One of Nigeria’s foremost producers, Michael ‘Don Jazzy’ Ajerch, has won NET Honours 2022 Most Popular Music Producer.
Don Jazzy is a Nigerian music producer and the founder and CEO of Mavin Records, one of the country’s leading record labels. Before launching The Mavin Records on May 8, 2012, Don Jazzy was co-owner of the now defunct Mo’ Hits Record label with D’banj, which produced some hit songs in the early 2000s like D’banj’s albums No Long Time, The Entertainer, and Wande Coal’s Mushin2Mohits (2008).
Announcing the winner on Friday, July 1, 2022, Don Jazzy emerged the winner of the category with 61.7 per cent of the votes, beating other nominees Pheelz 12.5%, P-Prime 7.1%, Rexxie 6.6 %, Sarz 6.5 % and Young John 5.6% to cling the prestigious award.
Born in Umuahia, Abia State, on November 26, 1982, Don Jazzy started playing bass guitar at the age of 12 and would gain knowledge of traditional and percussion instruments.
The 40-year-old is renowned for producing hit music, attracting both national and international artists. Don Jazzy worked with Jay-Z and Kanye West to produce the hit song Lift Off which peaked at number one on the South Korea Gaon International Chart and number twenty-one on the US Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart when it was released in 2011.
In 2014 when Dorobucci was released, it became an instant hit. The music was a production of The Mavin featuring Don Jazzy, Tiwa Savage, Dr SID, Reekado Banks, Karede Bello, Di’Ja, and his younger brother D’Prince. Don Jazzy has produced well over 100 music including Burna Boy’s 2021 song Question.
Speaking on the contribution of NET Honour to Nigeria’s culture and entertainment, Femi Falodun, the CEO of ID Africa, said “NET Honours provides useful data on popular culture trends and the interests of urban youth in Africa. The platform is a valuable source of insights for brands, organisations and governments that are trying to understand young Africans and their digital media consumption habits.”
See the complete list of winners here.