From Rags To Riches: Patoranking’s Journey To Stardom

Patoranking proves that there is no shortcut to
success but through hardwork and
determination. The singer who is currently a
household name in Nigeria and widely loved
abroad went through some terrible hardships
before attaining the position where he is today.
Patoranking born, Nnemeka Okorie to the family
of Mr. and Mrs. Okorie on May 27, 1990, grew
up in Ijegun Egba Satellite Town and later
relocated to Ebute Metta.
He arrived on the music scene as a relentless
achiever and started his performing arts career
as a street jam and carnival dancer when
nobody gave him a chance in the music
industry. But today the ‘Girlie O’ crooner is fast
climbing the ladder to becoming an A-list artiste.
On his journey to stardom, the dancehall
act started his musical career doing underground
collaborations with artists such as XProject,
Konga, Slam and Reggie Rockstone. He signed a
record deal with K-Solo’s Igberaga Records in
2010, releasing “Up in D Club” under the outfit.
Before hitting it big with his hit song ‘Alubarika’,
Pato quit school due to financial difficulties,
moved from Cape Coast to Accra and spent most
nights on the streets of Osu for survival.
Patoranking has once revealed his song, ‘Nothing
to Something’ was the chronicle of his life.
During that period the reggae singer lived in a
one room apartment and sold rat killer during
traffic. He was also a bricklayer for a while and
dabbled into so many things to achieve his
dreams.
But it seems he was predestined to be successful,
when on September 12 2013, he released the
video and audio for “Alubarika” simultaneously.
The song which literally translates to “God’s
Blessings” and features vocals from Timaya was
just the starting point of blessings overflow for
the young talented man.
The music “Alubarika”, shot by AJE Films is a
summary of Patoranking’s life as a musician. He
also said that the song opened doors for him in
terms of building a fan base and working with
established musicians.
Now Patoranking has a lot of awards to his
credit, including the Headies 2014 Best Reggae/
Dancehall single, 2014 Channel O Music
awards Dancehall/Reggae Act of the Year
and 2014 Nigeria Entertainment Awards Best
New Act Of The Year.