Nigerian singer Skales has opened up about an emotional experience he had with the police, revealing that he was once locked up in a cell and forced to perform his hit song “Shake Body” for fellow inmates.
In a candid interview with Zikoko media, the singer recounted how he and his manager were arrested after getting entangled in a dispute with a Nigerian billionaire. Skales said the altercation resulted in his manager being detained, and his refusal to leave his manager behind led to his own arrest.
“One time, my manager and I were locked up for no reason. We had an issue with a billionaire. Just because of power, they arrested my manager and told me to go home. I said, ‘How can you arrest my manager and I’ll go home?’ I followed them to the station, and while I was writing a statement, they said I had to sleep in the cell,” he stated.
Inside the cell, Skales’ identity quickly became known among the inmates, with one recognising him and asking if he had committed a serious crime to end up in jail.
“He asked if I killed someone. I told him what happened, and he said, ‘That’s how these billionaires behave.’ He even offered to help me murder the man,” the artist revealed.
As word spread among inmates that a celebrity was in their midst, the cell’s internal hierarchy came into play. Skales was told to “greet the boss” or risk being bullied by other detainees. Upon meeting the so-called cell boss, the singer was asked to perform his well-known tracks “Shake Body” and “Emergency.”
“The boss even sang some lyrics from ‘Emergency’ himself. He said if I perform for them, they’d let me sleep on a mat. Normally, everyone sleeps on the bare floor. So I performed, sang the lyrics and everything shamelessly,” he recounted.
The gesture earned him special treatment from the inmates, who even expressed sympathy for his situation.
“The boss said, ‘This boy doesn’t deserve to be here,’” Skales recalled.
He also highlighted the harsh conditions in the cell, noting that detainees only eat when their families send money for food.
“If your people don’t send money, you won’t eat. So when I left, I bought them lots of food and thanked them,” he added.
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