The release of “Abule” will be supported by several digital initiatives, and a music video dropping Aug. 5, all with the theme of representing and protecting your hood.
PATORANKING is encouraging fans to rep their respective hood/area/zanga/zone/endz by creating custom graphics atrepyourabule.com, launching today. Site visitors enter the name of their community, and upload or choose an existing background image on the site, which they can then instantly download and/or share to social media with the hashtag #repyourabule.
On July 31, PATORANKING joins TikTok’s #SpiritsUp campaign, an initiative by the video-sharing social media platform to support its recent launch in Africa. At 1pm EST/6pm WAT, he will host a TikTok livestream, including a Q+A and live performance, to launch the #AbuleDanceChallenge, encouraging users to upload videos of themselves dancing to the track. As part of the partnership, TikTok SA is donating funds for communities across Africa in need of Coronavirus relief.
“I’m proud to be from my abule, Ebute Metta, because to have made it coming from there it’s only by God’s grace,” PATORANKING says. ”It’s made me who I am today and it’s part of my story. So I waste no opportunity to let people know about my ghetto. I feel it’s important through this new song to give my fans a chance to celebrate their own abules. And to protect their abules, too. Back in May, my team and I partnered with Ebele & Anyichuks Foundation to go to many ghettos across Lagos to give away masks and relief items. It’s important we stay safe and do our part to protect.”
In addition to the new project, PATORANKING can also be heard on the new version of Bob Marley’s “One Love” alongside Stephen Marley, Skip Marley and other members of the international music community, with all proceeds going to support Unicef’s Covid-19 relief efforts. He recently created the ALU Patoranking Scholarship, offering 10 fully-paid scholarships for promising students from across Africa to attend the prestigious African Leadership University, and was featured in Forbes Africa’s 30 under 30 class for 2020.