Why Dagrin's "Tha Ghetto Dreams" Flopped + Behind the scenes photos

The producers of Ghetto Dreamz, the Dagrin biopic, will forever be remembered as the first organization to deliver a movie on the life and times of a Nigerian musician. And they deserve commendations for not just the initiative, but also for successfully premiering the movie on the anniversary of the death of the rapper.

No sponsorship or product placements or third party funding. The entire project, running into almost N20M, was funded by Stingomania, a fast-growing entertainment company owned and run by Ope Banwo – a lawyer and entertainment enthusiast who first came to our attention as the head of RCCG’s Dove Media.

And the buzz leading to the premiere of Ghetto Dreamz was massive. Everyone that had ears and eyes knew a Dagrin movie was in the works. And fans waited; eager to hit the cinemas and enjoy Stingomania’s portrayal of the dead rapper.

Sadly, many who attended the premiere on Friday, April 22 2011, left the Silverbird Cinemas, not with tears in their eyes or smiles on their faces, but with disappointment and lamentations.

Director Daniel Ademinokan tries to tell the story of a young man we knew so well; and most of the time, he missed the point. For example, the ‘Yahoo-Yahoo’ period in the rapper’s life was not more major than, say, the periods when he roamed the streets, hustling the way an area boy would; he was violent at a point and gave his parents more headache than just not passing his exams. And you didn’t have to know Dagrin personally to know all these. Just like most great rappers, his lyrics were autobiographical. And he told it the way it was.


Doris

The casting director chose a wrong lady to act as the rapper’s girlfriend. Doris Simeon, Ademinokan’s wife who played the role carried it well and delivered her part. But it was glaring all through that she was too old for the role. At that point, in Dagrin’s life, his girlfriend could not have been more than 19-22. Doris didn’t look that young; and she was not made up to. Add that to the fact that, as the lead actor Trybson admitted himself, there was a serious disconnect between Doris and Trybson. The young man found it difficult holding, hugging and kissing the actress, when her husband it was, who was calling the shots!

For a man who used music to escape a lot of trouble, one would also have expected to see in Ghetto Dreamz, Dagrin hitting stages as much as he was hitting studios. Dagrin performed a lot; most times for free. The story of his life cannot be complete without these moments. He was also a womanizer, as many of his friends would tell you. Why was Ghetto Dreamz silent on this? Why was he already using a Blackberry Bold 2 (as seen in the movie) far back in his “Yahoo Yahoo” days when that phone model was only released last year?

The blunders in this movie are legion; including the very lazy portrayal of his accident; time in the hospital, and eventual death. This newspaper broke the story of Dagrin’s accident and eventual death, even dedicated an entire print edition to the late rapper. And his tragic passing was generously covered by all Nigerian media. For the producers to have resorted to what’s on the movie, is not just a shame; but also a hoax; a fraud; reeking of not just disrespect, but a disdain for the Nigerian media which gave his movie tremendous support.

No one can tell for now, why Dagrin’s parents were absent at the Premiere, or why most of his colleagues did not make it down. Ordinarily this should not take anything away from the project. But how can Dagrin’s father, who enjoys publicity; craves and thrives in it, not make it for the Premiere where there’ll be dozens of Cameras ad many reporters? Why was Dagrin’s manager Tunde Peters missing? Is there anything we’re not being told?

And we’ve been told by those close to the producers, as well as insiders at the cinemas that Ghetto Dreamz is still performing far below the expectations of the producers. The figures are disappointing for now – many fans are yet to see the movie; as well as many of Dagrin’s colleagues.

But, the plethora of flaws notwithstanding, Ghetto Dreamz is worth seeing. Especially for those who scarcely knew the man or his music. Apart from the continuity and other minor issues, they won’t notice most of the blunders critics are crying over. Just like Fela! which missed the point on many sides, but gave fans a great set and a great show, Ghetto Dreamz will give you cause to think and ponder. And you’ll almost shed a tear for the star that was to be; and then was not. You’ll also stand up and clap, in recognition of the excellent delivery of Pa Kasumu, Rachel Oniga, Aremu Afolayan and debutant Trybson who obviously gave his all and more…