ONEXTRA: Patoranking

Patrick Nnaemeka Okorie, 27, popularly known as Patoranking, is a Nigerian reggae and dancehall singer and songwriter with smash hits like ‘Girlie O’, ‘No Kissing Baby’, ‘My Woman’ and ‘Daniella Whine’. PHOTO| COURTESY

Patrick Nnaemeka Okorie, 27, popularly known as Patoranking, is a Nigerian reggae and dancehall singer and songwriter with smash hits like ‘Girlie O’, ‘No Kissing Baby’, ‘My Woman’ and ‘Daniella Whine’. Josephine Mosongo caught up with him when he was in Nairobi to find out exactly what he has been up to

 

You’re working with Alikiba for this season of Coke Studio; what do you feel is special about him that will create great chemistry for a song together?

I didn’t know who I was going to work with until I got here and when I heard it was Alikiba, I was excited because I love experimenting with new stuff. This is new because it is someone who does a different genre of music, so it’s going to be a good one.

Has he taught you any Kiswahili, you recently put up a post on Instagram with a Kiswahili caption.

Oh yes, the title of the song we did is called Katika, which I guess means whine, that’s what he taught me.

You did the ‘Daniella’ remix with Jamaican artistes Elephant Man and Konshens. Did you pay for the collaboration?

No, they loved the vibe and... if you see what’s going on now, everybody is concentrating on Africa. The world’s attention is on Africa. It is not even about money, they want a piece of our culture. Personally, they loved my vibe and they liked the whole setting.

Your hit songs have made you very popular, do you know how famous you are?

I don’t know, I don’t even know if I’m famous.

Do you go to some countries and get surprised that people know you there?

I receive love from fans when I go to certain places and I feel blessed about it.

You made it public that you came from a poor background, are you afraid of becoming poor again?

A famous musician in Nigeria once said: “The fear of poverty is the beginning of hard work”. Most definitely I don’t want to go back to my former life, that’s why I put in a lot of work. That’s why I don’t see or consider myself to be famous, so I strive and work to be better. A better me.

Do you save?

Definitely, I save for rainy days.

Back in May you won the Best African Artiste Entry at the South African Music Awards. Do awards validate you?

My general opinion about awards is, it’s not a do-or-die affair. When I win an award, I feel a sense of gratitude, like my work has been appreciated. But that doesn’t mean I’m better than the person who did not win. The thing is, they can’t play my songs in the club 20 times, or just one of my songs for two hours straight. It’s good to be awarded and commended for your effort but it’s not the end of it, if you know what I mean.

Hypothetically speaking, if you were to move to East Africa, which country would you choose to live in?

Kenya (laughs).

You wear sunglasses a lot of times, how many pairs do you own?

I don’t really know, I’ve lost count. I’m outdoors a lot and I keep getting new ones.

You’ve said before that Afrobeats is the future of music, do you think you will have to conform once it’s out of style, like other genres before it?

I don’t think so, this is our culture. That’s like saying we as Africans we’ll stop eating using our hands, I don’t think so. It’s our life, it’s our gene, and this is our thing.

You tour a lot, is there a difference between the Europe audience where you recently had your GOE Tour to promote your debut album ‘God Over Everything’ and the African audience?

So much difference. The population difference is huge, and the Africans there are few compared with those back home. The turnout was amazing because I had about 30 per cent foreigners coming for the show. It was a great experience.

It’s a general perception that albums don’t sell as well as singles. How has yours been doing?

Mine is doing well. I dropped ‘God Over Everything’ this year and it’s doing well. I’m happy about it.

Do you have a motto or mantra that you live by?

Yes, I have a few: to engage and to achieve, while the second one is: live and let love live. Those are things that I look up to every day and hope that I successfully live up to them.

You have quite a fashion sense. Do you dress yourself or do you employ the help of a stylist?

I dress myself. I wear anything that makes me feel happy. I can dress like a Kenyan and I will still kill it (laughs). Let me use a trendy word and say that I will still slay.

What do you think are some of the trendy words that are being overused?

Slay, of course, and wavy. I think those words should be banned. Fleek, but fleek is gone, so…

@jmmosongo