From a taxi to the top of the music charts, Nigerian hip-hop star Zlatan Ibile’s journey to fame is an inspiring one.

In a recent chat with media personality Samuel Eni, Zlatan revealed that he had to use the car he won in a music competition as a taxi to make ends meet.

Zlatan explained that he won the car after topping 140 contestants in the competition, and it was a sign from God that he should take his music career seriously.

He said, “If I can win a brand new car, seems God is telling me something. I took it seriously from there.”

However, despite the initial boost, Zlatan’s rise to fame was not an easy one. He recounted how he struggled to maintain the car and his lifestyle, eventually resorting to using the car as a taxi.

It took him four years after winning the car to make a breakthrough in his music career.

Zlatan’s encounter with Nigerian music stars Olamide and Davido turned his fortunes around. Olamide made a song for him and appeared in the video for free, which Zlatan considers his breakthrough moment in 2017.

Davido also helped him by featuring him in a song and financing the video when Zlatan was struggling to pay for it.

After that, Zlatan made the hit song “Zanku,” and since then, he has been enjoying success after success.

In his words;

After that, it took me another four years after I won the car. I ended up using the car as [a] taxi because I could not maintain the car or maintain the lifestyle. Before, Olamide saw me one day and hit me up on Instagram. He called me up and made a song for me, for free,[and also] came for the video shoot for free. To me, that was like my breakthrough song in 2017.

Davido saw the song [Body], and danced to it; the video was his first one million views on Instagram. And, he called me to come to his house. He made [a] song for me. I told him I don’t have money for [the] video. He gave me money for the video. After then, I made Zanku, and since then it has been blessings upon blessings.

Zlatan Ibile

Despite his achievements, the singer remains humble and grateful, acknowledging that he owes his success to those who helped him along the way.