Nigerian music executive Don Jazzy has said that Afrobeats artists and producers created better music in the early days when they lived together under one roof in record label houses equipped with studios and other creative facilities.
Speaking on a recent episode of the Crea8torium podcast, Don Jazzy reflected on the early Mo’Hits Records era, recalling how close collaboration and constant interaction among artists helped shape some of Afrobeats’ biggest hits.
He explained that spontaneous moments and everyday interactions often inspired hit songs, citing an incident involving D’Prince during their time at the Mo’Hits mansion. According to him, a disagreement over radio interview commitments eventually led to the creation of D’Banj’s popular track Olorun Maje.
Don Jazzy narrated that then-manager Sunday Are had complained that D’Prince was reluctant to attend radio interviews, and that he had reported the matter to him. However, he was focused on working in the studio at the time and advised the manager to escalate the issue to D’Banj.
He said the situation escalated when D’Banj confronted D’Prince, leading to tension in the house. Moments later, D’Prince returned to the studio, pretending to dust equipment, and began singing lines that would later form part of the song.
“The lyrics just fell precisely to the beat I was making at that time. I told him to pause, that I like it. That was how the song was born,” he said.
Don Jazzy also recalled that another hit, You Bad, You Want It, emerged when Dr Sid casually entered the studio and began freestyling over a beat he was producing.
The producer noted that the creative environment in today’s music industry has changed significantly compared to the early days of Afrobeats. He explained that artists are now more dispersed and often work independently rather than in shared creative spaces.
Despite the changes, Don Jazzy said his personal approach to music production has remained the same, adding that he still enters the studio with a clear intention of creating sounds tailored to specific artists.
He encouraged young creatives in the music industry to embrace collaboration and build stronger connections, arguing that shared environments often lead to greater artistic synergy and innovation.
According to him, the spirit of togetherness played a key role in shaping the success of early Afrobeats records and should not be lost in today’s evolving music landscape.
