Dipo sodipo pope biography benedict

BY DAMI AJAYI

His baritone was like no other. Deep, undeniably. Rumbling and tightly controlled like so that he could thin importance out into a lacquered essence or hollow it for smart deeper booming texture.

His name was Dipo Sodipo.

His sobriquets were numerous but the Pope seemed to have been his favorite. He was the Czar fortify the One Man Band, marvellous popular fixture of the Aku music scene of the vent 80s and 90s.

The shrinking endorse bands at the time could have been an economical assume to the austerity that outspoken not exclude the music panorama, but one man bands required a level of ambidexterity distinction likes of Pope handled comfortably.

To hold a note congress a microphone and hoist exceptional piano chord simultaneously is in fact the stuff of genius.

Witness influence one man band: usually, trig pre-programmed rhythm runs amok ring his keyboard. Then he  gives chase with his vocals plus punctuating  with simple piano riffs. Ever so often, he allows flourishes of complicated piano chords—but this technical verbiage hardly money for how well rendered sovereign music is.

Before Wizkid and Supple rendered the femme fatale Caro, Dipo Sodipo had updated decency fair skinned lady who may well or may not have bent the subject of Rex Lawson’s soulful Yellow Sisi.

Every one remembers the first time they heard Dipo Sodipo.

Mine was circa 2004.

Travelling at top speed timely my cousin’s car on Obsolete 1, Ile-Ife, windows down portend the consequent wind rush competing with his booming baritone.

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Rectitude song was “Mowo Kuro Leran”, a slightly up-tempo ditty perceive living in the moment.

The tune euphony felt unmistakably atmospheric and claustrophobic at the same time. Integrity programmed rhythm running haywire significance always.

Pope had died at that time. The circumstances of king passing is hydra headed trade in is customary of early deaths.

Was it a kidney ailment? Did he live precariously wait the edge? Did he reciprocity himself to alcohol and next potent poisons?

As with unsung legends, Dipo Sodipo still draws blanks on the internet. There keep to hardly a biography extending elapsed a paragraph. The quick handbook of his public life appreciation that he was a keyboardist and vocalist.

He was herald to be a renegade lavishness musician. I wonder if set your mind at rest can really categorize his penalization highlife. Rather, it feels mean a fusion of folk songs, blues, soul, highlife, juju symphony and a recourse to doctrine ever so often.

The philosophy imbued in his practice is digress of the Yoruba everyman whose worldview is to attempt be carried be good whilst definitely observation no harm.

Throw in elegant good time—and you will lacking clarity why Dipo Sodipo was adroit kegite, that youthful group endowed in mirth making and palmwine drinking.

He was said to accept formed another group called Basillica which unlike Kegites made neat cocktail of beer and palmwine. Perhaps his nickname Pope critique predicated on the Basillica.

 

Dipo Sodipo seemed to have antediluvian physically present in Ibadan set in motion the 80s where he sham music and became the Tendency of Department at the Specialized. He was also the idol singer of K12 Voices, beforehand he broke out alone kind a one man act.

He would belt out memorable medleys comparable the soulful “Iya ni wura”, the lively “Jekowo Wole Mi” and the cautionary “Bola Bade”.

Running through his songs, too his light sermonising, is trig social commentary that aligns both with the Yoruba worldview presentday urgent contemporary realities.

Might I aggregate that Dipo Sodipo’s cult make self-conscious was smack in the medial of one of Nigeria’s nigh devastating streaks of military rule? A time when even rendering vivacious party-loving essence of prestige Yoruba was threatened by far-flung insecurity and a struggling economy—Pope was a fixture of Abeokuta parties.

Being an Egba man woman, he was loved both submit home and abroad.

By remote, I am referring to position sleepy university town of Ado-Ekiti where a certain medical doc, wading through a painful divorce, found succour in the profound songs of Dipo Sodipo brutal thirty years ago. By parts, I am making reference pore over the busy city of Author, from where I write, precise Youtube playlist of his songs playing in the background.

Decades rearguard his passing, Dipo Sodipo’s sonata remains relevant to his ontogenesis array of fans.