7 Takeaways from Don Jazzy’s revealing interview on Bounce Radio’s Black Box Interview series
Hosted by Ebuka Obi-Uchendu
In the pantheon of Afropop production, few – if any – producers come close to Don Jazzy. Certainly, no one person boasts the mix of longevity, allure, critical acclaim, overall creative influence, and the well-stacked catalogue full of culture-defining moments that Micheal Ajereh possesses. Since stepping back on Nigerian soil in 2004, the music polymath has ploughed hard at creating an enabling environment for popular Nigerian music to thrive while simultaneously co-creating the music that soundtracked the upbringing of at least one generation of Nigerian kids.
Strangely, despite being attuned to the pulse of his music and the familiarity of his production, not many of his audience can claim to know Don Jazzy in the proprietorial fashion fans claim to know music superstars. For the longest time, it was near impossible to get a read on the man whose fingerprints are all over some of the body of works – Curriculum Vitae, The Entertainer & Mushin 2 Mo’ Hits – that have shaped contemporary Nigerian music, and global pop by extension.
In the early days, that mysterious air was engendered by the telekinetic nature of his relationship with erstwhile creative and business partner, D’Banj, as well as his curated public persona and the impressive composure he displayed when he did wander into the public’s eye. The rise in popularity of social media and a loosening of that guardedness has, over the years, opened up Don Jazzy to the generation that grew up adoring his music. Still, it has not been hard to clock that for all the access social media gave, fans could only see Don Jazzy through a smoky mirror and that the Don was happy to recede to the shadows when it suited him.
On April 1, online radio, Bounce, premiered the first part of an extensive conversation with Don Jazzy, as part of its Black Box Interview series hosted by Ebuka Obi-Uchendu. That opening part touched on Jazzy’s upbringing, his origin story, and the circumstances that set him on the road to becoming one of the most successful Nigerian music entrepreneurs of the 21st century. Days later, the second, concluding part was also released, and together those conversations represent some of the most insightful and contextual information on Don Jazzy. After listening, we have selected a couple of points from the interview that we find exciting.
Classmate with OC Ukeje
Despite the popular conception that Don Jazzy grew up in Ajegunle, some of the most lucid moments of his life were spent in Egbeda and the Don attended the Federal Government College at Ijanikin where he was a classmate with Nollywood actor, OC Ukeje. The duo were also best friends and part of a musical group called the Ministration Voices before Don Jazzy broke off to form another musical alliance with stronger and more popular school colleagues. At a point, around SSS 2, Don Jazzy started failing in school work on purpose and that led to him not making the requisite grades to apply for university admission after secondary school. After leaving secondary school, he went to Lagos City Computer College and moved to Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma to study Business Administration.
Moving to London
When academics at Ambrose Alli University wasn’t working, Don Jazzy moved to London on the invitation of his uncle to seek alternate academic options and while there he worked as an office clerk, security guard, and music instrumentalist. He typically charged between £150 and £200 pounds per service to play at churches around London.
He met Soji Solek while playing for another musician, Jide Chord, and they formed a band called Solek crew with one other person called Micheal. Solek taught Don Jazzy how to program beats on keyboards and they played at restaurants and events like weddings. The band performed a medley of juju, R&B, and hip-hop songs and were making constant money, getting up to £500 at minimum per person from each show at the peak of their music venture. Over time, Soji wanted to form his own band and the Solek crew came to an end because Don Jazzy didn’t take the news well. That led to him meeting with JJC.
JJC
While he was in the Solek crew, Kas (of “Fimile” and “Wine 4 Me” fame) found Don Jazzy and was impressed with his skill level. He wanted Don Jazzy to produce for him and that was the first time Don Jazzy intently heard about the technicalities of production, as he only made his beats on computers. The first beat he made for Kas was made on a keyboard and Kas took the keyboard to a studio to strip the beat and record over it.
That continued for a while until they met with JJC. The first time JJC heard a Don Jazzy beat was at a Nigerian wedding where Kas was DJ-ing at. At the time, JJC was looking for a producer and told Kas to come to his studio with Jazzy. That meeting was the first time Don Jazzy made a beat with a computer, but it wasn’t a great beat and he left JJC’s. Two weeks later, he returned and kept practicing and within two days he had gotten the hang of it. At that time, he contributed to a soundtrack for a Scooby Doo movie. For close to a year, he worked extensively with JJC but when a contract was presented to codify their relationship, it didn’t reflect what Don Jazzy thought was a partnership and that led to him leaving the JJC and 419 squad group.
Mo’Hits
After picking a name for Mo’Hits and returning to Nigeria, what followed was an intense period of Don Jazzy’s life where he had to balance creating music with worrying about the financial implication of pursuing music. At a point in the early years, Mo’Hits was almost sold to Storm Records for about N1 million but the deal never happened. Shortly after, D’Banj got his first endorsement deal for about N20 million from Power Fist.
One of the most intriguing details about Don Jazzy in the earliest years was his mysticism and he said that came about from a conversation with DJ Tee and a conscious decision to allow D’banj be the face of the label. As the label expanded, they signed more artists like K Switch and D’Prince who had been with them since the beginning, Dr Sid was a close friend of D’Banj’s, so it was a natural evolution to him being on the label.
Mo’Hits fallout
The relationship between Don Jazzy and D’banj started to falter before the G.O.O.D. Music deal happened because of a build-up of some unresolved issues that Don Jazzy didn’t touch on. They went ahead with the G.O.O.D. Music deal because they felt it was a great opportunity and that their relationship would survive the fallout of the deal. In Don Jazzy’s words, the deal elongated the inevitable.
During the interview, he clarified comments D’Banj made about him being scared of the G.O.O.D. Music deal and said he was calculative and saw that the market was not ready for Nigerian music at the time. Don Jazzy had created an initial beat for “Lift Off”, a song on Jay-Z and Kanye West’s joint album, Watch The Throne, which was stripped off and refurbished, so he figured the market wasn’t ready and he couldn’t abandon the business and artists he had in Nigeria like Wande Coal and Dr. Sid.
Don Jazzy was signed to G.O.O.D Music as a producer for a deal that was supposed to last five years and after he saw the climate, he returned to Nigeria and ghosted them till the five years ran up.
Mavin/ Post-Mo’Hits
After Mo’Hits broke up, Don Jazzy avoided making music for a while because he was scared that the music he’d make would not live up to the standard of the Mo’Hits era. He was rushed into making the Mavin announcement because there was an imminent media leak about the label and he wanted to get in front of that. The label’s debut compilation project, Solar Plexus, was recorded and ready to go with the news of Mavin’s formation.
A few years after the label was announced, Wande Coal left and it’s a move Don Jazzy blamed on Wande having people in his ears and telling him things. The nadir of their relationship came when Don Jazzy called out Wande for re-recording a song they had originally made together and it is something he says he regrets doing. After they broke up, Don Jazzy kept reaching out and told him there was a place for him at Mavin.
Regrets
While Don Jazzy does not necessarily have regrets, he wished he had signed a number of artists, one of whom was Falz. There was an opportunity to sign Falz, but he already had an existent label structure that would not have fit in with the overall superstructure of Mavin Records, so that deal never happened. With Simi, Don Jazzy did a Twitter competition, Journey of a Thousand Miles, for a D’Prince and Wande Coal record. Simi participated in the competition, she didn’t win but she was high up there and he wished he’d signed her. The last person he really wished he signed was Teni, she was a student in Atlanta at the time and he didn’t have the option to work closely with her and get her signed. Don Jazzy never really wanted to sign Davido but he knew he was going to be huge.
One thing he does wholly regret is the Olamide incident at The Headies because he understands the passion of where Olamide was coming from, but he was upset at the thought that people felt he paid for awards. Don Jazzy explained that had his award not been called right after the Olamide outburst he’d have been able to control his reaction. They did meet up the next day and buried the hatchet.
@walenchi Is A Lagos-Based Writer Interested In The Intersection Of Popular Culture, Music, And Youth Lifestyle.
ICYMI: DIPLO RECALLS AWKWARD ENCOUNTER WITH DON JAZZY AT A RECORDING SESSION WITH KANYE WEST
In Tribute To Daddy Lumba, Ghana’s Most Beloved Maverick
Characterized by his charismatic approach, lyricism, and nonconformity, Daddy Lumba reshaped the music and...
Death is said to be the end of all things, but for some, it is just a process of immortalization. That is the case for legendary Ghanaian artist Charles Kwadwo Fosuh, also known as Daddy Lumba. On the 26th of July, 2025, reports of his demise spread across the world, causing doubts and confusion until his family released an official statement through its lawyer, Fati Ali Yallah, Esq., confirming the devastating news.
For six decades, DL, as he is affectionately referred to, has been a son, a husband, a father, an artist, a teacher, an innovator, and a cultural icon. The accumulation of the lives he lived has earned him the admiration and respect of Ghanaians and music lovers around the world for generations.
Daddy Lumba started exploring his musical talent in the 1980s during his time in secondary school, eventually emerging as the lead of the school choir. Years later, during his stay in Germany, he would be introduced to Highlife music through his friendship and partnership with Nana Acheampong. The duo would form the group “Lumba Brothers” and work on the project ‘Yee Ye, aka Akwantuom,’ which was released in 1989. After the group’s breakup, he launched his solo career with his 1990 solo debut album, ‘Obi Ate Meso Buo.’
Daddy Lumba would go on to have an illustrious career. Credited with over 30 albums and more than 200 songs, his seminal works included “Playboy,” Mesom Jesus,” “Aben Wo Aha,” Poison,” and “Sika,” to name a few. Characterized by his charismatic approach, lyricism, and nonconformity, Daddy Lumba reshaped the music and art scene in Ghana. His control over his native language, Twi, allowed him to pen songs that spoke directly to the soul of the listener. His proverbial lyrics and addictive melodies made his songs easy listens for those who didn’t even fully understand the languages he sang in. He composed songs that served as a guide for people across the different facets of life.
Raised in a gospel background, Daddy Lumba blessed the world with multiple gospel albums that showed his admiration for God and were a testament to his past as a choir leader. In an interesting twist of events, he also had songs that dissected his thoughts on lust, love, and relationships and provided motivation and hope, as well as songs that would get you dancing. During his active years, Daddy Lumba’s songs ran wild across the media, streets, pubs, weddings, and funerals, and echoed from home to home across Accra to Europe.
As a student of Highlife, he ensured the growth and evolution of the sound through his songs and albums over the years. He mastered the craft so well that he would be instrumental in ushering in Borga/Burger Highlife, a sub-genre of Highlife that was steeped in contemporary influences and defined by its funky essence. Borga Highlife was not just in the sound but was also evident in his visual identity. He curated music and art in a style that bewildered people at the time. In today’s world, he would have been described as alté.
Beyond music, his influence on Ghanaian pop culture was immense. It was rooted in nonconformity and the deconstruction of stereotypes. While aspects of his music appealed to Ghana’s conservative outlook, he was also regarded by some as a moral miscreant. As the moral police came for his sensual lyrics and subversive influence on the youth, the love of the music from the wider public was louder.
Where traditional media tried to bury his songs, the masses gave them more life at parties, pubs, and any gatherings where music could be played. Around the early 2000s, Daddy Lumba would come to be accepted as a symbol of modern Ghanaian culture, eventually beating the system by finding a balance that appealed to those who wanted songs that mirrored their sensuality, youthfulness, and freedom without alienating the conservative faction of the country.
He introduced a swagger and flair to Highlife that many were not accustomed to. Winning over not just the older generation but also young people, both at home and abroad. From his many hairstyles–be it a fade, cornrows, or permed hair–he always stood out. Coupled with eye-catching aesthetics, as seen in his photos and music videos, he provided a visual blueprint that rising acts today still draw inspiration from.
Regardless of the genre, theme, or style, Daddy Lumba kept topping charts and winning over listeners. He wore many hats and played diverse roles, and executed all of them brilliantly. It did not matter if he was paying homage to his long-lost love on “Theresa,” bidding farewell on “Makra Mo,” singing praises to God on “Eye N’adom,” craving intimacy on “Pony/Enko Den,” or even preaching diversity on “Bubra,” it all came together as long as it was orchestrated by Daddy Lumba.
His songs not only mirrored his own experiences but also provided a sonic reflection of the lived experiences of the people who listened to his music. He was an artist for the people, and he never shied away from making his fans feel loved and heard.. DL was so enshrouded in Ghanaian popular culture that it is no surprise how many momentous Ghanaian occasions and memories of the last 30 years are intrinsically tied to his songs.
In a country where people often get backlash for showing their political affiliations, Lumba was appreciated more when he took a public stance on supporting a political party. He was so loved that his campaign song “Nana Winner” for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) is played at non-partisan events like raves and parties to a wild reception and excitement. Recognizing his influence, he always platformed talents as best as he could. He nurtured and mentored several artists. Through his album ‘Wo Ho Kyere’, he introduced Ofori Amponsah, his protégé, to the wider public. Ofori would go on to become one of Ghana’s most celebrated artists with hits like “Otolege,” “Odwo,” and “Emmanuella.” Daddy Lumba also mentored artists like Felix Owusu, Borax, and Ateaa Tina, among others.
While his peers were left behind with the advent of music digitalization, Lumba stayed with the times. His music became the stuff of urban legend and was among some of the most-streamed Ghanaian music across platforms in recent times. There were frequent conversations, stories, and breakdowns of his songs on social media, steered by a generation of older listeners, handing down a lived-in perspective for a younger generation. His career is a testament to the fact that good music will always stand the test of time.
When news broke of his death on the 26th of July, 2025, an entire nation fell into a state of mourning. Artists, politicians, and various individuals took to social media to share their condolences with the bereaved family. In a heartfelt message on his Facebook page, his old friend, Nana Acheampong, shared a farewell note to his old friend and brother: “You have indeed done what the creator brought you on earth to do, you will forever inspire generations,” he wrote in a post on Facebook.
Daddy Lumba lived an exciting life and had an enviable career working with artists of different eras. From Pat Thomas to Samini, Kwabena Kwabena, Okyeame Kwame, and Sarkodie, he collaborated with several acts. He also won awards and performed in multiple countries. However, his biggest win remains earning the love of an entire nation. Perhaps the most loved Ghanaian artist across generations, people were born to his music and buried with his music, completing the lifetime cycle with Daddy Lumba’s music booming in the background.
There have been public calls for a state burial for Daddy Lumba, with a vigil already planned for August 2, 2025, at Independence Square, Accra. Lumba’s legacy as an innovator and trailblazer will be etched in Ghanaian music history and the hearts of listeners across the world. He was a strong believer that he was just biding his time on earth, doing his best till it was time to leave.
While he departs the world, his songs and messages will continue to live on throughout time.
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Asake Links With Tiakola On Gritty “BADMAN GANSTA”
Another step towards ‘Money,’ his fourth
Street-pop star, Asake, has released a surprise new single titled “BADMAN GANSTA.” Produced by super producer, P.Priime, the single, Asake’s second of the year, arrives with a crisp black and white feature and a stellar guest verse from French rapper and singer Tiakola.
The singer posted the full music video–a monochromatic montage of dazzling shots and scenes of his opulent lifestyle–across his different social media handles on Thursday evening, July 24, with a caption that read, ‘The World Of Money.’
Earlier in June, the ex-YBNL star announced a new album titled ‘Money.’ A few months before that, he released a loosie titled “Military” and then “WHY LOVE,” his first official single under his new imprint Giran Republic. “Military” served as a bookend to the first arc of his impressive career as much as an announcement of a new era, while “WHY LOVE” officially kicked off season two.
Following the release of “WHY LOVE,” Asake has also featured on songs like Olamide’s “99,” J Hus’ “Gold”, and Young Jonn’s “Che Che,” delivering standout verses that favour a melodious, laid-back approach as opposed to the spirited, fast-paced style that earned him success early on. “BADMAN GANSTA” also excels with this approach, as Asake’s melodious musings about his current lifestyle dovetail nicely with Tiakola’s equally sturdy verse over a plush beat that samples Amerie’s 2005 classic “1 Thing.”
With Asake releasing three albums in as many years, it’s not unreasonable to assume ‘Money’ might arrive before the end of the year. There’s also the possibility that he might be willing to take his time a little more now, seeing as he his under his imprint now.
Whatever the case may be, ‘Money’ is likely to arrive sooner rather than later, and it will be fascinating to see what other aces Asake has up his sleeves.
Listen to “BADMAN GANSTA” here.
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Ayra Starr Releases Her Sizzling Anthem, “Hot Body”
An 11th-hour summer anthem for the
Ayra Starr has released her highly anticipated single “Hot Body.”
The Mavin popstar has been teasing the new single for a few weeks now, posting multiple promotional videos across social media that built up significant excitement for her third official release of the year. The release of “Hot Body” comes on the heels of recent reports that confirmed the Grammy-nominated singer had officially joined Roc Nation’s roster, the American music label, entertainment, and sports services company founded by rapper and business mogul JAY-Z.
Earlier in February, Ayra Starr shared “All The Love,” a sumptuous Afropop ballad produced by labelmate Johnny Drille and Teemode, before releasing the sleek and sensual Wizkid-assisted “Gimmie Dat” about months later. In that time period, the singer picked up two awards at the 2025 MOBO Awards for Best African Music Act and Best International Act before also clinching her first BET award for Best International Act in June.
It was recently announced that the pop singer would be joining Coldplay on the UK leg of their Music Of The Spheres World Tour between August to September, and her impressive year continues with the release of “Hot Body.” Once again, teaming up with close collaborator Ragee and UK production duo The Elements, Ayra Starr manages to deliver a sweetly erotic summer jam that’s sure to elicit plenty lip-biting, hip gyrating, and flirty winks. “Look what a hot body can do,” she sings repeatedly, almost like an enchantress performing a magic trick.
With her current deal with Mavin and Universal Music still running and the recent confirmation of her management deal with Roc Nation, it’s safe to assume that “Hot Body” might garner significant momentum both at home and abroad. Outside of her music, the singer recently wrapped up the shooting of the film adaptation of Tomi Adeyemi’s Children of Blood and Bone which is reportedly set for release in early 2027.
Listen to “Hot Body” here.
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