Written by Ayeni Adekunle of
Thenetng.com
. Quite an eye opener. You must read this...enjoy...
‘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
true
Obviously 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 Redding, 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.
Messages to French election
candidates 
