Every week, activities in the entertainment industry are incomplete without a dose of controversy from fast-rising singer, Habeeb Okikiola, popularly known as Portable.
He has become notorious more for his antics than for his singing talent since coming into the limelight, and continues to make headlines for the wrong reasons.
Many music lovers view Portable as arrogant due to his frequent outlandish conduct. Some others see him as outspoken; a person who does not hide his displeasure or feelings over any issue.
Although his career has witnessed series of dramatic events, clashes, and conflicts – especially with stories of face-off with colleagues, family and friends – the singer has grown to become one of the most talked about entertainers.
Portable’s rise to stardom towards the end of last year took many by surprise. He gained popularity with ‘Zazoo Zeh‘, his collaborative single with Poco Lee and Olamide.
The slang ‘Zazoo Zeh‘ from the hit single became an alliteration that found its way unconsciously or consciously into the lips of many Nigerians.
The street-inclined song became the rave of the moment on social media platforms and social gatherings. It offered the singer opportunity of performing at several concerts with top music artistes such as of Tiwa Savage, Small Doctor, Wizkid, Davido, Zlatan Ibile and many others where he sent the audience into a frenzy.
But trouble began when Portable had called out popular dancer Poco Lee for allegedly ripping him off on their hit track. He accused him of claiming ownership of the song.
The star further had a fallout with his promoter, Quadri Taoreed, aka Kogbagidi, when he accused the Poco Lee of taking $2,400 out of the $3,000 that Wizkid allegedly ‘sprayed’ him during their performance at the Livespot concert in Lagos.
Expressing his anger in a video, Kogbagidi said: “Unruly and unprofessional conduct is always expected from up-and-coming artistes. One can never tell what goes on in their minds or heads. I am shocked and embarrassed at this point. Do I need to fix your career and your head at the same time?”
The singer would later claim his altercation with the promoter was a publicity stunt. Apparently it wasn’t because he and Kogbagidi who had called the former an ungrateful person soon parted ways.
In January, a popular Kenyan radio presenter, Black Cinderella, called Portable out for sharing videos of his moments with ladies in the East African country.
He stirred fresh controversy when he threatened to use charms on anyone who comes to raid his house in search of drugs. This was after operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) arrested some of his colleague artistes in February.
On the romance front, Portable has disclosed he has two kids with different women.
But it’s not all been controversies and scandals. In a touch of positive news, the singer recently bagged an endorsement deal worth N50 million with socialite, Obi Iyiegbu, popularly known as Obi Cubana, to be the face of his newly-launched Odogwu Bitters.
However, that rare bit of positivity didn’t last long. He set tongues wagging again on social media after announcing via Instagram that he had fired every member of his crew – including his manager, personal disc jockey and show promoter.
The ‘Zazzu‘ crooner said he no longer wanted their services because of ‘fake love’ and mediocre professionalism. He further accused them of being “unruly” whenever he wanted to mingle with new people.
But this singular action by Portable came at a price: he lost the chance to perform at a forthcoming show organized by a comedian, MC Morris, in Canada. Morris made the announcement on Instagram shortly after the news went viral that the singer had sacked his close associates.
Portable had claimed that his manager, deejay, and promoter were solely dependent on him for money.
But reacting, his enstranged promoter, popularly known as Ijoba Danku, said he never collected a dime from the singer while acting as his promoter.
A few weeks ago, the singer alleged that he was being threatened by one Yusuf Ija-Omode in Ogun State and that the latter had given him a seven-day ultimatum . But he shortly after disclosed that he had settled the rift with with the individual.
The latest of his controversial actions was the crashing of his new white Range Rover SUV.
Portable said his vehicle ran into a fence and iron railings after the vehicle veered off the road due to brake failure. He had received the vehicle as a gift in December last year.
In a video of the accident shared on Instagram, the ‘Zazoo Zeh‘ singer claimed the crash was the handiwork of “enemies” who he said “touched the SUV with spiritual hands”.
Even if Portable turns out to be a one-hit wonder, his unending controversies are bound to keep fans entertained for a long time to come.