This is quite long, but in this epistle, Dbanj revealed the truth as per what is going on at Mohits records
‘There’s an important person in that building, right?’ the cab driver asked. ‘Important musician?’I nodded, too tired to let any curious driver drag me into a conversation.
He got the message and left me alone the entire drive from Canary Wharf to the London Marriot Hotel, in Grosvenor Square.
Then, as I got down to get my suitcase from the trunk, he gave me a knowing look, smiled, and said ‘are you the musician?’‘Of course not’, I said to him, smiling this time. ‘The musician is in Canary Wharf, his name is D’banj’.
Silence. Confused look.
‘D’banj?’Yes, D’banj. He’s big in Africa. You know ‘Oliver Twist?’
Silence again, then as his final ‘no’ came, I said ‘Google him.’It
was 4am on Saturday, April 21. I arrived in London eight hours earlier,
and had spent almost all of that time chatting with D’banj, in his
first interview with a Nigerian newspaper in a long time, and his first
interview on the Mo’Hits brouhaha.
London is D’banj’s town. He’s
performed there over and over, his single ‘Oliver Twist’ is on the
A-list at Choice FM, and enjoys heavy rotation on other stations. A day
before I came, he spent hours doing interviews at the Universal offices
in Kensington. Some might hail D’banj as the man championing the gospel
of ‘Afrobeats’ across the world. But, just like the cab driver, London
does not yet know D’banj.
As we walk into the Choice FM building
in the afternoon on Saturday, there are no heads turning or fans gazing.
In fact, his lawyer, Elias, who wore a pair of loud snakeskin boots,
attracted more attention than D’banj.
Who leaves a zone where
they’re comfortable and celebrated; where they’re established and
successful, for a place where no one seems to give the slightest care?
D’banj, that’s who.
The
31 year-old entertainer has spent nearly two years building structures
he hopes will help take his music to new markets in Europe, and
especially America. This move, he believes, cost him his friendship and
business relationship with his long time partner Don Jazzy.‘I’m
a risk taker’, he says. ‘Life is all about risks. But you must never
endanger yourself. I don’t endanger myself, which is why, even though
I’m here, I’m still in Nigeria all the time, performing’.
With
incredible energy, and the kind of passion that endeared everyone to him
when he first moved back to Nigeria in 2005, D’banj says his deal with
Kanye West is a case of ‘preparation meets opportunity’.
‘I
pulled up with my entourage at the Emirates first class lounge in Dubai.
We were returning from Scott Tommey’s birthday. I came down with
Bankuli, my P.A. Chuchu, and my business manager Chidi. My entourage was
large and I was looking fly. One of the hostesses ran to me with a
Kanye West placard. I said I’m not Kanye o – then I told my guys ‘Kanye
is around so no dulling.’ Chuchu and Bankuli spotted Kanye walking in to
check in. They went to him and he said we could come over’.
‘As
they came, I had my iPad with me, and my headphones. First thing Kanye
said was ‘I like your T-shirt’. I wore a Zara T-shirt and a D&G
ring. He liked my appearance and said he’d give me 5 minutes. I told him
‘I played with you in Nigeria during NB PLC Star Megajam. I’ve done a
song with Snoop and we’re going to shoot the video now. I’d like to play
you my songs.’ I played Oliver, Scapegoat, and Fall in love. He was
dancing. He removed the headphones and said ‘I don’t mean to sound rude,
but if anyone has to bring you out in the states, it has to be me, not
Snoop. He asked when I was going to be in the US, and I told him I was
going there that day. Then he asked who my producer was, and I said Don
Jazzy. He said ‘come with him.’
Three months later, D’banj, Don
Jazzy and their crew were in New York, where, according to D’banj, it
took almost forever before they could establish contact with Kanye. ‘It
was only an email address he gave us at the airport. So when we got to
NY, we sent several emails but got no response. Not a single one.’
‘Then
we met someone that knew someone that knew another someone and we got
another email address. We sent several messages again, no response. Then
Bankuli sent a final one saying, ‘we have been in New York for some
time and sent several emails. We have waited long enough and are now on
our way to do the Snoop Dogg video’
And then the reply came. ‘Sorry to have overlooked your earlier emails. Mr. Kanye would like to meet with you tomorrow.’
‘We
didn’t believe it. Don Jazzy, who had been reluctant all along, still
did not believe it. Even when we got there (Wyclef’s studio) the next
day, he stood outside. When Kanye came I went to call him ‘Oya come now,
come play am the music now’. It was difficult to believe it was real
and it was happening. Then when Kanye came in, with the GOOD music acts,
I was like, ‘wow’.
From there everything happened fast. Next
they were meeting Jay Z, making a presentation to LA Reid (At Electric
studios), and discussing contracts. But while the label offered him a
traditional recording contract, D’banj opted for a joint venture
agreement structured to guarantee three things: retaining full control
of his materials in Africa, signing Don Jazzy on board (on behalf on
Mohits USA), and, he says, bringing the Universal/Def Jam imprint to
Africa.
‘I’ve always thought of how I can be a useful vessel to
the industry. A friend and colleague always says to me: ‘D’banj, you’re
the Jesus Christ of the industry.’ So having ran Mohits for nine years,
I already had plans of how we could blow Mohits up. I had plans of
expanding, and most especially, bringing hope to that 11 year-old kid
somewhere in Africa who may never have had the opportunity to get signed
to major labels’.
‘So it was not really just about me. There’s a
big market in Africa. I said to them, ‘I’ve sold millions of records
in Africa, we’ve done millions of hits with CRBT, and I’ve run the most
successful label on the continent. You take care of the US, but let me
take you to Africa.‘ And I’m happy to tell you that we’re doing that.
D’banj’s album will be the first under Universal/Def Jam Africa, and
we’re already putting all the structures in place’.
‘I’m a
businessman.’ I learnt from my mom, who’s a very successful
businesswoman. So having run and funded Mohits for nine years, I knew we
had to move to the next level. And everything we wanted was happening.
Finally we could take African music to the world.’
Just like the
lyrics of the song, D’banj was an Oliver Twist. Here’s a guy who had
conquered a continent; was sitting on the top three list, and making
more money than anyone else in his category. D’banj was a big player in
Nigeria, where there are over 150 million people; a big player in
Africa, with over 850 million people. But he wanted to play big
globally, with 7 billion people to grab from.
And that’s where
the problem started. ‘Don Jazzy was no longer comfortable. You know, we
were like fishes out of water, in this new system, starting all over
again, like when we returned home in 2004. I
got him a place in the US, set up a studio there, just so he’d be
comfortable and be able to work without going to hang around the
studios. In one year Jazzy did not make a song. I said, maybe you want
to go back to Lagos, you’ll get inspiration there?’ I was all about the
work, I wanted us to make this happen, so we can bridge that gap and
create a path for Africa. But Jazzy wanted us to go back home. And I
understand. He’s my friend, my brother’.‘But I never expected him to do what he did.’ He said to me in July last year ‘
Let’s
scatter Mohits. He told me there are two captains – two captains cannot
be in a ship. I was like ‘that’s not possible, this is a marriage’. He
said ‘then this marriage is no longer working’. I said then let’s go for
counseling; I asked, so what happens to our children?’Don
Jazzy wanted Mohits, D’banj says. And that happened on April 16, 2012 –
after months of a bitter feud, characterized by accusations and counter
accusations, widespread speculation, leaked emails and failed
reconciliation attempts.
‘You can see he has signed already’, he
said, showing the agreement with Don Jazzy’s signature. ‘I have full
rights to my catalogue and full ownership of my Koko Holdings, while he
has full ownership of Mo’Hits, including the artistes and liabilities.’
Already
judged guilty in the court of public opinion, and publicly disowned by
his own boys Wande Coal and Dr SID, D’banj says he’s sad, but not
bitter. Does he feel kind of lonely, alone in the cold? ‘Asking me if
I’m lonely because Wande or Jazzy has left me is like asking my first
sister if she’s lonely now – she has two kids now, lives in Canada. Don
Jazzy is still my brother – we just had to move on. We’ll still work
together in future, same with my boys. In fact, just this week, he sent
me the remix to Oliver Twist that we’re releasing in the UK on May 14.
All the interviews I’ve had here, I kept hyping him. It’s already in my
system – you know me, I’m a one-way soldier. Jazzy is a very quiet
person. Loyalty is key. My loyalty still lies in the friendship I had
with him. He was cheated by JJC, and I was present. I swore never to
cheat him. But I’d like to think our visions became different.
‘It
was clear when we met that Jazzy wanted to be the biggest producer, I
wanted to be the biggest African entertainer, not the biggest singer. I
had my mind on money. In order to say I’m the biggest, I had to be the
richest. So for a very long time, he was on the back end. He respected
my act, I respected his music judgment. Every meeting that brought us
money I went for. I’d say I need to confirm from Don Jazzy because that
was the agreement, even though I knew it was my decision. First Glo deal
was $500,000. That Landcruiser jeep was because of my demands. It was
because of the skill and exposure that I used to bargain. I’m a
businessman’
‘People say I’m less talented, I was known as a
jester in the JJC squad. I’d make everyone happy and play the mouth
organ, but I knew what I wanted. I decided to give Don Jazzy power in
2007 when we realized that after four years, they did not recognize us
as a record label. We had signed artistes and done all this work. So we
restructured, and restrategized. So I told him to chill, so he can be
more respected and be the don. I’m older than him by one year, yet I
respected him like a don. I remember when he came out at Ali Baba show, I
knelt down for him, so people would say he’s the baba. All the talking
in my ears and all, it was an arrangement. All the Soundcity advert and
all, he did not tell me anything. It was all an arrangement.’
With
his UK publicist Vanessa Amadi taking notes nearby, his manager
Bankulli interjecting every now and then, and several legal documents
surrounding us, D’banj spoke passionately of his former partner in the
same way a man might go on about a cherished and respected, but
estranged, lover. He’s on his sixth cigarette, and thinks the room is
stuffy, even though no one complains. So he opens the sliding glass for
ventilation. ‘Jazzy did his part’, he says, sitting down again and
looking me in the face. ‘He made the music for nine years. But nothing
stops him from making for twenty more years. We could have changed the
formula. Why didn’t he want to change the formula? It was time to expand
the business, Mohits was Motown reloaded. We always knew we would
expand, he always said I had more swagger than anyone else he knows, And
I know he’s one of the best producers in the world; we wanted to make
Mohits the biggest in Africa. Other labels were springing up. So if we
could conquer America, London when no one had done it before. Most of
our people stop in Germany, or Paris. But this is America, this is the
big league; it makes us the strongest, the biggest. We had already made
the money. And who best to introduce me to the rest of the world? Kanye
did not want to change anything about my music, my style of dressing, or
my brand. It is God’s favour. But Jazzy was and is very scared.
Something had worked for eight years, so he wanted to maintain the
status quo. People are afraid to try new things.’
‘But’, he tells
me, still maintaining eye contact while lighting another cigarette,
‘I’m not afraid. I’m a vessel that God is trying to use to help the
industry. I’m a bridge. Once in a few years, one artiste comes from the
UK to run the world, none has come from Africa. Fela was the closest.
It’s been my own dream; I made my name from Nigeria, unlike Seal, Wale,
and Tinie Tempah. And I want to bring Universal, Def Jam and all to
Nigeria. So if I can build that bridge, then we’re good, because it will
give hope to the boys in Asaba, in Oshogbo that this thing is
possible.’
The day after our Canary Wharf interview, we meet up
at Highbury Islington, where he’s shooting a documentary and the promo
for the Oliver Twist competition for the UK. D’banj’s new crew: Semtex
(a white A&R rep from the label), Bankuli and Vanessa, are on the
ground, working with the production team. ‘This is why we’re here o.
This is the work’, he says as he invites me into the dressing room.
‘And
when people say why am I not talking, this is why. I’m focused on
making this happen. It’s more important for me to make sure I don’t
disappoint all those who have invested in me; all those who believe in
me and are supporting the movement, than to be fighting over who’s right
or wrong. Even now that I’m talking to you, I don’t even know if I
should be doing this interview.’
It’s very unexpected that D’banj
– the super aggresive D’banj – is speaking in this manner. He has
fought many battles, cut off many former friend-associates, ignored the
Nigerian media, and reportedly humiliated several Mo’hits members,
including Ikechukwu and Dr SID. Temperamental, often impatient, and
vocal, those who know him will tell you the D’banj they know, is not the
one that’s speaking.
So I ask:
The
perception is that you’ve become arrogant, unreachable, proud. You’re
not the D’banj we used to know; not the D’banj I used to know – and most
people in the media will say this is trueObviously people
will say stuff – but this is me. I can’t keep up with everyone, no
matter how much I try. But I understand where I’m coming from. I cant
forget my roots – all the interviews I had yesterday, I was ‘bigging up’
DJ Abass, he gave me my first show in London. You saw me giving Jazzy
props in my interview earlier. That’s me. If I was arrogant I wouldn’t
have been the one even chasing Jazzy around since he told me last July
that he wanted to scatter Mohits. Last time I saw him was on February 19
at Irving Plaza. He didn’t support the show, and he only came on stage
when SID and Wande were performing. I wanted peace.
And even my
mom, who had supported us from beginning, who gave us the house we
stayed in (in Michael Otedola estate, Lagos), the Previa bus we used and
paid for Tongolo video, spoke to his parents last December; ‘this is
what your son said o’. I remember my mom saying to me, ‘if you guys have
been together all these years, and no wahala, then if you need to part,
I hope there’ll be no wahala.’ She was very particular about that. I
had enough proof to have come out and speak; this thing has been on for a
long time, and we’re in April now. But I don’t want to cause any
wahala. I don’t want to spoil anything. I don’t want trouble. Right now,
I just want to be able to move on and do my business.’
That’s
surprising, because when the leaked emails emerged, revealing private
email conversations between the estranged partners, all fingers pointed
at D’banj. Don Jazzy, a likeable celeb and social media addict, didn’t
have anything to prove. D’banj was the one who looked bad, and,
understandably, would want to make a move that could earn him public
sympathy.
‘The signing (away of my shares in Mohits) was already
being discussed before April 16. If I kept quiet from January till now,
what would it benefit me to leak anything? Remember all the stuff about
my password and all? We know where that was from, I really wouldn’t want
to think it was from him, my brother, but it could be from anywhere,
but I don’t want to call anyone’s name’
But were the emails forged?Everything
in those emails were facts. And I don’t even think the mails favoured
me in any way. It’s not the exact mails that were sent and signed, but
there were elements of truth in the mails that were published.’
Why did you tell Ebony you own Mohits?My
mom advised me not to speak. And the interviewer took it out of
context. I co-owned Mohits. We registered the business in 2004, and we
owned it 50:50. So I spoke about that, but the interviewer took it wrong
and the fans put pressure on them and they corrected it.
How about Sahara Reporters?I
never wanted to have any interview. It was on the eve of my US show. I
was told I should do the interview, because they’re very troublesome. I
had to do the interview for the sake of my show the next day. I was
guaranteed that there’d be no politics questions. I had not been in the
country. And I had been under pressure. Sadly, when that happened and I
was being attacked in the media, none of my guys came out to support
me.
Looking at all this, what are your regrets?The
truth is that if nothing went wrong, you’d have still heard all this
good news and Mohits would take the glory, I didn’t come out in eight
years to say anything. Everyone made their contributions. There were no
issues, as long as it worked. My mistake was thinking that we were one.
People don’t question their brothers and sisters.
How do you feel about Wande Coal and Dr. SID taking sides with Jazzy?I
won’t be too quick to judge Wande Coal. I hear it was Jazzy that
tweeted those Wande tweets. I don’t know how true that is, but I know he
had our social media accounts. As at a month ago, I couldn’t access any
of my accounts. My password was changed on Twitter and Facebook. Then
Universal intervened. I’m about to be verified on Twitter now. I’m not
really a social media person, so it was Don Jazzy and some of our other
guys that were running it. Wande himself knows the truth. He cannot talk
to me like that. The whole Mohits knew who ran the label businesswise.
They knew who to come to when they needed to get money out, after we
recorded the album. Who knows the factory where Dansa was made? But you
will know the marketing manager. The car he’s driving, I bought him a
brand new Prado from Phyllis and Moss after he crashed the car he won
from Hiphop World awards. I bought six Range Rovers last year. I bought
D’Prince an LR 3 last year, he crashed it, then I bought him a Range,
and it’s true that I bought two Bentleys. Because of Jazzy. But after
July last year, after the issue with Jazzy, I bought myself the Aston
Martin.
You bought that? I thought that was a gift?I bought it.
How were you able to fund all that?In
the last nine years, there are a few people and corporate bodies that
God has helped me build relationships with, either individuals or banks,
or even corporates that are involved in the growth of the industry.
I’ve enjoyed their support, and even now that we’re going global, we’re
pooling the funds together from all these places.
Could you possibly be Nigeria’s richest pop star? A billionaire?Vanity
upon vanity. Money is material. In terms of what we’re doing, you’ll
call me a Trillionaire, because this vision is too big for only me. With
the help of the industry, the government, people like you Ayeni, we
will not only be billionaires, but trillionaires, and not just me, but
every little kid that has same talent like Beyonce, or Nicki Minaj. And
with the standard of the UMG worldwide, we can pass people out from our
own Universal Music Group Africa, Universal Def Jam Africa, and everyone
should jump on this ship with us. It’s not the Titanic.
There’s been a lot of confusion – what label exactly are you signed on?My
album comes out under my label/GOOD Music/Island Def Jam. I’m funding
the D’banj album, in America, through GOOD Music/Island Def Jam. GOOD
Music is Kanye West who is co-executive producing with me. The deal
comprises of Island Def Jam, in US. But in UK, it is under Mercury. My
first single will be released in Europe on May 14. My work will be
released in Africa through Universal/Def Jam. We don’t have these
structures in Africa, and they’ve seen how much money they’ve lost.
They’ve seen what I’ve done with Mohits. I made my pitch to them; I’ve
made them realize how much they were losing in the African region. Over
150m Nigerians, over 800m Africans. 2% of that is 8.5m. They were not
making anything except from S.A, which has been the US of Africa. So we
will be launching this label in Ghana, in partnership with Vodafone,
launching in Nigeria in partnership with MTN. Def Jam Africa will be up
soon; Kenya, SA, and North Africa will follow.
Why are you risking all this? What if you burn your fingers and lose everything you’ve worked for?Lose
out? Well, I am happy I even have something to risk. To whom much is
given, much is expected. Look at Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Jay Z, Kanye
West, these people take it to the max, take it to where they believe
that they can push it to. In the first instance, coming back to Nigeria
with Jazzy was because I was a risk taker. And I wouldn’t say I’m
throwing everything away. I would say I’m putting everything back in, in
order to rip into the future. I get a broadcast from Tonye Cole
everyday. He says when you tell people this your vision, know that it’s
not for you alone – it’s for everyone. It’s like what Fela did. If what
I’m doing doesn’t work, but sows that seed that will germinate in three,
five years, it means my name will be written in gold.
Some people have tried this before you, unsuccessfully. Do you have doubts and fears sometimes?My
last album was in July 2008 – no album in four years and I know what I
still command in those four years. The momentum for me to be able to do
this is because I see how much it took me, I saw the benefit, it’s God,
and the favour of the relationships we’ve built. Plus, I don’t take no
for an answer, I don’t take negativity. It will work in Jesus’ name. If
not, I wouldn’t have landed in the UK and hear Oliver Twist on the
radio. Nor would I be in the mainstream media with them saying I’m
pioneering afrobeats. I said to them ‘Oh hell no, that’s Fela’s music.
Fela is the legend.’ So I pray to God – I beg my fans, it‘ll be good to
do half a million downloads. It’s possible, it’s a different market.
Platinum in UK is 300,000. I believe with the support of my people in
Reeding, Coventry, Dusting, Hackney, Thamesmead, Abbeywood, we can do
it.’
And so, as I say my goodbyes and flag down the cab that’ll
take me to Heathrow Airport, I can’t help thinking out loud: should one
man sacrifice the wishes of the collective on the altar of ambition and
material wealth? But then, what should be expected of the man whose
dreams and ambition grow beyond those of other – possibly myopic-
members of the collective: should an individual sacrifice his personal
desires; derail his destiny, so to speak, in the interest of the
collective?
In all of this, faithfulness and loyalty have been brutally murdered. And the jury is still out on who pulled the trigger.
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