If the hands of time could be changed for good, then Olaitan Oladapo Olanipekun popularly known as Dagrin shouldn’t have died untimely at that early stage of his life when fortune began to smile at him. His coming into the entertainment industry gave the impression that our rap music is perhaps taking another dimension, his rap style was far different from what we are used to, he believes rapping in English language give him problem, so he decides to express himself in his mother tongue. He was our own 2Pac, Biggy, 50 Cent, Ludacris; little wonder why he was referred to as the lyrical Waye and as well Barrack O’Grin of his time.
Late Olaitan Oladapo Olanipekun fondly known as Dagrin was born into a polygamous family where life was never rosy but still he was able to carry on through the support of his dearest mother. This aspiring ace went to Rosemary Nursery and Primary school and Good Shepherd Nursery and Primary school before attaining his Secondary School education at the Community High School, Meiran. Dagrin’s mother was the second of his father’s three wives and pursing a higher education was never a certainty for Dagrin. He did however attend a computer school, but his heart was always somewhere else entirely, he found music at an early age.
“I realized I married to the game and bitches never wanna break up” one of the lines of his song, Ghetto Dreamer in the CEO album.
The start was rough for Dagrin, its always hard for every artiste in the early stage
Dagrin started his musical career in 2006 with an album titled Still on the Matter. The most popular track of the album was the Rap Rule Anthem, but it was not big enough to register the album as a success due to bad marketing and management.
His first ever recorded album was released on the axis of LEO entertainment while the CEO album that shot him into limelight was released on his own record outfit, Missofunyin Entertainment but he later signed a managerial contract with Edlyne records.
However, his sophomore album, CEO (Chief Executive Omoita) released last year brought him to the forefront of fortune and fame with hit tracks like Pon Pon Pon, Ghetto Dreamer, Kondo Magic Stick, Gboro, Thank God amongst others.
This album placed him on the path to the top as he became one of the hottest and most wanted artistes across the length and breadth of the country.
Dagrin gave many Nigerians the idea that he would be staying much around in Pon Pon Pon and many of his tracks. Staying ahead of the game he was good at playing, thus the game of street hip -hop which over the years has earned him comparison with master who have been in the game for so long with the likes of Lord of Ajasa, 9ice amongst others.
Dagrin was a rising star with a massive force and it’s painful to recount these words in one of the songs he was featured in by fast rising colleagues YQ; Won ni life ti mon live, mi o nip e ku, bo lorun o ba paa mi, ki lo tun ku.
He was a talented artiste, an action-packed wordsmith, his delivery; his attitude on stage was second to none. His cadence and his personality was more or less no one that we had ever seen. Dagrin didn’t invent Yoruba rap, he perfected it. He didn’t create gritty Nigerian hip-hop tailored to the street, he just did it better than everyone else before him.
The adulation was good, the money was better and the accolades were beginning to flood in. Dagrin did not do music for the award judges, or the bank executives, he represented and spoke for the street people and the urchins in his areas that have dreams of living in VGC.
“Mo ni dream lati fi Ajah se residence, Mo ni dream lati di Nigerian president; his songs, his lyrics and his attitude represented the street; the ghetto where he lives.
Dagrin inspired the down trodden, they were his constituency, he was their leader, he inspired them to live the right way and to become something just like he’d become. They called him Barrack O’Grin.
On April 14th, just before he had the accident, Dagrin paid a visit to the Hip-Hop World office in Ikeja where he had three nominations. He was sure that he would be winning the award, but when asked who his greatest threat was out of the three nominations, hear what he says: “My only threat is Wande Coal, although he sings well but I am very sure of taking the award from him” this he said with a smile on his face assuring his fans and crew of coming home with the awards.
The most painful aspect of it is that he hadn’t even reached a quarter of his full potential before his untimely death.
Shortly after his death, several rumours have been making the wave as regards the cause of his death, was it as a result of the carelessness of the consultant attached to the private ward where he was admitted?, Was he really driving on alcohol, thus he was tested and no form of alcohol was found in his system, his father said. Why was he all alone at that hour?, Should the Police be blamed for allowing a stationary truck be parked on the road side (in front of the station)?, while some believed that his lyrics are too hard and the use of vulgar language took many percent of his songs.
“Aimoye igba ti awon eyan ni ki n lo give up
Won ni mo local, pe ona ni o n se Hip-Hop
But mo wa determined, Mo de wa focused
Tori e loruko mi se n spread bi staphylococcus”
One thing that still baffles me was the sudden release of a single song titled “If I Die”, a song he did a week before his death.
There is a belief around here that a man usually gets some signs when he wants to die, but could this be the case for multi-gifted, Olaitan Olanipekun when he hook up the song “If I Die “at Frenzy’s studio.
Although, he is known for heavy play on words; perhaps this is just some lyrical expression and mere artistic expression. The question now is that, what could have possibly inspired the rapper to pen a song of this kind?
“If I die,
Make you no cry for me
E je n si mi
E joo, e je ki n mi.
His death was a great loss to the entire entertainment industry; he died in his prime, time when he was supposed to reap from his hand work.
Dagrin made fame around the world and now he left me with just the name and fame. “Will I tell radio and television stations not to play his songs or video? Now I am stripped naked, these are some of the words from his dejected mother. Dagrin was beginning to make the right move when his imprint Missofunyin Entertainment was gradually taking shape. Everybody wanted him on their album, mix tapes, singles …….it didn’t matter; every body just wanted a piece of Dagrin.
Olaitan rose from fame and in less than eight months of his reign, he kissed the dust, Oh my God, what a painful way to exist when the ovation was becoming deafening.
Some bruises never heal, some broken hearts don’t mend, it takes the great comforter to comfort a mother in tears and his grace to restore hope as death snatched away her breadwinner.
Rest in perfect peace, Dagrin. You fought the good fight and even in death, you have emerged victorious.
Late Olaitan Oladapo Olanipekun fondly known as Dagrin was born into a polygamous family where life was never rosy but still he was able to carry on through the support of his dearest mother. This aspiring ace went to Rosemary Nursery and Primary school and Good Shepherd Nursery and Primary school before attaining his Secondary School education at the Community High School, Meiran. Dagrin’s mother was the second of his father’s three wives and pursing a higher education was never a certainty for Dagrin. He did however attend a computer school, but his heart was always somewhere else entirely, he found music at an early age.
“I realized I married to the game and bitches never wanna break up” one of the lines of his song, Ghetto Dreamer in the CEO album.
The start was rough for Dagrin, its always hard for every artiste in the early stage
Dagrin started his musical career in 2006 with an album titled Still on the Matter. The most popular track of the album was the Rap Rule Anthem, but it was not big enough to register the album as a success due to bad marketing and management.
His first ever recorded album was released on the axis of LEO entertainment while the CEO album that shot him into limelight was released on his own record outfit, Missofunyin Entertainment but he later signed a managerial contract with Edlyne records.
However, his sophomore album, CEO (Chief Executive Omoita) released last year brought him to the forefront of fortune and fame with hit tracks like Pon Pon Pon, Ghetto Dreamer, Kondo Magic Stick, Gboro, Thank God amongst others.
This album placed him on the path to the top as he became one of the hottest and most wanted artistes across the length and breadth of the country.
Dagrin gave many Nigerians the idea that he would be staying much around in Pon Pon Pon and many of his tracks. Staying ahead of the game he was good at playing, thus the game of street hip -hop which over the years has earned him comparison with master who have been in the game for so long with the likes of Lord of Ajasa, 9ice amongst others.
Dagrin was a rising star with a massive force and it’s painful to recount these words in one of the songs he was featured in by fast rising colleagues YQ; Won ni life ti mon live, mi o nip e ku, bo lorun o ba paa mi, ki lo tun ku.
He was a talented artiste, an action-packed wordsmith, his delivery; his attitude on stage was second to none. His cadence and his personality was more or less no one that we had ever seen. Dagrin didn’t invent Yoruba rap, he perfected it. He didn’t create gritty Nigerian hip-hop tailored to the street, he just did it better than everyone else before him.
The adulation was good, the money was better and the accolades were beginning to flood in. Dagrin did not do music for the award judges, or the bank executives, he represented and spoke for the street people and the urchins in his areas that have dreams of living in VGC.
“Mo ni dream lati fi Ajah se residence, Mo ni dream lati di Nigerian president; his songs, his lyrics and his attitude represented the street; the ghetto where he lives.
Dagrin inspired the down trodden, they were his constituency, he was their leader, he inspired them to live the right way and to become something just like he’d become. They called him Barrack O’Grin.
On April 14th, just before he had the accident, Dagrin paid a visit to the Hip-Hop World office in Ikeja where he had three nominations. He was sure that he would be winning the award, but when asked who his greatest threat was out of the three nominations, hear what he says: “My only threat is Wande Coal, although he sings well but I am very sure of taking the award from him” this he said with a smile on his face assuring his fans and crew of coming home with the awards.
The most painful aspect of it is that he hadn’t even reached a quarter of his full potential before his untimely death.
Shortly after his death, several rumours have been making the wave as regards the cause of his death, was it as a result of the carelessness of the consultant attached to the private ward where he was admitted?, Was he really driving on alcohol, thus he was tested and no form of alcohol was found in his system, his father said. Why was he all alone at that hour?, Should the Police be blamed for allowing a stationary truck be parked on the road side (in front of the station)?, while some believed that his lyrics are too hard and the use of vulgar language took many percent of his songs.
“Aimoye igba ti awon eyan ni ki n lo give up
Won ni mo local, pe ona ni o n se Hip-Hop
But mo wa determined, Mo de wa focused
Tori e loruko mi se n spread bi staphylococcus”
One thing that still baffles me was the sudden release of a single song titled “If I Die”, a song he did a week before his death.
There is a belief around here that a man usually gets some signs when he wants to die, but could this be the case for multi-gifted, Olaitan Olanipekun when he hook up the song “If I Die “at Frenzy’s studio.
Although, he is known for heavy play on words; perhaps this is just some lyrical expression and mere artistic expression. The question now is that, what could have possibly inspired the rapper to pen a song of this kind?
“If I die,
Make you no cry for me
E je n si mi
E joo, e je ki n mi.
His death was a great loss to the entire entertainment industry; he died in his prime, time when he was supposed to reap from his hand work.
Dagrin made fame around the world and now he left me with just the name and fame. “Will I tell radio and television stations not to play his songs or video? Now I am stripped naked, these are some of the words from his dejected mother. Dagrin was beginning to make the right move when his imprint Missofunyin Entertainment was gradually taking shape. Everybody wanted him on their album, mix tapes, singles …….it didn’t matter; every body just wanted a piece of Dagrin.
Olaitan rose from fame and in less than eight months of his reign, he kissed the dust, Oh my God, what a painful way to exist when the ovation was becoming deafening.
Some bruises never heal, some broken hearts don’t mend, it takes the great comforter to comfort a mother in tears and his grace to restore hope as death snatched away her breadwinner.
Rest in perfect peace, Dagrin. You fought the good fight and even in death, you have emerged victorious.
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