Patoranking

Patoranking is Patrick Nnaemeka Okorie, a Nigerian singer and songwriter born in Ijegun-Egba, Lagos, on 27 May 1990, with roots in Ebonyi State. A Jamaican artist he met on a Lagos beach gave him the name, and his heroes include Buju Banton, Bob Marley, Lucky Dube and Majek Fashek.

He spent part of his early career in Ghana, studying at the University of Cape Coast and working at Accra Mall while signed to a local label. Back in Nigeria he recorded “Alubarika” with Timaya (2013). “Girlie O” (2014) made him a star, and its remix with Tiwa Savage kept it going. “My Woman, My Everything” with Wande Coal (2015) followed, and that year he signed a distribution deal with the Jamaican label VP Records.

His albums are God Over Everything (2016), Wilmer (2019), Three (2020) and World Best (2023). His style is dancehall with Afrobeats underneath, and his lyrics often turn to social and political issues. He runs his own label, Amari Musiq.