Not everyone has a grass to grace story, but it’s okay to share experiences to see how far we have come, not only because we are surrounded, to a large extent by poverty and economic hardship, but because we also take pride in the culture of hustling.
It’s beautiful to be able to reminisce over days when your neck was longer than a giraffe’s, when you sold akara by the roadside, jumped on buses, or squatted with your friend and his 6 roommates.
Let’s take a look at the early and humble beginning of a Nigerian famous dancehall singer, who recently bagged a degree at the Harvard University business school despite dropping out of school years ago.
Patrick Nnaemeka Okorie widely known as Patoranking is a Lagos Born Nigerian reggae dancehall singer who started his journey in life doing minial jobs for survival. Born into the family of Mr. and Mrs Okorie who lived in Ijegun Egba Satellite town in Lagos he later moved to Ebute Metta area of Lagos State in search of comfort.
Although born and raised in Lagos, he is originally from Onicha Local Government Area in Ebonyi State. Patoranking started out as a dancer to a ghetto dance called ‘galala’. He danced at carnivals and to street jams.
Not only that Patoranking a name he got from a Jamaican he met at a Lagos beach was a dancehall artist, it is also interesting to know that the famous reggae singer was once a rat poison seller on the street of Lagos. But today he is unarguably the number one dancehall artist in Nigeria and also a father of two beautiful daughters.
In 2007 he moved to Ghana to pursue his education after gaining admission to the “University of Cape Coast”. but dropped out due to financial reasons.
After dropping out of the University, he moved to Osu, a suburb of Accra, Ghana where he met Lanky, an entrepreneur who signed him to his label, Black Rhythmz Entertainment.
Whilst signed to Black Rhythmz Entertainment, he was working at a restaurant opposite Frankies Osu and had another job at Accra Mall. After recording a few songs on Lanky’s label, the relationship came to an end and he returned to Nigeria.
Upon his return to Nigeria, Ranking joined K-Solo’s Igberaga Records in 2012, where he recorded “Iya Bisi”, featuring Qdot and Kbaj.
It was not until 12 September 2013, that Patoranking’s life changed with the release of the audio and video for “Alubarika”. The song which translates “God’s Blessings” and features vocals from Timaya.
Despite the harsh and rough beginning Patoranking has excitedly bagged a degree for himself at the prestigious American university, Harvard business school, adding to his music career and numerous ambassadorial deals including adidas, a news he shared on his Instagram page.