Nigerian rapper Temidayo Omoniyi, popularly known as Zlatan Ibile, has opened up on the challenges he faced as an upcoming artiste during his days at Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Abeokuta, Ogun State, despite winning a major music competition.
Zlatan, who won the Airtel One Mic Talent Show in 2014 at the age of 19, revealed that he struggled financially after the victory and had to convert the car he won from the competition into a commercial taxi to make ends meet.
Speaking in an interview with popular content creator and streamer, Shank Comic, the Zanku Records boss said he would drive the car at night from Abeokuta to Shagamu, charging ₦350 per trip, just to afford food and support his education.
Back in school, when there was no money for food, I would just wait till night and use the car I won from the Airtel One Mic Talent show to run cab from Abeokuta to Shagamu for ₦350,” he recounted.
Although he gained some recognition after the talent show, Zlatan said financial stability did not follow immediately. His major breakthrough came in 2017 when he featured renowned rapper Olamide on his hit track, My Body, a collaboration he described as the turning point of his career.
