Omoniyi Temidayo Raphael, popularly known as Zlatan Ibile, is a cultural icon of “street music,” which has become mainstream, with a career spanning over a decade.
Zlatan’s career started when he won the Airtel-sponsored “One Mic” talent show in 2014, when he was just 19, and went on to gain recognition in 2017 for his hit track “My Body”, which featured Afrobeat legend Olamide. In 2018, Zlatan was signed by Lawrence Irabor, co-owner of Alleluyah Boiz Entertainment.
He gained more recognition after collaborating with Lil Kesh and Chinko Ekun on a monumental hit song. Shortly after, he dropped one of his greatest songs, “Zanku.”
Zanku changed a lot of things for Zlatan, and not only was the dance a hit, but it also spawned a dance challenge of the same name. Later that year, he released a song with Davido.
Zlatan’s run did not stop there, as the year after, he followed up with more songs with other popular Afrobeat artists, like Burna.
In 2020, Zlatan Ibile announced the launch of his own record label, “Zanku Records.” Later that year, on his birthday, he unveiled the artists signed to the label.
Another pivotal moment in Zlatan’s career that endeared Nigerians to him was his song “Soro Soke”, released during the #ENDSARS protest, a dark time in the country, where Zlatan’s willingness to take a stance further solidified his popularity.
His last project was a single with Qing Madi, titled Demons and over the weekend, Zlatan announced his upcoming album titled “Symbol of Hope”, with artists like Olamide, Victony, Mayorkun, Flavor and Davido being some of the features on the album.
The album will be released on the 17th of October, and with his discography, we can only expect great things from the artist’s album.
