Veteran Nigerian producer and top music executive, Michael Collins Ajereh, popularly known as Don Jazzy, has opened up on why he didn’t sign Afrobeats poster boys, Wizkid and Davido, to his now-defunct record label, Mo’hits.
The Mavin head numero uno explained he couldn’t sign Wizkid to the label because EME boss, Banky W got to the Starboy before him.
He also revealed that he had the opportunity of signing Davido but didn’t because he figured out that he would succeed without a record label’s support.
Don Jazzy also regretted not signing Simi and Teni. He said he almost signed rapper, Falz The Bahd Guy but the deal broke down along the line due to some reasons.
He stated this while featuring as a guest on the Leaderboard podcast hosted by Fisayo Fosudo which was monitored by Africa Today News, New York.
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He said, ‘I like Simi, I didn’t sign her. I wish I did. I like Teni, but I didn’t sign her. I wish I did.
‘I had the opportunity of signing Davido but I didn’t because I kind of figured that he would be fine. Wizkid, obviously, I couldn’t because Banky W got to him first. That would have been amazing.
‘Falz, I love his work. We almost had a deal.’
He also revealed that legendary musician, Daddy Showkey was his role model while growing up in Ajegunle, Lagos.
He pointed out that Daddy Showkey and Baba Fryo inspired him to do music.
He said, “My music inspiration started from Ajegunle because dem Daddy Showkey, dem Baba Fryo, a lot of all these Ajegunle musicians that we looked up to.
Don Jazzy said he started his music career in the church as an instrumentalist because he couldn’t afford studio sessions then.