Music Review

Dagrin: The CEO

After teasing us with his scene stealing verses from E Fi Mi Le by YQ, 'Nla by Lala and his hood anthem Pon Pon Pon, the rapper known as Da Grin has finally dropped his much anticipated sophomore album- Chief Executive Omoita. Shaving off the three bonus tracks, C.E.O is a dope and neatly constructed 10 tracker albums. On the album, Dagrin effectively weaves rags to riches, underdog to top dog stories that can only be well written by someone who has lived such a life. If you are searching through the street side bookshops located under the Ikeja Bridge for Da Grin's biography, forget about it. Your best bet is to listen to these three tracks of the album; Ghetto Dreams ft Sossick, Everyday ft Ejay, and Thank God ft Omowunmi. These three tracks apart from being metaphorical and highly lyrical are autobiographical in every sense of the word. The MC unabashedly recalls his days of poverty, hardships, crime and struggles over emotionally laden tracks. However, don't just think that because Dagrin is now basking in limelight, he has forgotten where he comes from. The dude still has a hood state of mind-jus' take a listen to his hood banger Pon Pon Pon, and Igboro ft Isolate (the dude who sounds a lot like 9ice or according to rumours, the guy who 9ice stole from) and you will discover that 'Grin could be that guy lurking in that dark corner in your neighbourhood where your mamma has always warned you never to go. For those who are street-wary, DaGrin caters for them. This lyrical MC also happens to be current with a lot of trends happening in Hip-Hop. Swag (File) ft. Cartiair (of the owo ati swaga fame) sees the two rappers well, outswagging their haters on a Krump beat, while Make Doe ft Dark Poet and Sossick is his snap record. Even though the beat is quite generic, Grin's flows make the track listenable. The album isn't strictly a Red Eye-Red Eye or an Oju Uche affair as DaGrin comes off lighthearted on the Bollywood inspired cut Hola Hola ft. Tfrizzle. Now what's a rap album with the standard raunchy track? Kondo happens to be C.E.O's raw and uncut sex track that is sure to be banned by NBC when a radio deejay plays it on air. Its vulgar nature however, is sure to make it a night club staple, dormitory favourite and the soundtrack of choice for many sexual encounters that will undoubtedly lead to many unwanted pregnancies. While listening to this CD, the skip button is virtually non-existent until you hit track number 8- What They Want. With its beat being an interpolation of 50cent's Wankster, the track should have not made the final album cut. It sounds more like an okay mixtape joint, but when placed in a good album it fails to move the album forward. Despite this bump on the road, C.E.O is a smooth and easy ride. After listening to the album, your gut tells you that you have just listened to something game changing. True, ‘Grin has a nasty Yoruba flow but that is not the ish here. Lord of Ajasa and AY started it way back. The ish is that none of them have ever rapped in Yoruba the way DaGrin does. His metaphors, similes are just absolutely bunkers. By the time you listen to Dagrin, you quickly make up your mind that he is not a good Yoruba rapper, but a very good rapper period. He can hang with the best of them. His use of Yoruba is so alluring that those who don't speak the language are at least seduced by his flow and rhyme cadence. Kudos should be given to Dagrin for keeping up to his promise of featuring unknown acts. Except for Omowunmi, the rest of the supporting cast is relatively new to the game. He could have just gone the Terry G or Timaya route like most rappers are quick to do today, but he chose to stick with the new guns who undoubtedly give this opus a fresh vibe. Even though the tracks on the album are conceptually different, there is a cohesive thread that runs through them. By working mostly with Sossick (Gino's in-house producer), the album doesn't run all over the place. It is well constructed and well delivered. I don't truly believe that you can call an album classic, until after 6-8 months of release. Some of the greatest rap albums of all time such as Reasonable Doubt didn't make the once coveted 5 mic rating, but today even The Source will tell you Jigga's debut LP is timeless. Years from now I would love to see whether C.E.O stood the test of time. But as of Monday, September 7, 2009, C.E.O is an accommodating, brilliant and enchanting album by a gifted lyricist who does not see his rapping in his mother tongue as a restriction but as a game opener. Dagrin’s usage of the Yoruba language to lucidly illustrate his pain, sorrow and eventual victory in the game is as revolutionary as Rev. Samuel Ajayi Crowther translating the Good Book into Yoruba. So far this is best the best damn rap album this year has got to offer.