Exploring Don Jazzy’s Influence on Afrobeats

Over two decades, Jazzy has managed to reinvent himself, ushering at least two generations of talent into the limelight. It’s a tricky feat for a man who began his career in the early 2000s to not only be so attuned to the ebbs and flows of music in recent times, but still be one of its most important shapers.

In light of recent events, where Wizkid referred to Jazzy as an “influencer” as a jab in an ongoing online feud with Davido, we are taking a look at the times and moments that highlight just how influential Jazzy was — and still is — to the evolution of the Nigerian music industry.

He built Nigeria’s multi-generational record labels

When D’Banj and Jazzy parted ways in 2012, Mo’ Hits Records — which at the time housed some of the most formidable voices in Afrobeats music, like Wande Coal, D’Prince and Dr SID — also ceased to exist. From that ending, Jazzy founded Mavin Records, his long-standing label.

Mavin ushered in a new crop of voices, from Reekado Banks to Korede Bello, Tiwa Savage and Di’ja and former members of Mo’ Hits Records, Dr SID and D’Prince. Mavins, in its earliest form, was a well-curated lineup of musicians bridging the gap between the early iterations of Nigerian music and the first fruits of its vibrant future. A source of delight for many fans were the songs that featured all or most label members, like “Dorobucci” (2014), “Adaobi” (2014) and others. Such songs not only launched careers but kick-started cultural trends of their own.

In recent years, stars like Rema, Ayra Starr, Crayon, Johnny Drille and many others have risen to fill the spot left by their predecessors. Jazzy, who has a hand in their development and some of their production, continues to be at the helm leading the new generation of Nigerian sound.

He has a fantastic eye for collaborations

The biggest selling point for Jazzy’s record label is that his artists sound good individually but when the case arises, they sound even better together. In songs like “Dorobucci” — or the most recent from Mavin’s artists “Won Da Mo” (2022) and even his feature on Coal’s “The Kick” (2015) — Mavin artists share a chemistry that almost always turns their collaborations into hits. Even when Mo’ Hits Records embarked on collaborations featuring all the artists on the label, the merging of the different sonic sensibilities, D’Banj with his heavy pop influence, Wande Coal with his R&B leanings, Dr SiD and D’Prince with their hip-hop influences, encapsulated the ethos of Afrobeats — unending evolution and experimentations infused with undeniable local flavor.

He’s had an impact in the direction of Afrobeats and Afropop

In a 2023 interview with Fisayo Fosudo, Jazzy revealed that away from developing emerging artists into global stars, he is building an ecosystem. This sentiment is plausible because he has contributed immensely to the sound that is Afropop today. His work with D’Banj, Coal and D’Prince dominated the soundscape of Afrobeats for years. His sound is rich in influences, combining local instrumentation with global sonic influences like hip-hop. Today, many artists continue to reference Coal’s work with Jazzy. While working with Tiwa Savage, he helped engineer a contemporary African sound that complemented Savage’s charismatic image. “My Darling” (2014) and “Eminado” (2014) are arguably some of Savage’s biggest songs. They ushered in an era of percussion and bass-heavy sounds that carried with them an unmistakable sense of Nigerian-ness, in their bounce, but also in their playfulness and ability to delight listeners. And if Jazzy has done nothing in his over 20 years in the industry, he has displayed a rare ability to consistently delight.