer Crown Uzama, professionally known as Shallipopi, recently shared the intriguing backstory behind his stage name during an appearance on the Cocktails and Takeaways podcast.

Shallipopi revealed that his moniker originated from an old Taiwanese movie titled Shaolin Popei.

Despite experimenting with various aliases, including his given name Crown, none resonated with him or his audience.

Reflecting on his search for the perfect stage name, Shallipopi reminisced, that I was looking for a name.

I needed a name and I checked this one and checked that one, but it didn’t work. I even tried my name.

But if I tell people my government name, they won’t feel it like that. My name is Crown, so I needed another name.

I used to go by Drip Face, and I used to change my names anyhow, so I had many names.

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The singer then delved into the childhood memory that inspired his stage name.

He recalled When we were little, we had this DVD that our parents bought for us.

Back then, there were some cassettes that when you bought it, you wouldn’t see the movie on the case.

You’d see a different movie inside. There was one that my mother bought, it was a cartoon, but when we played it, it was a different movie called Shaolin Popey.

It was an old Korean or Karate, Kung Fu movie.

The 1994 movie left a lasting impression on young Crown.

He explained, At the time I was looking for names, so I searched the movie on Google, and it saved me.

So I decided to take the first S.H.A and the L.I and POPI. That’s the real story.

In essence, Shallipopi’s stage name pays homage to his childhood fascination with martial arts cinema, infusing his artistic identity with a blend of nostalgia and creativity.