During the day, factory worker Benjamin Odabi, one of more than 2,500 Nigerians who call Japan home, toils away in a Tokyo plant recycling printing equipment; at night, he pursues a more glamorous career as Dobolo, aiming to become 'the greatest music act in the world'.
When Tokyo-based Canadian filmmaker Jeremy Rubier heard Odabi’s inspiring story, he decided to direct a pro bono music video to accompany Dobolo’s catchy dancehall tune ‘I’m About to Blow’. With several successful music videos already under his belt – made with minuscule budgets to boot – Rubier channels his DIY ethos into another polished and entertaining clip shot with the little money Odabi had saved aside.
The video, filmed over a single day in four locations, reveals Odabi’s competing identities as we see him lift boxes in his factory overalls, swagger down a Tokyo street flanked by his flamboyant posse and kick it back with low-riders by the Shonan seaside. Like the upbeat notes of his song, Dobolo exudes a positive energy that's hard not to like – and boy does he clean up good. Watch the clip below:
