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| Danosaur, Daniel Jibrin |
I heard.
It's interesting how the news of a friend's death is broken to you these days.
In unpalatable ways like the internet with headlines too busy being sensational to be sensitive, captions too busy being "breaking news" to be accurate; titles perfectly crafted to "drive traffic" to the news breaker's website.
In unpalatable ways like broadcast messages with that undertone of self promotion that says I want you to know I knew him to create the perception that like him I am also a face and a name in the industry. "Daniel Jibrin I know, Danosaur I know, who are you?" I want to retort at these Seven Sons of Sceva!
I heard.
And I called a mutual friend in an effort to wrap my head around the puzzle. The explanation wasn't at all clear, fire burns of the kind described didn't lead to death. I would later get the full picture from another person who knew Dan but now, I had to stop and think- grieve, remember, reflect.
I thought about Dan.
Dan was on his path. One of the pictures in circulation was the one of him in a T-shirt with the words "Life is too short not to do what you love to do". That phrase would come to frame the event of his passing.
It was an apt epitaph!
So accurate you would wonder if he was talking about himself.
Till he died, Dan went about rapping, producing and presenting for radio at Kiss FM, recording at studios, interviewing people, playing records on countdown shows and all of the things he found meaning doing- things that made him happy.
It was a poignant parting message!
It made me think.
Did Dan know his life would be short? I don’t think so... but maybe he considered the possibility and put things in perspective.
So I thought about the possibility too.
I though about the fact that time is limited.
If you knew that time was short what would you want to do with the limited time you had?
It was a strong reminder!
It drove the point home too deeply- as sharp as a double edged sword; one side causing a sharp pain of loss and the other side causing a sharp pain of realisation- life is short!
It was a harsh reality!
Harsh enough to put things in the order of priority-
Maybe it’s not about performing in front of an audience of 5 million people or 500 people but performing because it’s what you love.
Maybe it’s not about winning a Grammy award and being recognised by the world but about doing your thing just because life is short and this is what makes it meaningful.
Maybe it’s not about signing 150 million naira deals and being syndicated internationally but about being about your hustle.
It was harsh enough to put things in perspective-
Maybe it’s not about “getting there” someday but about getting there everyday because someday might never come!
Maybe there is no “there” to get to, just something to aim for to keep you on the right track.
Maybe it’s not about living your “dreams” but about reaching for them and by so doing living your best life- the one in which you do what you love, the one that makes your life worth living, the one that leaves an impact.
Tracy who used to be a colleague of Dan’s at Kiss FM, said it well for me- “He might not have been a celebrity to the world, but he was and still is our celebrity.”
Adieu Dan.
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