Entertainment
Dagrin’s Raw, Rare Talent, Deserves Immortalisation – Yakky
Since Dagrin’s demise on April 22, 2010, comments have been trailing the shocking and avoidable death that took away the life of the then foremost indigenous rapper.
As the tradition has been, remembering Dagrin, Yakky, a friend of the late rapper, who featured him in a song “Gbadun You”, reflected on his relationshtip with the Pon pon pon crooner.
Speaking in an interview on Sunday, Yakky described Dagrin as a “rare raw talent”, who will be difficult to replace.
“My relationship with Dagrin dates back to 2009. That same period, I featured him in a song Gbadun you. He was a true friend, who wanted growth for his friends. He was the one who advised me to be a make-up artiste, while we were shooting the video of his song Pon pon pon. He would always tell me, Yakky, do it like this, Yakky, try it this way. Very painful he died so early.
Reacting to the controversy trailing his collaboration with Dagrin, Yakky disclosed that he had to remix his song with Dagrin, featuring GreyC, Ayoola, Pepenazi, and retitled Adunni, not to leverage on it for stardom but “due to repeated dreams, calling for it”.
He however, called on all stakeholders in the entertainment industry to endeavour to keep the memory of Dagrin alive.
“Dagrin was very creative and hardworking and if he were to be alive, he would have made Nigeria very proud. For such a creative, talented star, we all in the entertainment industry should find a way to immortalise him,” Yakky said.
Lending his voice to the credibility of immortalising Dagrin, Nigerian-born Chicago based artist, Temi Yakubu, popularly known as Fresh, described Dagrin as an enigma, that died at a time the Nigerian entertainment sector needed him most. He shared his experience working on the song Beremole featuring Dagrin.
“I was thrilled by Dagrin’s intelligence when we met. He was thorough. His death threw me off”.
In the same vein, Producer Cool Breeze, said Dagrin’s death is still shocking.
“We had an appointment for the next day. Hearing the news of his death was quite unbelievable,” he said.
Born Olaitan Olaonipekun, Dagrin died on Thursday, April 22, 2010, eight days after his car ran into a stationary truck in front of Alakara Police Station, off Agege Motor Road, Mushin, Lagos. He was buried on Friday, April 30, 2010. He was 26 years old.
By Jane Efagwu
When Wizkid suddenly tweeted that his next tweet will be the official drop of his long awaited fourth studio album, I kid you not, I had certain doubts in mind. What was going on? Was this the moment? Somebody pinch me! Rightfully, Twitter was going nuts over the surprise announcement but I refused to fully believe it. This shameful doubt organized a call to my fellow Starboy FC members because we were the core fans who low-key feared that it could just be Starboy doing normal Starboy things.
I mean, he is Wizkid for God’s sake. We think he can do music however, whenever and it will pop severely. Whatever him and his team were cooking up, one thing was sure- everywhere must definitely stew. E no get how. That was why when I first heard the project, I wasn’t even surprised. He had done it again. For any dedicated observer of the Starboy’s decade old magic, you would know that “it” changes from time to time. Single to single. Era to era. Ayodeji Balogun’s career has been a thrilling movie where the watchers are constantly dazed yet inspired by how often the entertainer is able to top himself over and over and…
The arrangement of the tracks on Made In Lagos is quietly poetic as it is peacefully progressive. Like every life or career journey, it starts out “Reckless” and ends with “Grace”, a silent point made by Starboy regarding his current position in his music and music worldwide. This point echoes loudly throughout the project as we hear a peaceful and permanent replacement of the expected way of delivering Nigerian music with the continuous championing of a new dawn in album creation: creating genre bending music that dare to take up spaces bigger than a genre box or even your radio set.
With his last LP, Sounds From The Other Side (2017), his innovative delivery faced heavy criticism from the Nigerian public.The UK and the U.S ate the project up but Nigerians remained tongue tied. What happened? A timeless album that was grossly misunderstood because of its renovation of the Afropop genre. This same approach to sound heavily punctuates MIL but what’s different this time is instead of misplaced criticism, all we hear is thunderous praise for its effortless delivery. What changed? When did Nigerians start to fully embrace unconventional, refreshing approaches to the beloved Afropop genre?
The music on Wizkid’s fourth studio rollout crosses and merges dominant cultural influences on Starboy’s ever changing sound over the years. He reimagines modern day Afrobeats alongside fellow genre giant, Burna boy while acknowledging his extended family in the U.S. and the UK with features from heavyweights like H.E.R, Ella Mai and frequent collaborator and ‘brother’, Skepta and exploring his old soul by kicking back senior citizen style to jam spiritual raggae with Jr Gong himself, Damian Marley. This he does while hosting the popping new kids on the Nigerian block: Tems, Terri and Jamaican newbie, Projexx, a valid endorsement for their promising catalogues.
One move that seals the project and lends it its cohesive flow is his clever choice of producers. Starboy employs the award-winning P2J as executive producer as well as other hood family acts like Sarz, Blaqjerzee, Mut4y and balances it up with British composers like Juls and Kill September. This cross country family affair births 14 solid tracks that have inspired ecstasy for the notoriously versatile Afro sound and how far it can be pushed, bent or merged to create nothing but magic.
However, some Twitter critics have maintained that while the album is titled Made In Lagos, it is regrettably not made for Lagos. With honey tracks like Sweet One which serves as a perfect play for a sunday evening stroll to one of the many beaches in Lagos and the enchanting, alté raggae merge that is True Love, a fitting dance ballad for a light intimate session with a lover on a beach house balcony over looking the waves, it is hard to understand where that take comes from. You can almost picture a dimly lit beer parlor complete with its regular cast and crew, spirited drinks exchanging hands and the Terri contribution, Roma, playing softly in the ambience while steaming pepper soup fingers your nostrils and lifts your spirits.
The album has been aptly described by its listeners as “rich people music”. Not a lie at all. To create this empowering effect, the creator employs his signature lush velvet saxo that lends an easy air of affluence to the songs and we all know that if it’s one thing about affluence, it is that it’s certainly not for everyone. You can feel this on the spiritually charged Blessed, where Damian Marley breezily samples his unique wealth (of experience) as he explores the unbeatable knowledge of self, the joys of fatherhood, a burning passion to do better and of course, great gratitude to be able to live this life.
This vibe runs over to the next track, Smile, a guaranteed anthem for positive vibrations while acknowledging life’s battle throughout the years. Smile comes from a place of relaxed reflections which ultimately leads to unconditional acceptance and gratitude for where you are right now. Clocking 30 this year, the track is dedicated to his three beautiful kids. Some might call it a simple dad move but followers of his journey especially his controversial fatherhood would agree that this is his own way of owning his shit loudly. Took him long enough but we’re glad he’s finally there.
With #MadeInLagos, Wizkid popularizes his signature effortless approach to everything. Usually mistaken for lazy, this style champions the less is more mantra and places strategy/smart work above hard work. From the second album cover which features a muted color palette that instinctively creates a warm sensation that somehow makes you want more than you’re seeing, to his cool and cohesive execution on an intro track ironically titled Reckless, he seems to never lose his chill and still manages to make several points throughout the album.
Infact, it is because of how relaxed he sounds that makes his lyrics more believable. No Stress isn’t just the second promotional single off the project, it’s actually a perpetual state of mind for the entertainer. He coyly samples the Lagos struggle while reminding us why we’re struggling in the first place. Why are women selling ‘cold mineral, cold pure water’ under the hot sun in the first place? Fela’s “suffering and smiling” is remixed to sound like: “say the people dey suffer but they smile for face but if Starboy talk Dem say Starboy craze” on Grace. Even dragging Nigerians and their government is done in the most chill way possible. No stress indeed.
For where Afropop is right now, an album like #MadeInLagos is nothing but a cheat code to the cutthroat game. It might feel so fresh and irresistible right now but we all know good music ages like fine wine and only gets better with time. The days are coming when we’d listen to it in time capsule style and the sonic wave will hit us a bit harder than it does now. When its true essence would make us smile. But for now we enjoy, we gyrate and we stream the project on every platform as we all beam with pride to be from the city that never sleeps.
Michelle
April 29, 2019 at 2:22 pm
This is so sad! My his soul Rest In Peace.