They were the perfect team. In the history of the Nigerian music industry, they’ll surely occupy a special place as a brand that had so much chemistry, dedication, panache and the X-factor going for them, writes TOFARATI IGE.
They were called Mo’Hits for a reason. During their reign, the hits never stopped coming. Right from the days of “Tongolo,” when D’banj promised to tell us the koko (but didn’t) to the heady days of “Mr Endowed” with Snoop Dogg, they seemed to have the magic formula for making chart busters like they were going out of fashion.
However, not a few people were shocked when the two Directors of then Mo’hits Records, Don Jazzy and D’Banj announced in 2012 that they would be going their separate ways. Many even thought it was a joke, but two years down the line, it is all too apparent that Mo’hits is dead and gone for good. And in its place, we have Don Jazzy’s Mavin and D’banj’s DB Records. The erstwhile artistes in the label such as Dr Sid, Wande Coal, D’ Prince went on to join Mavin, though Wande has also left to float his own Black Diamond Entertainment.
For years now, the tongues of fans have been wagging as to who has had a better career after the break-up. We would attempt to analyse that here.
Shortly after the break-up, Don Jazzy’s new Mavin Records wasted no time in releasing a mixtape, “Solar Plexus.” With hits such as “Take Banana (D’Prince),” “Forever (Wande Coal),” “Amarachi (D’Prince),” receiving favourable airplay, it seemed Don Jazzy found his footing before D’banj.
However, not one to rest on his oars, D’banj also promptly released new tracks such as “Cash Flow,” “Bachelor,” and other tracks, followed in 2013 with songs including “Don’t Tell me Nonsense,” “Top of the World,” and “Finally,” coupled with an album, “D King’s Men (DKM).”
However, in 2014 the erstwhile team members operated on a whole new level. D’banj was one of the famous guests at the Africa World Economic Forum held in Abuja, and he served on the Agriculture panel. Seen with business giants such as Aliko Dangote, Femi Otedola, and others, it was apparent that D’banj was trying to diversify and cement his footing in the business world.
Shortly after that, he came out with his “Koko Garri,” and was also part of the campaign to get African youths more interested in agriculture. Aptly named ‘Do Agric,’ the project involved other African superstars such as Femi Kuti, on the other hand, Don Jazzy has re-affirmed his leadership position as one of the best producers Africa has ever seen.
His production credits on Tiwa Savage’s debut album, “Once Upon a Time” did not go unnoticed, and one of the singles of it in which he was featured,“Eminado” was unarguably one of the biggest hits in Africa in 2013.
In a similar vein, Dr. Sid’s “Surulere” which also featured Don Jazzy was another hot tune that ruled the airwaves from Lagos to London. Of course, it has also won enough awards to prove that it was a monster-hit.
In the early months of 2014, Don Jazzy, D’Prince, Tiwa Savage and Dr Sid were joined by the new Mavin signees, Dija, Reekado Banks and Korede Belloto produce the mega monster-hit “Dorobucci.”
Indeed, only someone who has spent the better part of this year living under a rock will say that he doesn’t know about “Dorobucci.” More than just a song, it became something more of pop culture with shirts, trousers and also merchandise customized with the newest slang in town, “Dorobucci.” Many even began adding the prefix ‘Doro’ to their name. Some other people also felt there was something occultic about the song. They argued that Doro meant god, and that the Mavins were trying to get the world to worship their god.
Of course, Don Jazzy has since debunked the rumours, claiming that there is nothing sinister about the song. Don Jazzy went on to release another hit,“Adaobi” with Reekado, Dija and Korede. Months after that, the song is still enjoying favourable airplay.
While attempting to know who has fared better in the industry, E24-7 MAGAZINE spoke with some stakeholders in the entertainment industry to get their views.
According to a Vanguard Newspaper reporter, Iyabo Aina, “In my opinion, I think Don Jazzy has fared better as far as music is concerned. Since their separation, Don Jazzy has gone to make several hits including “Eminado,” “Surulere,” “Dorobucci,” “Adaobi,” and many others, whereas D’banj hasn’t been so visible. In fact, I will say that D’banj was in the news more for his business moves than his music,” she asserted.
Also sharing his thoughts, PR specialist, Chinedu Obayi, believes Don Jazzy has been far more relevant than D’banj after their break-up. In his words, “Without mincing words, I’ll tell you that Don Jazzy and the Mavins have had a better deal. They have more hit songs than D’banj and the DB family. Don Jazzy has also enjoyed more publicity, so my conclusion is that he has fared better,” he said.
Meanwhile, D’banj was recently unveiled as an ambassador of Beats by Dre headphones.
However, new reports also suggest that D’banj is in a financial mess as he has been dragged to court over outstanding debt of $240,000 and N15m to a company known as MindHub Technologies.
According to the company’s lawyers, D’banj’s D King Media had collected the money in January 2013, and instead of paying up, had been issuing dud cheques to the company.
