Entertainment

Dagrin’s ‘Pon Pon Pon’ Gets GRAMMY Honour 15 Years After His Passing

Published

3 months ago

July 27, 2025

15 years after his death, the legacy of Oladapo Olaitan Olaonipekun, popularly known as Dagrin, continues to blaze a trail through Nigerian music history.

The Recording Academy, body behind the GRAMMY Awards, has named his breakout hit “Pon Pon Pon” among the top 10 songs shaping the evolution of Afrobeats globally.

This distinction elevates “Pon Pon Pon” as the only rap song on the list, affirming what fans and music historians have long known: Dagrin’s 2009 street anthem was not just a hit, but a seismic shift that redefined the landscape of Nigerian music.

From gritty beats to raw Yoruba lyricism, the track remains a cultural timestamp, capturing the chaos, vibrancy, and rhythm of Lagos life with unmatched precision.

“Pon Pon Pon” introduced a generation to the authenticity of indigenous rap. At a time when the Nigerian mainstream was dominated by pop melodies and foreign influences, Dagrin forced the industry to reckon with the language and reality of the streets.

His embrace of Yoruba slang and storytelling became a blueprint for future stars who now dominate Afrobeats and Nigerian hip-hop.

Beyond the music itself, the journey to preserve Dagrin’s legacy has involved extensive behind-the-scenes work—most notably by Digital Music Commerce and Exchange Limited (DMCE), a full-service rights management and music licensing company.

Under the leadership of General Manager Ezekiel Olayinka, DMCE has been instrumental in reclaiming and protecting Dagrin’s musical catalog from years of exploitation and mismanagement.

After his death in April 2010, Dagrin’s intellectual property was scattered and largely unmanaged. DMCE stepped in, obtained a letter of administration from the Lagos State Probate Registry, and worked closely with the rapper’s family to ensure proper ownership and legal control over his body of work. In less than a year, the company secured the rights, cleaned up unauthorized usage, and began to rebuild the foundation for his posthumous musical legacy.

Taking this effort a step further, DMCE brokered a strategic partnership between Dagrin’s estate and Sony Music Publishing Nigeria—one of the world’s biggest music publishing entities.

This milestone deal not only reintroduced Dagrin to the international music ecosystem but also underscored the global relevance of his art.

In August 2024, Sony Music Publishing Nigeria hosted the “Legend Sampling Camp,” a pioneering creative event that brought top producers and artists together to reimagine the works of Nigerian legends.

Alongside Dagrin’s music, samples from Fuji icons K1 De Ultimate, King Dr. Saheed Osupa, and the Late Chief Dr. Sikiru Ayinde Barrister (MFR) were reinterpreted. All these musical estates are represented by DMCE, signifying a broader mission to protect and celebrate indigenous sonic heritage.

While The Recording Academy’s recent accolade shines a global spotlight on Dagrin’s contribution to Afrobeats, it is the tireless work of stakeholders like DMCE and his family that ensures his voice remains heard.

Their commitment has ensured that “Pon Pon Pon” is not just a relic of the past, but a living influence—still sampled, streamed, and celebrated by a new generation.

Dagrin’s music endures because it resonates deeply with Nigeria’s heartbeat—the hustle, the hope, and the harsh truths. The GRAMMY nod affirms his pioneering status, but it is the sustained cultural relevance of “Pon Pon Pon” that crowns him the undisputed king of Afro-Street Rap.
(TRIBUNE)

Entertainment

Oscar-winning Actress Diane Keaton Dead At 79 – Report

Published

13 hours ago

October 11, 2025

Editor

Actress Diane Keaton, known for her Oscar-winning performance in 1977’s “Annie Hall” and her role in “The Godfather” films, has died at age 79, People magazine reported Saturday.

Details were not immediately available, and Keaton’s loved ones have asked for privacy, a family spokesperson told People, which confirmed that the actress died in California.

Keaton, a style icon, was a frequent collaborator of director Woody Allen, portraying the titular character in “Annie Hall,” the charming girlfriend of Allen’s comic Alvy Singer.

The film also garnered Oscars for best picture, best director and best original screenplay, cementing Keaton’s place as one of the industry’s top actresses and an offbeat style icon as well.

The actress made her mark co-starring in eight Allen movies, from “Play in Again Sam” (1972) to “Manhattan” (1979) and “Manhattan Murder Mystery” (1993).

As the Hollywood sexual harassment scandals detonated in late 2017, cascading from producer Harvey Weinstein to heavyweight actors like Kevin Spacey, old accusations of child sex abuse against Allen by his adoptive daughter Dylan, resurfaced.

“Woody Allen is my friend and I continue to believe him,” Keaton tweeted in January 2018.

A BAFTA and Golden Globe winner, Keaton scored Oscar nominations three other times for best actress, for “Reds,” “Marvin’s Room” and “Something’s Gotta Give.”

In “The Godfather” films, she played Kay Adams, the girlfriend and eventual wife of Al Pacino’s Michael Corleone.

Late in her career, Keaton starred in two movies about ageing women: “Book Club” (2018), with its message that love has no age, and “Poms” (2019).

“Poms” is the story of Martha, a terminally ill woman who moves to a retirement community to die, but winds up forming a cheerleading squad made up of female senior citizens.

As for ageing, Keaton said in a 2019 interview with AFP that life actually got easier.

“I think so, because what have you got to lose? It’s like it’s the truth. That’s what it is. You face it, we talk about it,” she said.

Born Diane Hall in Los Angeles on January 5, 1946, Keaton was romantically involved with Allen, Pacino and Warren Beatty, but never married.

“Most people in the movies get married at some point, and then they divorce. But I’ve never even got married. I am (a) failure,” she joked in the 2019 interview.

Did she regret it? “I don’t think about it a lot, but I’m aware of the fact that I’m unusual in that regard, and maybe I did miss out on something — but then, nobody can have everything, right?”

She is survived by her two children, Dexter and Duke.
AFP

Entertainment

Why I Can’t Quit Music – Erigga

Published

2 days ago

October 10, 2025

Editor

Nigerian rapper Erhiga Agarivbie, popularly known as Erigga, has revealed that he can’t quit music, stressing that he is doing it for passion and not for financial gains.

In an interview with Hip TV, Erigga noted that every year, some of his colleagues leave the music industry due to various circumstances.

However, he said he can’t quit because music is his life.

The rapper emphasised that his passion for music supersedes the financial and social benefits.

“Every year, people leave music for real-life issues. But I can’t stop. Music is life. It’s what keeps me going. Take the business and everything out of it, it’s more of a passion. I can’t disappoint my fans,” Erigga said.

Entertainment

Tiwa Savage Reacts To Allegation Of Sabotaging Female Colleagues

Published

2 days ago

October 10, 2025

Editor

Afrobeats singer, Tiwa Savage has denied allegations of sabotaging other female artists in the music industry.

She challenged those accusing her of sabotaging her colleagues to mention their sources and come forward with evidence.

Recall that a few years ago Kenyan singer, Victoria Kimani, accused Tiwa Savage of indirectly blocking her from performing at several shows.

Reacting in a recent episode of the Offair Show, Tiwa Savage explained that she was being wrongly accused of sabotaging the chances of other female artistes to get bookings, claiming that show promoters could be lying to other artists using her name.

“If you’ve heard from anybody that I tried to block your bag, mention names. Maybe the promoters are lying and using me, maybe they don’t want to book three, four girls. So, they claim I am the one blocking others,” Savage said.