In a recent appearance on The Afrobeats Podcast with Adesope, Nigerian music icon D’banj peeled back the curtain on one of the most iconic branding moves in Afrobeats history, the creation of Don Jazzy’s enigmatic persona.
According to D’banj, the decision to make Don Jazzy a quiet, almost mysterious figure wasn’t accidental. It was a calculated move designed to earn respect and fear from an industry that had, at the time, struggled to take Mo’Hits Records seriously as both artists and executives.
“After an award show in 2006 where we weren’t nominated despite our success, Jazzy and I talked,” D’banj shared. “We realized it was because we were actively running Mo’Hits as executives while still being artists. The industry didn’t know how to place us.”
This led to a bold rebrand. While D’banj stepped forward as the face of the label, Don Jazzy began to retreat into a more silent, behind-the-scenes role, cultivating a reputation as the mysterious, all-powerful producer-executive. His rare interviews, quiet demeanor, and commanding presence turned him into a larger-than-life figure within the Nigerian music scene.
The result? Mo’Hits became a powerhouse, with Don Jazzy’s beats and D’banj’s charisma producing a string of unforgettable hits that helped define a generation of Afrobeats. While the duo eventually parted ways, their impact on the genre continues to resonate.
Their legacy was recently spotlighted when D’banj performed at Rema’s sold-out O2 Arena concert, where the Grammy-nominated star publicly acknowledged his contributions to Afrobeats’ global success.
With this new insight, fans now have a deeper understanding of how intentional branding and strategic image-building helped shape modern Nigerian music, and how two friends turned visionaries reshaped an entire industry.
You can catch the full interview on The Afrobeats Podcast for more gems from D’banj.
