Before December 2021, fans knew little or nothing about Portable. Then all of a sudden, Zazu Zeh became an anthem among Nigerian fans throughout the Christmas season and beyond. Today, Portable is one of the fastest rising stars in the industry.
The energetic performer, whom many describe as “a child of grace”, is not new in the industry. However, Zazu Zeh has won him many fans and has become fans’ favourite. The Ogun State-born singer has already been nominated for ‘Rookie of the Year’ and ‘Best Street-Hop Artiste’ categories in the 2022 Headies Awards. Fans will be curious to know about him, which is why we are doing this piece.
Biography
Habeeb Okikiola, aka Portable Omolalomi, was born on March 12, 1994. He is also known in the streets as the son of Shaku Shaku, Street Problem, and Wahala Musician. He grew up in Abeokuta, the capital of Ogun State, Nigeria, with his family. Portable attended his primary and secondary school in Abeokuta but didn’t further his education because he wanted to focus on his music career. So, he moved to Sango-Ota, a city in the state, close to Lagos State.
Career
Before achieving fame in 2021, Portable had been in the music industry for ten years. He stumbled into fame when a blogger, Don Blue, used Zazu Zeh as a soundtrack on a post that caught the interest of Nigerian superstar singer and producer, Olamide aka Badoo.
According to Portable, he had never met Don Blue before, but he showed gratitude when the blogger posted his song on his blog. Shortly after, Don Blue contacted him that Badoo wanted to meet him, “so I rushed to Lekki to meet Baddo,” he said according to a report by Premium Times.
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That was the beginning of a success story for the 27-year-old. Following the release of Zazu Zeh on December 14, 2021, which featured Olamide and popular dancer Poco Lee, Portable became a household name. His song became an anthem for fans which hit about 6.6 million views on YouTube. The song was also one of the most played songs on Spotify, an online audio streaming platform.
A few days after Zazu Zeh’s release, Portable was invited to perform alongside Nigerian music diva Tiwa Savage at the Livespot X concert on Friday, December 17. Portable has also shared the stage with big names in the industry like Wizkid, Timaya, Burna Boy, and Olamide. He has also dined and wined with royalty as he was invited to meet the Ooni of Ile Ife, Adeyeye Ogunwusi, at his palace.
Portable has also enjoyed success in international tours. His new sponsor, E-Money, took the singer on his first United Kingdom tour on April 28, 2022. Fans always look forward to his shows because of his energetic performances. They already compare him with veteran rapper Terry G who was known for the same energetic performances. Some have, however, argued that Portable is better than Terry G.
Controversies
Did I forget to mention that Portable’s second name is controversy. In fact, the street singer is known more for his controversial actions than his music. He started his first career controversy within his first month of coming into the limelight. Barely a week passes without Portable making the headlines for the wrong reasons.
Portable called out Poco Lee and his show promoter for ripping him off. He accused Poco Lee of allegedly stealing the money given to him by Nigerian music star, Wizkid during his performance with Olamide at Livespot X Festival. In a series of videos that went viral on social media, Portable revealed that he was only given $600 of the money while Poco Lee pocketed the remaining $2400.
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His outburst did not go well with his promoter Kogbagidi, who walked him out of his record label. He later apologised for his utterances. Other celebrities like Olamide, Slimcase, and Yomi Fabiyi also joined him to apologise to Kogbagidi. Although he reconciled with his promoter and Poco Lee, he still threw coded shades at them on social media and on stage.
Portable sacked his crew members in a surprise twist, including his manager, disc jockey, and show promoter. He said their attitude had made it impossible for him to mingle with new people to grow his career. He also said he no longer wanted his former crew around him because he needed some space.
The fast-rising singer also mocked Naira Marley‘s Marlian movement. That’s not all. He was removed as a guest musician for a show in Canada. According to the show promoter, Canadian-based Nigerian MC Morris, Portable was removed because of his unstable attitude. The MC said that since Portable sacked two managers in a month, he was no longer eligible to perform at his show. He also revealed moves to get the Canadian immigration to cancel Portable’s visa.
Portable has also been known to fight his fans during performances. He almost got into a fight with a DJ in a club where he accused the DJ of handling his song poorly.
The controversial singer crashed his car twice and blamed it on “haters” who wanted to destroy him using charms. He also caused another controversy when he threatened to kill fellow contenders for the ‘Rookie of the Year’ and ‘Best Street-Hop Artiste’ 2022 Headies Award. Headies organisers warned him to retract his statement or face disqualification from the awards. Portable complied, saying he wasn’t the first to misbehave and that the “streets have taken over.”
On January 22, he posted a now-deleted tweet in which he said women were the cheapest things after biscuits. The post led to an uproar on social media.
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Songs
Apart from Zazu Zeh, Portable has released other songs. But none of them gained popularity as Zazu did. Some of his songs are:
- Alagbara Atijo
- Papangolo
- Woto Woto
- Tambolo
- Osha Ore Ika
- Ogo Forever
- Tewo Tewo
- Odogwu Bitters
- Mi Osere
- All Eyes On Me
- Neighbor
- Hello
- Adura
- Money Before You Love
- Gasolo
- My Way
- Zeh
- Ogarayan
- Clear
- One Assignment
Net worth
Portable has made a lot of money through music sales and shows. His net worth is estimated at N53.9 million ($130,000).
Family
Portable is not yet married, but he has two children from two different mothers.
Overall, Portable Omolalomi is not your typical Nigerian street musician. We haven’t heard the last of this singer whose controversial lifestyle has endeared him to fans rather than repelled them.
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