In the intro of Alaye Proof’s Topic album which dropped about a month ago, he raps “Tupac is alive and DaGrin dey. Jesu won l’oku, Jesu wa ku l’ojo ajinde…” which literally means, “Tupace is alive and DaGrin is around also. Only their Jesus died, our own Jesus rose on the ressurection.
This is just proof of how Dagrin evolved and shined his creative ray upon the music industry. When he kicked the bucket on the 22nd of April, 2010, the Nigerian music industry came to a halt. He was that kind of rapper who had just stepped into the scene and was murdering beats, bringing an indigenous sound and just being unequivocally confident.
Born Oladapo Olaitan Olaonipekunon on October 25, 1984, he was that needed voice of the people, and this was not because he spoke about politics or the issues in government, rather it was because his audience could connect with him. His story was similar to ours and he made the populace understand that we were all in the same struggles.
Although much of his rap was done in the indigenous Yoruba language, you did not need to be Yoruba to comprehend him. From the way he said what he said, his carriage, his dress sense, his voice, you knew the man who sadly passed away at 25 was saying something special. I remember seeing bike men in Lagos brand their vehicles with stickers that had the word, Pon Pon on them. A clear evidence of how an indigenous rapper was uniting different culture.
As much as this writer maintains that people are often over praised and eulogized after their death, the truth remains that Dagrin was a rapper at the prime of his career and only the creator knows where his music would have taken him.
Here are 5 legacies the Pon Pon crooner left us before his sad demise from this world.
1. Indigenous rap:
For most people, Dagrin became a hit after Pon Pon, but as at 2008, he was already making waves, after dropping a wild verse on YQ’s Efimile track. It remains that even at 2006, he had released an album titled, Still on the Matter. 
Dagrin tore down the wall of partition that prevented indigenous rappers from going mainstream. It can be argued that rappers like Olamide, Reminisce, Phyno and Classiq have him to thank for an entry into the industry. He redefined rap as we know it today. It is on this indigenous trail that rappers like Zoro, Magnito, Zlatan Ibile are plying their trade.
2. Street and Ghetto life
If you disbelieve that Dagrin wasn’t all street and ghetto, then you have perhaps not listened to his track, Ghetto dreams or even watched the video of Pon Pon. Dagrin showed us that he belonged to the street and he was glad to prove it over and over again.
Dagrin had a way of connecting to the streets, of telling it’s story, of letting you know you were not alone. These days, every rapper wants to claim that the street bred them, a faux attempt at trying to belong. Dagrin didn’t just belong to the street, he owned it. In his track, everyday, he said “U gotta hold on, stay strong yeah/So we hustle, hustle, for the paper/See you later.Then we get down. Yahhh! Here we go, Hard knock life/35years old, o si n hustle fun wife!/Everyday ni mo n fight fun freedom/Bi mo se n fight ni mo n apply wisdom/Everyday ni mo n hustle, mo n bubble/Everytime l’lopa n wa mi kiri tori trouble/Get locked up, ma hustle stay double/See, everyday I gotta hustle for the money.
3. He gave us a national anthem
Except if you were deaf as at 2010, there was no way you wouldn’t have heard Dagrin’s Pon Pon. The song blared from radio, car stereos, electronics shop and basically everywhere you went. 
The song had that bop your head to it kind of vibes. It sold. It charted tables. It lingered in heads and rolled out on tongues. It was a massive song then.
Read also: Olamide Vs Dagrin – Who Is The Greatest Rapper? (Opinion)
4. He made all and sundry fall in love with hip hop.
As at the time Dagrin and his music was in its prime, that was the Golden Era of Hip Hop (2006-2010). Artistes like MI who was doing justice to hip hop had released his album, Talk About It. When Dagrin dropped his sophomore album, C.E.O, it made people listen to the rap industry. It was an obvious case of something good coming out of Nazareth. The album had a feel of the thuggish style of 50 Cent and the perception of life from Tupac and Biggie. The album was a success, and it was no surprise at its nomination at the 2010 Hip Hop World Awards.
5. His tribute song remains one of the best legacy songs.
After his death, a number of artistes in the industry got together to do something to eulogize this fallen star and that song titled, My Pain remains one of Nigeria’s greatest tribute songs. So, even in death, he was still championing courses.
The song had a number of A-list stars back in the day. It had Sheyman, Reminisce, Durella, Eldee, Omawumi, Jahbless, Lord of Ajasa, Ruggedman, Banky W and T-Code.
Dagrin cannot die. As Alaye Proof says, he lives. His music lives and 10 years after, we still remember his input in the industry.
Photo Credit: Getty
