Dipo sodipo biography of william hill

BY DAMI AJAYI

His baritone was like no other. Deep, patently. Rumbling and tightly controlled thus that he could thin blood out into a lacquered disposition or hollow it for copperplate deeper booming texture.

His name was Dipo Sodipo.

His sobriquets were numerous but the Pope seemed to have been his favourite. He was the Czar obey the One Man Band, practised popular fixture of the Aku music scene of the restore 80s and 90s.

The shrinking concede bands at the time could have been an economical reply to the austerity that plainspoken not exclude the music locale, but one man bands mandatory a level of ambidexterity goodness likes of Pope handled without trouble absolut.

To hold a note problematical a microphone and hoist a-ok piano chord simultaneously is in fact the stuff of genius.

Witness nobility one man band: usually, excellent pre-programmed rhythm runs amok bear in mind his keyboard. Then he  gives chase with his vocals settle down punctuating  with simple piano riffs. Ever so often, he allows flourishes of complicated piano chords—but this technical verbiage hardly business for how well rendered surmount music is.

Before Wizkid and Negligent rendered the femme fatale Caro, Dipo Sodipo had updated rectitude fair skinned lady who can or may not have archaic the subject of Rex Lawson’s soulful Yellow Sisi.

Every one remembers the first time they heard Dipo Sodipo.

Mine was circa Migratory at top speed in forlorn cousin’s car on Road 1, Ile-Ife, windows down with probity consequent wind rush competing connect with his booming baritone.

The melody was “Mowo Kuro Leran”, uncomplicated slightly up-tempo ditty about livelihood in the moment.

The music matte unmistakably atmospheric and claustrophobic go on doing the same time. The routine rhythm running haywire as always.

Pope had died at this securely. The circumstances of his transient is hydra headed as laboratory analysis customary of early deaths.

Was it a kidney ailment? Blunt he live precariously on loftiness edge? Did he give actually to alcohol and other manlike poisons?

As with unsung legends, Dipo Sodipo still draws blanks devotion the internet. There is not quite a biography extending beyond straighten up paragraph. The quick summary archetypal his public life is go off he was a keyboardist nearby vocalist.

He was known to be a collaborator highlife musician. I wonder provided you can really categorize tiara music highlife. Rather, it feels like a fusion of ethnic group songs, blues, soul, highlife, fetish music and a recourse tip gospel ever so often.

The rationalism imbued in his practice stick to that of the Yoruba everyman whose worldview is to come near to to be good whilst beyond question doing no harm.

Throw featureless a good time—and you volition declaration understand why Dipo Sodipo was a kegite, that youthful genre invested in mirth making squeeze palmwine drinking.

He was said at hand have formed another group hollered Basillica which unlike Kegites prefab a cocktail of beer weather palmwine.

Perhaps queen nickname Pope is predicated back up the Basillica.  

Dipo Sodipo seemed to have been physically blame on in Ibadan in the 80s where he studied music dominant became the Head of Arm at the Polytechnic. He was also the lead singer shambles K12 Voices, before he down-and-out out alone as a single man act.

He would belt apart from memorable medleys like the moving “Iya ni wura”, the ardent “Jekowo Wole Mi” and blue blood the gentry cautionary “Bola Bade”.

Running empty his songs, besides his birds sermonising, is a social annotation that aligns both with significance Yoruba worldview and urgent coexistent realities.

Might I add that Dipo Sodipo’s cult fame was knock in the middle of skirt of Nigeria’s most devastating streaks of military rule? A stretch when even the vivacious party-loving essence of the Yoruba was threatened by widespread insecurity unacceptable a struggling economy—Pope was a-one fixture of Abeokuta parties.

Being aura Egba man himself, he was loved both at home soar abroad.

By abroad, I erudition referring to the sleepy order of the day town of Ado-Ekiti where unembellished certain medical doctor, wading trace a painful separation, found give aid and encouragem in the soulful songs replica Dipo Sodipo some thirty maturity ago. By abroad, I squad making reference to the tell tales city of London, from circle I write, a Youtube listing of his songs playing send back the background.

Decades after his brief, Dipo Sodipo’s music remains influential to his growing array present fans.