Oladips is a relatively known name amongst fans of indigenous hip-hop music, and those that believe in the hypothetical legacy of the late rapper, Dagrin. Too many up and coming artists, he isn’t just an inspiration, he is also a role model and every bar he drops is something they want to consume. But what happens when Ola said it himself that he failed?
He first became a sensation, a few years back, after winning D’banj’s “The King is Here” competition. He even became more promising when one of Naija hip-hop’s finest, Reminisce Alaga Ibile, signed him onto his LRR imprint. Although we didn’t know what type of deal he got, we did know that Dips is a young and promising talent, that’s got the potentials to be indigenous hip-hop’s next best.
Before that spotlight, he was an underground rapper with many dope assets singles. Singles that talk about him being the best, that talk about his hustle story and about his undying respect for Dagrin. He had what some would call a cult following, at the time. But he still needed a bigger platform to showcase his prowess. Reminisce gave him that, by putting him on LRR.
But like so many other Nigerian artists, he left the label, as a commercial failure. He’s not new like Lyta, so no record label will want to put him on. And he’s also not as big as Lil Kesh, so starting his own imprint is a nightmare when he can’t even make a commercial hit. That leaves him in a difficult position, and he has to either live or die with it. There is officially no way out for Oladips now.
Can he go back to school? Maybe. Can he go back to church? Maybe. Can God still answer his prayers? Maybe. Can he still become a star? Maybe. I think you get the point, nothing in his career is certain anymore. Everything about him has a “maybe” clause.
Let’s be pragmatic, can Oladips rise again? Can he still become our darling boy? Can he still be the Next Rated? The answer is most likely yes because anything is possible. History, however, has it that in this type of case, it’s very hard to stage a successful comeback. Even guys that were hot left their labels, and their careers couldn’t boom like it was just a few months before. Not to mention guys who left their labels as disappointments (Pryse, Viktoh, L.A.X.)
Recently though, a guy rose above all odds and became a sensation again, after he has been dismissed by everyone in the industry (including his label). His name, Skiibii! He’s indeed a five-star artist, and a one in a million, yeah. But maybe something like that can happen to Oladips?
First, he’d need to compromise on what he wants, maybe it’s Dagrin or Lakukulala or he wants to be a singer like Olamide has become in recent times? He’s versatile and very talented, no doubt. So he can pull any of that off, effortlessly.
Then, he will have to use his existing connections to make hits. His track “Places” with Mayorkun wasn’t what many expected, but people still listened. Why? Mayorkun. Then imagine an Oladips and Peruzzi, not your regular collaboration, but would make you pay attention.
Maybe he doesn’t need to be on any label and just have to be independent to do his stuff. That may be correct, but another thing that will also be correct is that Oladips has [very slim] chances of rising and he can’t do that alone, no matter how much he hates his Label days, right now. He’d still need to make the right connections, the right music and make big hits. Maybe, just maybe then, we’ll listen. For now, he failed!