Artist Focus: Patoranking The Dancehall King
Patoranking’s musical talent is indisputable!
Real name:Patrick Nnaemeka Okorie Stage name:Patoranking Date of birth:May 27, 1990 State of Origin:Ebonyi Nationality:Nigerian Genre:Dancehall,Reggae
Patoranking is a Nigerian singer, songwriter, and dancer who is known as one of the country’s most beloved dancehall sensations.
He was born inIjegun-Egba,Alimosho,Lagos and attended Citizen Comprehensive College inEpe, Lagos. He also enrolled in Jibril Martin Memorial Grammar School inIponri.
The slimIgbo singer began his craft as a carnival dancer, providing street jams in addition. His stage name was given to him by a Jamaican artist who he met inAlpha Beach, Lagos.
His musical influences includeBuju Banton,Bob Marley,Fela Kuti,Lucky Dube,Chaka Demus,Majek Fashek,Blackky,2Baba, andMarvelous Benjy.
Patoranking released his first known singleIya Bisi in May 2012. He featuredQdot andKbaj on the track which is a combination of dancehall and fuji. The ideas he shared with the two artists helped him compose the song.
In September 2013, he released the audio and video of his next songAlubarika. It translates as “God’s Blessings” and featuresTimaya. The artist revealed that the track was a summary of his life as a musician and disclosed that it opened doors for him in the area of building a fan base and collaborating with established artists.
Girlie O, a song produced byWizzyPro, was released in February 2014 and it helped solidify his status as a rising star in the music industry. It got a lot of airplay and the video was shot and directed inLondon byMoe Musa.
The remix ofGirlie O was a collabo withTiwa Savage and was released byFoston Musik on May 19, 2014, to critical acclaim, debuting at number 9 onMTV Base’s Official Top Naija 10 Chart.
Tiwa Savage said she liked Patoranking’s music and decided to reach out to him so they could do the remix. As before, its video was shot and directed by Moe Musa.
Patoranking was featured onSheyi Shay’sMurda single alongsideShaydee which was dropped on April 1, 2014.
Daniella Whine andMy Woman, My Everything, both singles from Patoranking charted again on MTV Base Official Top 10 Chart, with the former occupying number 4 and topping the chart later while the former peaked at number 2.
In January 2016, Patoranking was announced as one of the judges for the maiden edition of the singing competitionThe Voice Nigeria.
He released his debut studio albumGod Over Everything on August 1, 2016. Featuring the likes ofPhyno,Wizkid,Sarkodie,Olamide,Elephant Man, andWasiu Ayinde Marshall, it debuted at No. 4 onBillboard’s Reggae Albums chart.Wilmer, his second album was released in 2019.
Patoranking has described his music as a moral variation of dancehall, stating that it deals with socio-political issues. He is a recipient of several awards, including theAFRIMAAward for Best Dancehall Artist (2016),Vodafone Ghana Music Awardsfor African Artist of the Year (2016),MTV Africa Music Awards for Best New Act (2015),Headies Award for Best Collabo and aCity People Entertainment Award.