Dagrin, died in a road crash in 2010, the
lamentation that greeted his passage had hardly
died down when some other up-and-coming
singers started scheming to fill the vacuum
created. As is done when star artistes pass on,
they wanted to take advantage of the gap, with
some of them not minding becoming new
Dagrin.
But as it normally happens in such a
circumstance, all of them failed to realise their
dreams. The lesson they failed to learn is that,
no artiste can really replace another one. That is
why no one has been able to replace a Fela,
Tupac or Sikiru Ayinde Barrister in the real sense
of it. People may try to be opportunistic but it
will be extremely difficult to convince listeners
or the audience that the dead man has
resurrected.
Instead of aping the fallen hero, perhaps the
best thing to do is to hone one's talent and work
hard at one's style, especially if it is close to
that of the deceased. If it is done well, the
market will have no other option than to look in
one's direction. This seems to be how rave-of-
the-moment and weird Yoruba rapper, Olamide
has proved wiser than his peers who were trying
to ape Dagrin.
Also called Young Erikina, the artiste has
demonstrated much versatility in his songs, Eni
Duro and Bend down Low, to the extent that he
has broken into the league of the big players.
While it has been rumoured that a major
telecoms player has struck a N25m deal with
him, D'Banj's new strategic romance with
Olamide made him (Olamide) the subject on the
lips of many followers of the sector. Apart from
featuring him in a song, there are reports that
the younger act has been signed onto D'Banj's
label, a move that, many believe, is going to be
mutually rewarding.
Such a move would naturally make some guys
remember D'Banj's epic divorce with Don Jazzy,
and either sees the romance with the younger
act either as a survivalist ploy or a strategic
one. But the fact is it is a good story for Olamide
and a sign that he is doing well and may just be
one of the artistes to dictate the space in the
next few years.
Although there has not been any official
confirmation, D'banj's younger brother, Kay
Switch, welcomed Olamide to the family on
Twitter on Wednesday. Tweeting via his handle,
@kayswitch, Kay Switch stated, "Welcome to
the family, Baddo." Baddo is Olamide's nick
name. The music star is currently in Atlanta with
D'banj for a music performance.
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