Executive Omoota - Dagrin lives on

Barrack O'Grin

Today is the exact one year of the death of fast-rising rapper Olaitan Olaonipekun, popularly known as Dagrin (Executive Omota, the CEO of Mosofunyin Entertainment, aka Fimile Joo, lyricle werem Barack O'Grin), transformed from a wordsmith into a Nigerian hip-hop legend. Although his music, which was characterized mainly by the deft use of words in his native tongue infused with unadulterated hip-hop elements, was gaining momentum just before his death, just like Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, Dagrin got bigger in death. The buzz created by the news of his passing drew the attention of many who rarely pay attention to rap music and got them professing respect for his uncommon talent. They inevitably became fans.

With just two official works to his name - the unpopular ‘Still on the Matter’, released in 2006, and the 2009 release, ‘Chief Executive Omoita (C.E.O)’, which propelled him into the limelight - it definitely had to be more than music that gave the 26-year-old cult hero status in death. A lot of emphasis was made on his music immediately after he passed and he won a couple of posthumous awards and recognitions; however, stories of his hustle and dogged lifestyle have presently taken to the fore.

His story

In mid-2010, the management of Stingomania Records announced that a biopic would be made to tell the story of the late rapper. Staying true to their word, the movie ‘Ghetto Dreamz’ premieres today.

The lead character, Trybson, a Stingomania hip-hop artist, revealed that the movie was conceived to tell an inspiring story of Dagrin’s lifestyle.

“We want to tell the whole world the plights of young musicians by showing what Dagrin went through in his daily life to make sure his dream becomes a reality,” Trybson said about the movie.

Different stories have emerged about the kind of life he lived in his time. A lot of those stories hinges on the vices he perpetuated, some which he actually confessed to. However, another striking thing about his life was his enviable faithfulness to his passion for making music. Even when he was getting involved in internet scams and other vices, he kept his dream alive and worked towards achieving it. In an interview with X2 before he passed, he revealed he met with disapproval from his father, harsh criticism on his debut album for his style, and also had to deal with fending for himself by taking up menial jobs while working on his sophomore album. He eventually soared over all these to turn a rejected style of music into one with ‘popular demand’. So it came as no surprise when he turned out to be one of the most sought-after acts after his second album dropped, appearing as a guest act on many artists’ work.

Bigger but broke Although it appeared as thought the rapper was reaping financial gains for his hard work, as professed in many of his lines, it is surprising that these works have failed to garner returns after his death. Aderele Adeborioye, a legal adviser who currently oversees the Dagrin estate instituted by his father, revealed that not a penny has been remitted since Dagrin died.

“As we speak we have not received any form of royalty from anybody,” Adeborioye said. He however confessed to not having demanded for these royalties legally from the concerned persons because “the legal backing is yet to be issued by the court.”

Ayeni Adekunle, a Lagos-based entertainment entrepreneur, thinks, even with a legal backing, chasing after these royalties can turn out futile. He opined that the lack of a respected and working structure for collecting royalties, as well as the informal way most of these collaborations are contracted, will prove a big hindrance to this quest.

“The structure for paying royalty isn’t available in Nigeria; most people who feature on other people’s tracks do so as a form of support for colleagues as well as getting themselves some form of relevance. So when someone dies it often is effort lost because there is no gain for him. It is difficult to control because as it is, even though the fight for royalty is on, most media houses are yet to start paying royalties. And most of this works are not properly documented so it is difficult to fight for such royalties in the case of an artist’s death,” said Ayeni. interviewed by entertainmenttalks

Plying without structure Corroborating Adekunle’s beliefs, award-winning rapper Terry Tha Rapman, who featured on Cartiair’s acclaimed ‘Owo Ati Swagger’ with Dagrin, revealed that he has not received a penny for the project even though it turned out to be a big song.

“I did it for free for Cartiar who is my friend but I have no idea what his dealing with Dagrin was,” The Hip-Hop World award winner said.

He also explained that artists do not usually seek royalties from music they feature on because an instant payoff tends to be negotiated.

“Usually, what is obtained in the society is what the artist pays you to feature on his track and that is it. If the songs get bigger and requires a video, subsequent charges is demanded, at least that’s what I do. You also reserve the right to perform your part at shows while he too can go to shows and perform his own part,” the rapper, whose real name is Terry Madaki, explained.

Erstwhile Storm Records singer GT Tha Guitarman, who also featured alongside Dagrin on the viral remix to General Pype’s ‘Champion’, also said he has gotten nothing from the track. Management of the record label also confirmed that royalties have not been paid to any of the artists on the track because the song has not been released commercially.

“Artists haven’t received any form of royalty because the song hasn’t been released yet, it was just a viral push. You can check anywhere; the song is not being sold. For Dagrin, we have a relationship with his label and when the song comes out, we will get across to them,” Tola Odunsi, a Storm Records director, said.

A true legend Even though the Dagrin estate sadly remains as broke as if it never existed, today a lot of people immortalise the memory of this rapper, who impacted Nigeria’s mainstream music in a rare way. Social networks buzz with memorial tweets and messages from fans and colleagues alike. His style of music has been adopted by many and others have been inspired by his ‘never say die’ approach to achieving his dream. Many of his colleagues confess to having benefited from collaborating with him while he was alive and a biopic has now been made in his name. Dagrin really is the C.E.O. who breathed freshness into Nigerian hip-hop. His memory lives on!