Opinion: Mo’Hits, the Movie

By Onyinye Muomah

So Don Jazzy has just launched his own/new record label– sans D’banj. In case you did not hear, he launched it in the early hours of May 7.

Mavin (pronounced May-Vin) is made up of Don Jazzy (the producer), Wande Coal (the crooner), Dr SID (the dancer turned rapper turned singer), D’Prince (what does D’Prince really do?) and Tiwa Savage (the sexy ingénue) who will soon be referred to as the First Lady – puke!- of Mavin. I hate the term First Lady used for the token female in a group. My feminist rage may not be explained now.

We all know the story. At least, I am guessing that what I know is what you know. D’banj and Don Jazzy called it quits. They argued over who gets what and who is entitled to the family name and all the assets. Don Jazzy moved out of the family house; then D’Banj. There were accusations and counter-accusations on Twitter and in the press. And like all major celebrity divorces worth their salt (think money) we got the leaked emails. The only thing we are ‘yet’ to get is the court cases.

Oh la la! That would make the tabloids’/bloggers’ dreams. In fact, if the D’banj/Don Jazzy case ever goes to court we would see a major media revolution where a blog goes mainstream- TMZ style with Michael Jackson’s death- and suddenly becomes a print newspaper or magazine.

I digress.

Eventually when the dust settled, Don Jazzy got custody of the kids except for K-Switch obviously seeing as he is D’banj’s brother. And D’Banj remarried and left the country. According to the rumour mills, he is now more or less based in the UK and Los Angeles.

For an armchair analyst like myself who has been following all these via Twitter and other online sources and rumours and gbogbo e, it is obvious that majority of the Mo’Hits fan base is staunchly behind Don Jazzy. He is a maestro. He ‘created’ Mo’Hits. He is humble. Dr. SDI says he’s the backbone of Mo’Hits and of course, he dashes out free credit on Twitter.

D’banj on the other hand is known within the industry for his arrogance. And much of the blame for the split has been laid at his door whether by insinuation or directly by Don jazzy and the rest of the Mo’Hits crew sans K-Switch. At one point, one thought that the exclusive interview with NET in which D’banj explained himself, made out Don Jazzy to be a lily-livered non risk-taker, managing to draw JJC into the Mo’Hits feud – but most importantly drew a big picture of his plans and ambition. One would say that did something to restore the goodwill he had lost from most of the Mo’Hits fans.

But then Mavin launched yester-night and it was clear once again who the fans are backing. Within minutes, fans were already using the poster featuring Don Jazzy and his new (old) crew as their display pictures everywhere necessary. Stans once known as something-Mohits on Twitter were soon changing their names to something-Mavin. In short, Don Jazzy was once again reassured that he is the one winning in the aftermath of this messy divorce.

‘Thank you all so much. I love you‘, he tweeted something to that effect.

But let’s pause for a moment and ask ourselves, is Don Jazzy really winning? And please don’t tell me that it’s not about winners and losers. Everybody who has ever been in a fight knows that’s what it all boils down to- coming out on top.

It’s probably too early to tell but let’s not discount D’banj just yet. The last time we checked, he’s still got his G.O.O.D. Music deal and he is also now signed on to Island Def Jam’s affiliate in the UK, Mercury.  Say all you want about D’banj’s lack of music talent but he’s still got something that half of the Mo-Hits- I mean, Mavin current line-up does not have and what most musicians will kill to have- stage presence. Many would like to attribute all of D’banj’s musical success to Don Jazzy’s production skills forgetting that D’banj has something that goes beyond just singing some lyrics over electronically derived sound- he has star power. That more than anything else gained him his large fan base especially amongst young women and made people troop to see his shows.

I would like to argue now that with a more structured marketing and production machine behind him and let’s not forget, within a more sane and organised industry, he can safely translate his ‘entertainer’ skills to a bigger following which goes just beyond Nigeria and Africa- which is precisely what he is targeting. Music is continually evolving and there are other producers beside Don Jazzy. We may not like D’banj’s next sound- only time will tell that. But so long as he can step on a stage or pick up a mic and go File!– or whatever his new catch phrase will be then- we will remember why we love him and why he continues to make it despite not having ‘talent’.

Meanwhile, Don Jazzy continues to pander to the Nigerian market. For now he is content with being the big fish in the little pond. He knows the territory. He has been here longer. You cannot debate his PR and marketing skills especially using the social networking site Twitter. Lord only knows whose idea it was to embark on the ‘Oliver Twist’ dance competition but we can all agree that it was the most innovative PR stunt ever carried out for the release of a single in Nigeria. The song went viral, was covered by international acts like Estelle and helped establish D’banj in the consciousness of the UK music scene. Even Rio Ferdinand declared it his favourite song of the time.

One can say that Don Jazzy does not wish to compete with the world (D’banj hinted at this in his NET Interview) when there is still an untapped market in Nigeria/Africa; one that the Western world is yet to fully appreciate and try to control. One where a smart business man would be quick to make his mark and establish his territory before the West starts flooding in. And that’s the difference between Don Jazzy and D’banj. D’banj is an artiste who seeks to be famous and not just make money and the only way he can really do this is go international. And for him, the time is now, when the interest is new.

Obviously these are both ambitious young men with the same goal but with different ideas at this point on how to get there. I would like to believe that one’s success will not cancel out the other’s especially seeing as they have both chosen separate places to launch from- one internationally, the other locally.

In the long run, hopefully, they’ll both get there. This is not the first break-up in the history of music whether in Nigeria or abroad. Yes, the fight is always to be the first to make it. But by the end it would be a game of who endures and stays longer in the consciousness of their public- who becomes a legend.

This movie has just started and although the roles have already been established, it would take a long time- probably a lifetime- to play out. And rather than choose a definite side to root for, I choose to be entertained by all players. Where’s my popcorn?

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