Zlatan is not an easy artist to place. He lies somewhere between Olamide and Phyno \u2013 a street rap champion whose pop music chops have ensured his continued relevance to the Afrobeats conversation over the past three years. This past December, the rapper found a slot in his schedule to have a chat about how he broke out, what the street rap label carries, and more. What follows is an edited down version of our conversation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What is a street rapper?<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n In Nigeria, what people refer to as “street” are the underdogs, people that are actually struggling. The less privileged people, people that come from nothing to something. You have talent, but it’s hard because you’re a street boy. Why I’m referred to as a street rapper is because I used to be a street boy that had nothing, that had little opportunity. I just had talent. I had to hustle my way to the top in order to have money to go to the studio. Most of the time, when I’m singing, I connect back to those people. I’m from there, so I say things that people from there can connect to. I share my stories so that people can also strive hard and get motivated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Did these same streets give you a personality?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Yeah. I knew from my time that as a street boy, if you don’t fight for yourself, no one is gonna fight for you. My personality is different. Right now, I’m trying to re-brand, so it doesn’t look like a street rapper can’t cross over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n